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Doñana still under strain as water shortages and boundary dispute deepen concern
Scientists warn that a new government demarcation could reshape one of Spain’s most fragile wetlands
Even after weathering one major political battle, the Doñana Natural Park remains under serious pressure. Environmental groups and scientists say the protected wetland, in Andalucía, is facing a double threat: ongoing water scarcity and a controversial new boundary proposal that is now heading to the courts.Although 2025 brought welcome rainfall, experts warn that one wet year is not enough to undo long-term damage. According to the Guadalquivir River Basin Authority, rainfall during the 2024 to 2025 hydrological year reached 671 millimetres, or 123 percent of the average, making it the first wet year since 2010 to 2011. The authority noted that this ended a thirteen-year dry spell, but stressed that recovery requires a sustained period of wetter years, not a single improvement.
The underlying problem, the report says, is how water is used. Large volumes continue to be extracted from the aquifer to support the strawberry industry, which generates more than one billion euros a year. “The current degree and mode of exploitation of underground resources compromises their good condition and that of dependent terrestrial ecosystems,” the authority warned, noting that three of the five water bodies in the system fail to reach good quantitative status.
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The government has proposed several responses, including a zero increase in land eligible for irrigation, the closure of illegal water intakes, the removal of irrigation systems that cannot be legalised, artificial recharge where possible, and a transfer of almost 20 cubic hectometres of water from neighbouring river basins.
Alongside these structural issues, a new dispute has emerged. Last October, the Ministry for Ecological Transition approved the demarcation of nearly 119 kilometres of Doñana marshland as public maritime-terrestrial domain. This follows earlier tensions over how Doñana’s boundaries are defined and protected.
The proposal has been rejected by scientists, environmental organisations and the Doñana Participation Council, which voted against it by a clear majority. Critics argue that the government’s classification of the area as a tidal, or salt, marsh is wrong.
Eloy Revilla, director of the Doñana Biological Station, said, “Its greatest value is that it’s freshwater. We must do everything possible to maintain this state of conservation. I hope the discrepancy can be discussed at a technical level and that the boundary will be applied in a way that better reflects reality.”
A manifesto signed by 275 scientists warns that redefining the marshes could have “irreversible consequences”, including the loss of valuable freshwater wetlands. WWF’s Juanjo Carmona added that extending the tidal marsh designation has “extremely serious future implications”, as it could force changes to the entire regulatory framework governing the park.
For many involved, the concern is not whether Doñana should be protected, but whether the decisions now being taken truly reflect the fragile reality on the ground.
Image: Leolo212/Pixabay
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