{"id":39078,"date":"2023-05-13T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2023-05-13T06:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tourduvalat.org\/?p=39078"},"modified":"2023-05-12T17:17:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T15:17:53","slug":"mobilisation-of-scientists-from-around-the-world-to-maintain-donanas-rich-natural-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourduvalat.org\/en\/actualites-en\/mobilisation-of-scientists-from-around-the-world-to-maintain-donanas-rich-natural-heritage\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobilisation of scientists from around the world to maintain Do\u00f1ana’s rich natural heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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H\u00e9ron cendr\u00e9,<\/span> \u00a9 Orca_Production<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the occasion of World Migratory Bird Day, this Saturday 13 May 2023, scientists from all over the world, including those from the Tour du Valat, are mobilising to draw attention to the problems currently facing the Do\u00f1ana region in Andalusia-Spain. This vast wetland area of international importance, a Ramsar site, a National Park, a Biosphere Reserve, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, plays a crucial role in welcoming large numbers of migratory birds from the European and Mediterranean region. It has a unique value in terms of biodiversity and is a major transit and wintering area for waterbirds. In a context of increasing drought, it is essential to allocate water in a way that meets the vital needs of the local population, the various economic sectors including agriculture, but also the natural environments and their rich biodiversity, in order to reconcile human activities and natural heritage. Through this open letter, the scientists bring to light a number of studies on Do\u00f1ana and ask UNESCO to include this site on the list of “Natural Heritage in Danger”.<\/h4>\n
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OPEN LETTER OF INTERNATIONAL BIRD MIGRATION SCIENTISTS:<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

MAINTAINING DO\u00d1ANA\u2019S NATURAL WORLD HERITAGE VALUES WILL REQUIRE RADICAL CROSS-SECTORAL CHANGES IN WATER USE IN THE GUADALQUIVIR BASIN<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

The Greater Do\u00f1ana ecosystem in the Guadalquivir basin in south Spain was long considered a crown jewel in the European network of protected areas. The Do\u00f1ana National Park (established 1969) and its surrounding Biosphere Reserve (1980) are uniquely valuable in terms of local biodiversity, as well as being a major transit and wintering location for Europe\u2019s waterbirds. The extraordinary natural values earned the National Park the status of UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. Three decades later, however, Do\u00f1ana is rapidly losing its characteristic ecosystems and unique biodiversity, and also the global role of the Guadalquivir basin in sustaining migratory bird populations is under threat1-3<\/sup>. Maintaining these natural values, and creating a safe operating space for Do\u00f1ana, will require ambitious cross-sectoral actions in the Guadalquivir basin3<\/sup>.<\/h4>\n
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Greenhouses, Do\u00f1ana<\/span> \u00a9 Orca_Production<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although many factors contribute to the rapid deterioration of the Do\u00f1ana World Heritage site4<\/sup>, a major contributor is the overexploitation of groundwater5-7<\/sup> for intensive agriculture and mass tourism in the immediate surroundings of the protected area, which also cause severe contamination of water sources3,8<\/sup>. The negative consequences of water exploitation and pollution are now aggravated by drought conditions. And while the Mediterranean climate has always seen episodes of drought, severe and persistent drought conditions seem to increase in frequency as
\npredicted by climate change models3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Over the past 30 years, groundwater overexploitation has resulted in reduction of groundwater levels of up to 20m, resulting in the loss of 60% of Do\u00f1ana\u2019s lagoons5-6<\/sup>. This culminated in the desiccation of even the largest permanent lagoons in 2022, causing major damage to Do\u00f1ana\u2019s unique freshwater flora and fauna. The groundwater extraction is also linked to intensive fertilizer use which is causing eutrophication of remaining groundwater, and of Do\u00f1ana\u2019s streams and marshes8<\/sup>. In addition, most of Do\u00f1ana\u2019s marshland has remained dry since 2021 due to persistent drought and a lack of incoming surface water through rivers and streams. Long-term census data shows that important breeding populations of a multitude of threatened species of waterbirds have (almost) completely disappeared from Do\u00f1ana9<\/sup>. Moreover, the drying of the marsh also caused migrant birds to become almost entirely dependent on artificial wetlands outside the National Park, such as rice paddies and fish farms.<\/p>\n

While numerous reports have sounded the alarm about the deteriorating natural values1-2<\/sup> and the need to create a safe operating space3<\/sup> for Do\u00f1ana NP, we – international bird migration researchers – are very concerned about two acute situations in the Guadalquivir basin:<\/p>\n