Understand how the strawberry is drying an environmental reserve in Spain

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One of the largest wetlands in Europe, Doñana National Park suffers from the European demand for the red fruit and the connivance of local authorities to environmental crime. Spanish strawberries tend to be cheaper than those produced in other European countries AFP/C. Quicler It’s a tragedy announced: the famous Doñana National Park, in Spain, one of the largest wetlands in Europe, is threatened with drying out. The extensive cultivation of strawberries, which supply European supermarkets in several countries, is the main driver of this disastrous scenario. Hundreds of strawberry farmers illegally pump groundwater in the national park region to irrigate their crops. Instead of taking action against this criminal practice, Andalusia’s conservative regional government wants to legalize illegal cultivation. The European Commission, international environmental associations and Spain’s progressive federal government speak of a scandal. “The situation is critical”, says Eloy Revilla, director of the biological research station in the national park and the best expert on this endangered piece of nature. Covering 1,200 square kilometers, Doñana National Park is home to wild horses, imperial eagles, lynxes, turtles and millions of migratory birds. Revilla points to a yellow-brown steppe surrounded by pine trees. According to him, a shallow lagoon used to be there, where thousands of flamingos searched for crabs, snails and insect larvae. Due to the decrease in the water table, this lagoon has turned into a dry mud desert. The lagoon has become the symbol of the death of the national park. According to Revilla, about 60% of all ponds in the park have already dried up. They are fundamental to the species-rich life in the region. With them, many of the endangered species that had this unique national reserve as their last refuge disappear. Surrounded by strawberries Huge plantations stretch over 100 square kilometers to the north and west of the park. Strawberries are grown in greenhouses to supply the European market. In addition to tourism, the business with berries – mainly strawberries, but also raspberries – are the most important economic sectors in the province of Huelva, in southern Spain. For decades, the number of strawberry farms on the periphery of Doñana National Park has increased – mainly driven by consumption of the fruit in Europe. Spanish strawberries tend to be cheaper than those produced in northern and central European countries. Spanish politicians of all parties rejoiced in the boom and discounted massive water theft by farmers. However, pressure increased when, in 2021, the European Court of Justice condemned Spain for the theft of water and the lack of protection of the national park. The national water protection agency began to inspect the thieves. The environmental police cemented hundreds of illegal wells. Repression did not always have an effect, and some farmers went back to exploiting groundwater elsewhere. More than 20 European retail chains have backed an appeal by nature protection association WWF for Spanish politicians and farmers to ensure sustainable cultivation so as not to damage the reputation of the strawberry produced in the region. War over water There is also a war over water among farmers: between those who have legal exploitation rights and those who irrigate their crops illegally. There are reports of threats made to farmers who advocate sustainable farming and who want to take action against water thieves. Water scarcity, which will only increase with global climate change, is not only causing the park to dry up, it is also affecting strawberry cultivation. The regional association of farmers Freshuelva estimates that this year’s harvest will be 30% smaller than that of 2021. The water emergency also affects producers who act within the law and who increasingly need to stop growing fruit due to insufficient irrigation . But that scenario doesn’t seem to bother the local government, which wants to legalize 600 illegal farmers. The president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, claims to have nothing to do with the water shortage and blames the federal government for the crisis, claiming that it does not invest enough in the region and does not provide enough water for the park and for the farmers. In response, Madrid has said it will use all means to block Moreno’s legalization plans.

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