101,047 of 125,000 signatures

To the European Commission

Petition

Prevent the Andalusian government in Spain from pushing through a law that could destroy the Doñana wetland. If the Andalusian government does not drop the law against Doñana we demand you put in place all the mechanisms in your power (including financial sanctions) to protect Doñana nature reserve and other endangered natural sites across Europe.

Why is this important?

One of Europe’s natural treasures is being pillaged - now's the time to act to save it.

Doñana, a UNESCO world heritage site in Southern Spain, is home to some of the most beautiful creatures on our planet like the endangered Iberian lynx. [1] Each year, hundreds of thousands of birds depend on this nature reserve for breeding, wintering or resting during their migration to Africa. [2]

But, this protected wetland is dying of thirst. Illegal strawberry farms have tapped into the water sources, sucking the wetlands dry to grow their crops. Worse still, the Andalusian regional government is shaping up to approve an amnesty for illegally irrigated farms. [3]

Already threatened by biodiversity loss due to the climate crisis, drought and exploitation, the new law the Andalusian government is proposing will put Doñana even more at risk. [4]

The European Commission has an onus to protect such a unique areas rich with biodiversity. It’s already spoken up and put much needed pressure on the Andalusicisan government but it must keep the pressure on. [5] That’s where we come in.

Now is the time to give the European Commission the backing it needs with a massive people-powered petition urging them to intervene to save Doñana.

The water crisis is spreading across Europe as the interests of large corporations continue to take precedence over caring for nature and the species that inhabit it. We can stop it before it is too late and ecocidal policies endanger more nature reserves in Europe. [6]


References:

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/08/bitter-fruit-strawberry-boom-water-plan-raises-fears-for-spanish-wetlands
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/17/spanish-wetlands-donana-andalucia-far-right
  2. https://www.euronews.com/2022/05/27/spain-s-donana-national-park-under-threat-as-groundwater-pumping-continues
  3. https://www.surinenglish.com/andalucia/bill-legalise-irrigated-land-donana-passes-first-hurdle-20230413104918-nt.html
  4. http://www.ebd.csic.es/documents/10184/962554/20230410_Intervention+EBD+CSIC+Pleno+Extraordinario+Consejo+de+participaci%C3%B3n+Do%C3%B1ana+10+April+2023/44b2e1f4-9063-4bc0-8cd2-ec409915142e
  5. The Court of Justice of the European Union has condemned Spain for the dramatic situation of the biodiversity and ecosystems of Doñana and the European Commission has the obligation to enforce the ruling and not allow the regional government of Andalusia to legalise hundreds of hectares of illegal strawberry fields. https://www.wwf.eu/?3877416/EU-court-rules-Spain-at-fault-over-degradation-of-Donana
  6. https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-next-crisis-water-drought-climate-change/

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Please can you chip in?

Thank you for taking action to save Doñana and Europe's nature reserves. We need the European Commission to act to send a clear message to governments: the protection of nature reserves is not negotiable! Now, can you make a small donation to help us win this campaign?

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