The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, visited Doñana National Park on Thursday, where he reiterated the firm commitment of the Government to the protection and recovery of the wetland and asked the Junta de Andalucía to rectify and return to the path of European legality to stop the “atropello” that the legislative proposal of the Andalusian Parliament to legalize irrigation in Doñana involves.
The head of the Executive, accompanied by the delegate of the Government in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, has called to reconsider the president of the Junta de Andalucía, the PP and Vox. “Your bill contravenes European law. That is why I call for reflection and rectification to abandon sovereign positions and return to the path of European legality, respect for the environment and climate awareness”, he stressed.
Pedro Sánchez has also reaffirmed the Government’s firm commitment to the preservation of Doñana. In this regard, the Executive will continue to close wells and illegal agricultural surfaces; create infrastructures that guarantee the water supply in Huelva; replace groundwater with surface water; improve the quality of water and restore the biodiversity of the environment, among other measures.
The president has also urged Doñana to move away from electoral calculations and has opted for the protection and recovery of the park as priority objectives of political action in the wetland. “This is not about electoral costs. Doñana is a treasure that our fathers and mothers bequeathed to us and our main responsibility is to bequeath it to our sons and daughters,” he said.
A blow to Doñana and against European legislation
The President of the Government has highlighted the importance of science to maintain the highest protection on spaces of such environmental value as Doñana. “If science, common sense and EU legislation are saying no to this PP and Vox bill, I think there is no reason not to abandon that arrogant stance, go back to legality and stop this outrage,” he said.
Sánchez has warned of the unaffordable cost in terms of environment and biodiversity that this measure may have in Doñana and has highlighted the “resounding and decisive position” of the European Commission, which has sent a letter to the Government this Thursday in which it warns that the legislative proposal of the Andalusian Parliament to legalize irrigation in Doñana may infringe the applicable European Union law on the environment and bring sanctions from the community level.
Doñana, temple of biodiversity
The President of the Government has highlighted the environmental value of Doñana as a fundamental asset against global warming and climate change. In addition, the reserve has a high value for the protection and conservation of biodiversity, making it a key space for the survival of animal and plant species.
The protection of Doñana involves controlling the exploitation of its waters. The overexploitation of the aquifer and the lagoons has placed the park in an alarming situation, having lost 19% of its 267 lagoons as a result of this overexploitation and the effects of climate change.
Global warming also obliges us to strengthen the protection of this space. Last summer, Doñana recorded its maximum peak temperature since there are records, at 46.3 degrees. “Science is warning us about the effects of the climate emergency, especially in fragile ecosystems such as the Doñana National Park,” concluded Pedro Sánchez.
During his visit to Doñana, the President of the Government met with workers and technicians from the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation (CHG) and visited the Santa Olalla lagoon, affected by the drought.