Flamingos or Strawberries?

Spain is one of the most diverse countries in the European Union. With 28% of the Spanish territory being designated as protected areas, the Spanish government has a very important role when it comes to the protection of these habitats, which are home to endangered species like flamingos. However, the protection of these regions conflicts with the interests of the agricultural sector in zones with low groundwater resources, which have traditionally intervened on these protected districts as a way of ensuring the growth of crops such as strawberries. This is the case of the Doñana Reserve, located in Andalucía, Spain. Low groundwater resource zones refer to regions where groundwater recharge is low or abstraction exceeds sustainable levels, risking ecological or environmental degradation. Experts have shown that between 1985 and 2018, almost 60% of the Doñana pond network has been lost mostly due to human activities. For this reason, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) declared that Spain had failed to fulfill its obligations established by the Habitats and Water Framework directives.

Adopted in 1992, the Habitats Directive was created to ensure the protection of more than a thousand species and habitats within the European Union. With this directive, the protected species and natural areas would recover and survive in the long term. Following the same direction, the Water Framework Directive was established in the year 2000, and aimed to create a safe environment for natural water bodies, as well as to contribute to the restoration of damaged areas. The Doñana Natural Park, qualifies as the type of area that needs protection according to these directives, and the Spanish government’s lack of action against the illegal water extraction from the area has raised complaints from many environmental organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Following the CJEU’s decision, the Spanish Central Government has taken two main approaches. First of all, the increase of pressure put on the Andalucía’s regional government for it to take stricter control measures on illegal water extraction activities, as well as to reduce domestic water consumption in the area. This has caused problems in the regional parliament, as no space for dialogue was being left between parliament members with discrepant ideologies, something that has increased tensions between political parties, causing an even stronger cleavage, reflected in other policy areas, as well as in state-level politics because they could not negotiate the measures imposed by the central government. Secondly, the central government has created a plan that aims to improve the situation through the creation of financial aid spaces which have the objective of relocating agriculture workers in other sectors, as well as the use of public funds to reduce the ecological footprint of the agricultural activity in the area.

However, these measures have caused tensions within the agricultural sector because the plan does not contemplate a plausible solution that will ensure the survival of such an important sector. In addition to this, the farming industry has repeatedly shown their worries towards these new pacts, as they fear they will not be protected by the regional government against the bureaucratic irregularities that affect the continuation of their activity. Following these protests, the Third Deputy Prime Minister, Sara Aagesen, has announced with the Andalusian regional government, led by Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, the creation of a Foro de Diálogo (Dialogue Forum) to ensure the compliance and the effectiveness of the measures taken, as well as offering solutions to the issues which may surge as the agricultural sector has highlighted. The government has announced the creation of several funding mechanisms which aim to improve the sustainability of the industry while causing them the least damage. This new forum opens the possibility for sustainable solutions which respect the decisions of the European Union, as well as the necessities of local farmers.

The clash between the Andalusian farmers’ interests and the European Union standards is not an isolated conflict. In fact, for the last couple of years, agronomists have gone out to the streets to manifest their disconformity against European regulations. The most recent example is the French protests against the conditions imposed by the government on the diesel negotiations, which would heavily damage the French farmer’s economies. This issue highlights the importance of communication between parties and underscores how Brussels should try to protect the interests of this vital sector, which is key to the survival of every household. Hence, given the far-reaching implications of such disputes, which touch upon agriculture, resource sustainability, economic development, and food security, open dialogue alone is not sufficient. The European Union should try to come up with alternative environmentally sustainable solutions which would reduce the stress put on fragile environments such as Doñana.

For example, desalination plants, which transform seawater into drinkable, sweet water, could be an interesting alternative for water extraction for crop growing in the area. Desalination plants have been used in several Spanish areas that suffer from hydric stress such as the Canary Archipelago. This solution has been able to ease the pressure put on fresh water in the area since the 1970s, therefore if the European Union analysed the possibility of opening these types of plants in the area, the sustainability of the area could be improved, while ensuring the survival of crop-growing enterprises. Nevertheless, Brussels should therefore try to form an expert committee which would ensure the correct implementation of new sustainable measures and plans which would also ensure the sustainability of local farmers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to mitigate the conflict and balance agricultural and environmental needs, the following proposals have been outlined:

- The introduction of desalination plants as a plausible solution to reduce the stress put on the environmentally damaged Doñana region.

- The use of public funding to support environmentally friendly agriculture and farming in the south-western Spain.

- The development of policies to ensure the protection and endurance of Andalusian farmers.

- The continuation of dialogue both at the regional level and at the European level, supported by an expert committee to guide and oversee the implementation of these measures, as well as the creation of new policies.

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