UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) once again takes sides for the protection of Doñana and is, once again, seriously concerned about the deterioration of this natural space declared a World Heritage Site, by Unesco itself, in 1994.
The new balance on the state of conservation of Doñana is included, in the form of a draft of the proposed resolution, in the document that will be debated from September 10 to 25 in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and UNESCO World Natural Heritage.
The proposal expresses "the utmost concern" of this UNESCO body "for the legislative changes proposed by the Parliament of Andalusia to legalize the existing illegal wells" in the Doñana area and, in this sense and to confront this threat , "urges the State Party [Spain, the Spanish government as signatory of the convention for the protection of the World Heritage] to fully implement the Special Plan for the Management of the Irrigated Areas located to the North of the Doñana Forest Crown (PEOCFD ) in its current form and urgently shut down illegal wells, in accordance with its previous commitments".
It is not the first time that Unesco has criticized the plan proposed by the Junta de Andalucía for the legalization of wells in Doñana, but the new resolution proposal advances in the tone of reprimand and once again justifies the actions of the Spanish government.
The Unesco World Heritage Committee studies the state of conservation of Doñana on a regular basis and, given the deterioration observed in recent years and proposals such as the legalization of wells (which could aggravate the scarcity of water in the area), has analyzed the possibility of this valuable natural space becoming part of the List of World Heritage in Danger, something like the black list of cultural and natural values that are protected but at the same time threatened.
The inclusion of Doñana on this blacklist could have been proposed at the meeting to be held this September in Riyadh (in fact, it still could be) but, if the draft resolution (draft attached at the back) is approved, lower), it will remain only a threat.
Thus, in addition to criticizing the Andalusian Parliament and "urging" (not to say, demanding) the Spanish state to comply with the commitments made for the comprehensive protection of Doñana, the World Heritage Committee requests the presentation - by Spain , before December 1, 2024- of "an updated report on the state of conservation of the property [Doñana] and the implementation of the above [the protection measures claimed], for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its next Without saying so explicitly, Unesco leaves on the table the possibility of including Doñana on the blacklist at its next meeting if the requested protection measures are not taken beforehand.
The conservationist organization WWF Spain, one of the most active in the defense of Doñana, has issued a statement in which it "regrets that Unesco has not yet proposed the inclusion of Doñana on this list [blacklist] taking into account the catastrophic situation where the National Park has been located for years". After reading Unesco's criticism, "WWF once again demands the President of the Junta de Andalucía to immediately and definitively withdraw the proposed law [for the legalization of wells].
Likewise, WWF "requests that the Strawberry Plan be applied in its current wording -as UNESCO does- and that it agree with the central government on an ambitious and joint framework plan of actions, with measures to recover and restore the hydrological functionality of Doñana, as well as that the governance principles abandoned in this protected area are met."
"Once again, Unesco threatens to include Doñana on the shameful list of World Heritage Sites in Danger, which would be a real dishonor for Andalusia and for our country," says Juan Carlos del Olmo, Secretary General of WWF Spain. “Unesco has once again warned President Moreno Bonilla of the risk of approving his law to legalize water theft and illegal irrigation near Doñana. Let's hope that this time he pays attention and starts working to fulfill his international responsibility”, says Juan Carlos del Olmo.
Text of the proposed agreement to be studied by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for resolution (original in English, unofficial translation):
Draft Decision: 45 COM 7B.97 The World Heritage Committee
1. Having considered document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decisions 37 COM 7B.27, 38 COM 7B.79, 39 COM 7B.26, 41 COM 7B.9, 43 COM 7B.20 and 44 COM 7B.191 adopted at its 37th sessions (Phnom Penh , 2013), 38th (Doha, 2014), 39th (Bonn, 2015), 41st (Krakow, 2017), 43rd (Baku, 2019) and 44th expanded session (Fuzhou/ online, 2021), respectively;
3. Welcomes the efforts of the State party [Spain, a state party to the World Heritage convention] to finalize, with the World Heritage Center and IUCN, the Retrospective Declaration of Exceptional Universal Value (OUV) of the well, as well as start to identify monitoring indicators, and reiterates its request to report on the indicators in future reports on the state of conservation;
4. Appreciates the continued efforts of the State Party to reduce the use of groundwater from the Doñana aquifer (Almonte-Marismas detrital aquifer), including by implementing various recommendations from the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission, but reiterates its utmost concern for the overexploitation of three of the water bodies despite such efforts and therefore requests the State Party to fully implement all the recommendations of the 2020 mission as a matter of urgency;
5. Also requests the State Party to confirm whether the Hydrological Plan for the Guadalquivir Basin (2021-2027) has been approved, including details of its development process, recalling the Committee's previous request to present a Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Guadalquivir updated to ensure that it includes a specific chapter on the OUV of the property; state of conservation of the assets WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2, p. 111 inscribed on the World Heritage List;
6. Also recalling the need to clarify the relationship between the hydrology and ecology of the area and to define the water needs of the property to maintain its OUV, urges the State Party to accelerate the development of a hydrological model ecological system for the property, in line with the recommendations of the 2020 mission, in order to inform the adaptive management of the property and actions to increase its resilience to climate change;
7. Further requests the State Party to develop a strategic plan that defines the likely climate change-related impacts on the property, as well as adaptation and mitigation measures to address these impacts, including the extent to which a reduction in consumption is required of water to conserve it and protect the OUV of the property, in accordance with the recommendations of the 2020 mission;
8. Noting that fluctuations in the productivity of ecosystems are expected given seasonal and annual variations in rainfall patterns, it nonetheless expresses its utmost concern over the decline in the number of wintering waterfowl on the property, which are important OUV attributes of the property, and the fact that some key species are currently not breeding or observed on the property due to prolonged drought and lack of surface water;
9. Expresses its utmost concern over the legislative changes proposed by the Parliament of Andalusia to legalize existing illegal wells and urges the State Party to fully implement the Special Plan for the Management of Irrigated Areas located to the North of the Doñana Forest Crown ( PEOCFD) in its current form and urgently shut down illegal wells, in line with its previous commitments;
10. Considers that a continued deterioration of the Doñana aquifer (Almonte-Marismas detrital aquifer), if not reversed through the rapid and effective implementation of actions, including the recommendations of the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission, to strengthen the resilience of the and reduce the pressures on the OUV from the threat of climate change could have adverse effects on the OUV of the property and create the conditions for its inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in accordance with paragraph 180 of the Guidelines operational;
11. Recalling the need to exercise extreme caution when reopening the old Aznalcóllar mine, it also urges the State Party to ensure that systematic risk preparation and emergency action plans take into account the needs for protection and management of the asset , and to submit these documents in one of the working languages of the Convention (English or French) to the World Heritage Center for review by IUCN, as soon as they are available and before final or irreversible decisions are made with regarding the reopening of the mine;
12. Takes note with appreciation of the plan to establish a buffer zone for the property and requests the State Party to submit a minor boundary modification proposal to formalize a buffer zone for the property;
13. Finally, it requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Center, no later than December 1, 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the Heritage Committee. World Cup at its 47th session.
