Spain's fruit boom drains Donana wetlands, prompting costly water crackdown

Donana National Park, one of Europe’s key wetlands, is losing water as an extensive network of illegal wells extracts from its aquifer to support Spain’s fruit and vegetable exports, which account for about 25% of the continent’s supply. The problem dates back to the 1970s Almonte-Marismas Plan, which prioritized water-intensive strawberries—dubbed “red gold”—and granted generous quotas that soon proved insufficient, prompting farmers to dig unauthorized wells and build reservoirs.

A tragic incident in 2019, when a toddler fell into an illegal borehole, spurred the Civil Guard to form dedicated water-theft units, and in 2021 the EU Court ruled Spain had violated environmental law. Current efforts include sealing nearly 300 illegal wells, a €1.4 billion joint plan to purchase and rewild farmland, and incentives for drip-irrigation and crop diversification. NGOs such as WWF Spain and the Condado Water Users' Association monitor extraction using satellite imagery, drones and flow-meter inspections, while violators face fines and up to five years in prison. The situation mirrors similar water-stress challenges in other major producing regions worldwide.