Development in the drought
The incompatibility of the Ebro water transfer with sustainable development in the Southeast region of Spain
Development in the drought -The incompatibility of the Ebro water transfer with sustainable development in the Southeast region of Spain-
WWF/Adena Gran Vía de San Francisco, 8-D 28005 Madrid Tel.: + 34 91 354 0578 Fax: + 34 91 365 6336 www.wwf.es [email protected] www.panda.org/dams
Texts: Meinke Schouten Edition: Meinke Schouten
April 2003
WWF/Adena thanks the reproduction and the circulation of the contents of this publication by every type of media, always when the source is mentioned.
INDEX
INDEX ...... 2 PREFACE ...... 3 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 4 2. THE WATER TRANSFER IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION OF SPAIN...... 7 3. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION OF SPAIN ...... 9 3.1 THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION OF SPAIN...... 9 3.1.1 Water disappears...... 10 3.1.2 Elimination of the natural landscape ...... 18 3.2 THE ECONOMY IS GROWING, BUT WITH VICTIMS...... 24 3.2.1 More production, less benefits ...... 24 3.2.2 Society is changing ...... 25 4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 28
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PREFACE
The Spanish National Hydrological Plan1 consists of two principal components: a new transfer of 1050 cubic hectometres of water per year from the Ebro river basin to the river basins of Catalonia, the Júcar, the Segura and in the South and a “pack” of 889 public water works (reservoirs, water transfers, etc.) listed in Annex 2.
WWF/Adena has analysed the problems caused by the growth of tourism and agriculture in the Southeast region of Spain, the region that will receive the major part of the water. With this report, WWF/Adena intends to demonstrate that the economic, ecological and social situation is very complex, that the unsustainable development has created a structural water deficit and that the transfer will not solve the existing problems.
This report is based on the following information sources: • Official data from databanks of the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the autonomous regions; • Estimations realized by WWF/Adena and other NGO’s; • Examples and studies of specific cases.
1 Spanish National Hydrological Plan (SNHP): approved by the Law 10/2001, of the 5th of July of 2001;BOE no. 161, of the 6th of July of 2001
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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Southeast region of Spain2 is changing. Only 20 years ago this region was one of the poorest in Spain (in 1980 the Southeast region contributed nearly 6% to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP). At this moment, the region, with only 8% of the national population, contributes 15% of the GDP.3 These economic changes are reflected in the landscape: large surfaces of agricultural terrain, urban development and advertising signs and less natural landscape. The economic growth of the past few years has produced severe impacts in the Southeast region of Spain, which will be described further on. The Spanish government focuses in their analyses only on the water offer problems and pretends to solve them by means of the Ebro water transfer. This solution, however, does not slow down the non-sustainable growth of tourism and agriculture and therefore the growth of the water demand will not be eased. On the contrary, the transfer stimulates the non-sustainable development in the Southeast region of Spain.
Water becomes scarce The economic growth is linked to a major demand for water. Meanwhile, water resources are disappearing, which is, among others things, caused by climate change. Water use has increased without control and in an illegal way, and as a consequence, water availability decreases every day. The most important non-natural cause of reduction of water resources is the continuous growth of irrigated agriculture, in spite of the fact that the implementation of new irrigation is prohibited since the Water Law of 1987. In only three years, from 1997 to 1999, the percentage of irrigated surface has grown from 40% to 44%. Moreover, farmers use more and more irrigation for production of originally dry agriculture. At this moment, there are 2500 legal boreholes in Murcia. Groundwater experts estimate that there are half a million illegal boreholes in the river basins in the Southeast region of Spain. There is an absolute lack of control on the boreholes that are fed by the aquifers and their exhaustion is one of the principal arguments for executing the Ebro water transfer.
According to the Spanish National Hydrological Plan, 45 % of the transferred water can and should be used for urban consumption. There is an increase of urban water consumption due to the increase of tourism and not due to the growth of local population. The modern tourist demands quality and this is translated in Spain into pools, gardens and most importantly golf courses. It is estimated that annually nearly 90 hm3 of water (7% of the capacity of the Ebro water transfer and equivalent to the consumption of a city with over 1 million inhabitants) will be used in 2012 to irrigate the golf courses in the Southeast region of Spain.
The decrease of the water resources will not only affect groundwater. The Segura River is on top of the list of deteriorated rivers in Spain due to contamination and lack of water. The main pressure on the river system comes from the agricultural sector (pesticides and irrigation) and the inefficient treatment of wastewater. The Segura discharges only 4% of its flow to the sea. Due to the overexploitation of the resource,
2 In this report the Southeast Region of Spain is defined as the provinces of Alicante, Murcia and Almería. 3 INE: www.ine.es
4 downstream the river stays dry. In this way, the river loses its self-cleaning system of rivers with sufficient discharge. The contamination of the Segura could be transferred to the humans and generate risks for public health.
The natural landscape disappears The natural landscape is threatened from two fronts. From the coast, tourist urbanizations are spreading and from the inner land, agriculture is expanding.
Desertification and erosion are severe problems in the Southeast region of Spain. The overuse of groundwater could easily produce overexploitation of the aquifers, resulting in desertification. Nevertheless, in Murcia and Almería there is still irrigated agriculture inside areas with high risks of erosion, which accelerates the process of desertification.
The land occupation by tourism and agriculture forms a threat for the protected areas. Part of the tourist constructions in the Southeast region of Spain occurs inside or near zones with a high ecological value. In this way, 14.000 hectares of protected areas in Murcia have been changed into building land.
The landscape of Almería is transformed into a sea of plastics. Nearly 40% of the agriculture is already taking place underneath plastic. According to data from the Regional Ministry of the Environment of the Region of Andalusia, about 30% of the newly constructed greenhouses are illegal and do not comply with sanitary and environmental standards.
The society is changing The Southeast region of Spain is a very rural zone with families working in agriculture. However the traditional family agriculture is being substituted by an industry of agricultural production by large companies which see the employees as expenses that should be reduced as much as possible. Moreover, the system of subsidies leads every year to problems of overproduction and the downfall of prices. The farmers’ incomes remain constant, but the expenses rise. As a result, the farmers save on the personal costs by contracting cheap workforces like (illegal) immigrants.
A non-sustainable development WWF/Adena comes to the conclusion that one of the principal causes of the above problems is the lack of sustainable development4 in the Southeast region of Spain: • Lack of an equilibrated economic growth, because the agricultural incomes are not stable and because of the pressure on the landscape caused by tourism; • The natural resources are not used with prudence, nor is the environment being conserved: the aquifers are overexploited, there are desertification problems and the protected areas are threatened by the expansion of agriculture and tourism; • There is lack of solidarity within the society: many immigrants work in inadequate circumstances and there are not sufficient houses for them, while another part of the population enjoys the benefits of economic growth.
4 Following the principals of sustainable development defined by the Ministry of Environment.
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The transfer will worsen the problems WWF/Adena thinks that the experience with the previous Tajo-Segura transfer should serve as a lesson to avoid making the same mistakes5. The volumes of transferred water of the Tajo-Segura water transfer have increased over the years due to the increase in consumption in the Southeast region of Spain. It was not until the 90s that the transfer provided water in its legally available amount. The real cause of this increase in transferred volumes is not very clear. It may be this is due to the increase in the surface of irrigation in the region. However, not all available irrigation permits are used, which contradicts this fact. NGOs have been claiming for a long time that flows are diverted to tourist water uses, like recreation, golf courses and urbanizations, and theme parks like Terra Mítica, which could be an explanation for the increase of transferred water. The main environmental impacts of the Tajo-Segura transfer are: • The occupation of land by irrigated agriculture and new urbanizations affecting thousands of hectares of protected areas; • Saline natural zones are dulcificated and aquifers are contaminated by nitrates; • The Tajo-Segura transfer has an indirect influence on the overexploitation, contamination and salinization of the water resources in the Segura river basin.
WWF/Adena considers that the Ebro transfer will create more problems than it will solve, including in the beneficiary regions. On one hand, the greater water offer stimulates the non-sustainable development in the coastal zone. On the other hand, the transfer has already created and will create more conflicts between different groups of Spanish society, including: • Traditional farmers and agricultural industries that intensify irrigation; • Farmers and constructors of tourist urbanizations (with golf courses); • Regional governments and beneficiary groups in the Southeast region of Spain and the opponents to the transfer in the same region; • The provinces in the Southeast region of Spain (Murcia, Almeria and the autonomous region of Valencia) and the regions of the Ebro river basin (Aragón and the Ebro Delta).
WWF/Adena proposes sustainable development as a solution An essential condition for the solution of the problems in the Southeast region is adequate control of the land and water demand. The three autonomous regions (Valencia, Murcia and Andalucia) should initiate a process to design sustainable development in the Southeast region of Spain. This process should include all stakeholders. WWF/Adena considers that the European Union and the Ministry of Environment should stimulate this process. A process of sustainable development will benefit in reality all the stakeholders: • The tourist and agricultural sectors will continue to develop in a healthy way with not only profit today, but also in the future; • The environment will have the opportunity to recuperate; • The immigrants will have a chance at a worthwhile life.
5 WWF (2002): Informe Final sobre el trasvase Tajo-Segura. By Miguel Ángel Hernández Soria.
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2. THE WATER TRANSFER IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION OF SPAIN
The most relevant SNHP project bringing water to the Southeast region of Spain is the water transfer from the lower Ebro river. The total of 1050 hm3 per year (equivalent to 1/3 of the urban water consumption of Spain) will be distributed in the following way: • 190 hm3 (18%) to the internal river basins of Catalonia; • 315 hm3 (30%) to the Júcar river basin; • 450 hm3 (43%) to the Segura river basin; • 95 hm3 (9%) to the southern river basins.
According to the SNHP Law, the use of the transferred water has some restrictions: • Alimentation or complementing of the existing and working water supply systems to guarantee the actual and future uses of urban water supply in the receiving river basins; • Improve the environmental conditions of these ecosystems, fluvial stretches, aquifer sectors or elements of natural water habitats, which actually suffer an intense degradation; • Consolidate the water supply to the legally existing irrigations according to the Hydrological Plan of the river basin; • Eliminate actual unsustainable situations of overexploitation in the aquifers of the receiving river basin; • Additionally, the Ministry of Environment has proposed in the National Water Council that the transferred water cannot be used to irrigate golf courses (though this does not exclude that the water is used in the water supply for the urbanizations next to the golf courses).
On paper, this argument looks very equilibrated and reasonable. However, this is contradicted by the reality of water management in the receiving river basins, especially by the fact that there is no control on water uses. Various experts calculate that there are between 500.000 and 1.500.000 illegal boreholes in the Southeast region and that the Confederaciones Hidrográficas do not dedicate sufficient human and economic resources to resolve the situation.6
In spite of exposing in the SNHP a clear difference between the future uses of the transferred water, the practice of water management and the scarce transparency of the official documents produce a smoke screen over the real beneficiaries of the Ebro transfer. At this moment the following issues remain: • The recognition of water saving opportunities in urban uses as a solution for the water problems in the Southeast region of Spain; • The ecosystems will not receive the transferred water directly for their restoration, but they will receive the drainage waters from irrigation. It is not assured when, how much and in what state the water will arrive; • With this highly subsidized irrigation water (from the Ebro water transfer) the government improves the already good economic situation of a few farmers in
6 Heraldo of 15th of December 2002
7 the Southeast region of Spain7, but at the expense of the whole Spanish and European society; • The transfer does not help to eliminate the situation of unsustainability. To the contrary, the lack of water currently impedes unsustainable development. In other words, the transferred water will stimulate unsustainable development in the Southeast region of Spain.
7 WWF (2002): Socio economic analyses and valoration of the in the SNHP foreseen transfers from the Ebro. Written by la Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua
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3. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION OF SPAIN
In the last few years the economy of the Southeast region of Spain has grown more than the Spanish national average, 43% compared to 39%, especially in agriculture and tourism. Agriculture contributes nearly 7% to the Gross Added Value (GAD) of the Southeast region of Spain. 13 % of the active population works directly or indirectly in agriculture (10% in whole Spain). The tourism in the form of hotels contributes also 7% to the GAD of the Southeast, but only 5% of the active population works in hotels (6% in whole Spain).8 This data only gives a vague idea of the importance of the tourism sector, because this sector is more than hotels.
3.1 The environment in the Southeast region of Spain Illustration 3.1 shows, very simplified, the principal environmental processes. The main driving forces are (grey): • The development of golf courses; • The construction of tourist houses; • The amplification of the agricultural surface9.
Each driving force has an increasing (+) or decreasing (-) effect on several factors (water availability, water quality, etc.) resulting ultimately in three main impacts (squares with fat borders): • The costs to obtain water; • The surface of protected areas; • The erosion and desertification.
Water quality Use of - fertilizers and pesticides + - Costs to obtain water Water availability Erosion + Desertification + - +
- Surface of agriculture Water level in - aquifer - - - Golf courses + Tourist houses - + Surface of + protected areas
Water in protected areas + Illustration 3.1 Scheme of causes and effects
8 The Spanish Institute of Statistics (INE): Regional accountability of Spain. Base 1995, series 1995- 2001. Year 1999. 9 The differences between dry and irrigated agriculture are not diferentiated in the illustration. Agriculture always needs water. Generally, dry agriculture has less impacts on the water resources than irrigated agriculture. Irrigation is like a catalizator and increases the effects on the water resources.
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3.1.1 Water disappears
The economic growth has been accompanied by a major water demand. Meanwhile, the new water resources dry out, among other reasons because of climate change. The water use has risen without any control and in an illegal way. As a consequence, the availability of water reduces every day.
Inefficient irrigation still exists by means of inundation or gravity in the Southeast region of Spain
At this moment there are three irrigation methods10: • Surface irrigation (gravity). The water runs by canals in the earth or the whole surface is inundated. This form of irrigation produces water losses by washing out and evaporation, because it is difficult to perfectly control the water dose. • Irrigation by dripping. Water is applied to a determined zone of the area and not to the whole area. This is the most technical method and with this Illustration 3.2 Flood irrigation in Orihuela, Murcia11 method it is very easy to apply the water in an efficient 180.000 manner. 160.000 140.000 3 • Irrigation by sprinklers. With 120.000 m Others this method water is applied to of 100.000 Gravity nds
the grounds in the form of rain a 80.000 Drip irrigation
us Sprinklers by using sprinklers. The water 60.000 Tho consumption is moderate and 40.000 the efficiency is acceptable. 20.000 0 Murcia Alicante Almería Illustration 3.3 shows that the methods mostly used in the Southeast Illustration 3.3 Irrigation methods in the Southeast region of Spain are drip irrigation and region of Spain12 gravity irrigation. Gravity irrigation is Irrigation method Global efficiency (%) with respect to water use, the least Gravity 20-60 efficient method, as shown in table Sprinklers 50-80 3.1. Drip irrigation 60-95 Table 3.1 Mean values of global efficiency13
10 www.elriego.com 11 Credit: Guido Schmidt/ WWF-Spain/ADENA 12 INE: Censo agrario 1999 13 Hispagua: hispagua.cedex.es/Grupo1/Revistas/op/37/
10 The surface of agriculture grows without control
Although the water resources are decreasing Increase of the surface of (1996-1999): 15 through overexploitation and climate change, • Dried pulses (nearly 200% in agriculture in the Southeast region of Spain is Alicante and Almería); • Vegetables (30% in Almería and expanding. The official data shows an increase Murcia); of the agricultural surface, especially in • Olives (30% in Almería and 14 Almería. On top of that, new (illegal) land Murcia). reclamations are still appearing all over the region of Murcia, as claimed and testified by the Reduction of the surface of (1996-1999): forest guards and SEPRONA (the nature • Vineyards (7000 hectares in Alicante and Almería). protection service). Only Alicante has a clear • Cereals (30% in Almeria and reduction of the agricultural surface over the last Murcia) few years (1996-2000), according to official data.
Southeast region Alicante Almería Murcia 1994 342070 369325 1995 319106 351407 1996 868672,23 189730 325666 353276 1997 922841 192519 369198 361124 1998 892615 181927 379796 330892 1999 908384 176189 382428 349767 2000 170963 349822 Absolute change 39711,77 -13541 56762 -3509 Relative change 5% -7% 17% -1% Relative change last year 2% -3% 1% 6% Table 3.2 Evolution of agricultural surfaces (hectares)16
The amount of irrigated crops increases
Evolution of the irrigated surface in the Southeast In the Southeast region of Spain irrigated region agriculture has increased and dry agriculture 350000 has decreased, like broccoli or lettuce, and 300000 the use of irrigation for dry crops like olives 250000 Southeast region Dry
es 200000 or oranges has increased to augment the ar 18 150000 Southeast region ect production. In only three years, the H Irrigation 100000 percentage of irrigated surface has grown 50000 0 from 40% to 44%. The majority of these 1997 1998 1999 new irrigations belong to big companies and Illustration 3.4 Evolution of the irrigated capital linked with agrobusiness and to other surface in the Southeast17 large commercial operations, like real estate19.
14 Conselleria d'Agricultura, Pesca i Alimentació, DG de Relacions Agràries amb la Unió Europea, Cª de Agricultura y Pesca de Almería y Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Agricultura e Industrias Agrarias de Murcia. 15 Like lentils or beans. 16 INE Censo Agrario 17 INE Censo Agrario 18 INE Censo agrario 19 Ecologistas en Acción, Sequía y regadíos ilegales, la trastienda de un discurso hipócrita.
11 Farmers use more and more irrigation to Evolution of irrigated olives in Murcia and Almería increase the production of traditionally dry crops, like olives20. In only three 100% years the percentage of irrigated surface 80% of olives has increased from 30% to 39%. 60% Dry oliv es Irrigated olives The motor behind the reduction of the 40% “dry” surface is the major profitability per 20% 0% hectare of irrigated lands and the 1997 1998 1999 agricultural funds of EU (CAP). Illustration 3.5 Evolution of irrigated olives21
An increase of lettuce and broccoli production can also be observed.22 These crops need more water than traditional dry crops like olives or oranges.
Evolution of lettuce in Murcia y Almería Evolution of broccoli in Murcia y Almería
19.000 8.000 18.000 7.000 17.000 6.000 16.000
es 15.000 5.000 es ar t
c 14.000 4.000 e ctar H 13.000 e
H 3.000 12.000 2.000 11.000 10.000 1.000 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 0 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Illustration 3.6 Evolution of lettuce in Murcia and Almería Illustration 3.7 Evolution of broccoli in Murcia and Almería
20 Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca of Almería and Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Medio Ambiente of Murcia 21 Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca of Almería and Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Medio Ambiente of Murcia 22 Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca of Almería and Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Medio Ambiente of Murcia
12
The implementation of new irrigation is forbidden since Illegal boreholes the publication, in 1986, of the Water Law, which is Groundwater experts confirm supported by all posterior legislation and especially by that in the river basins in the the Spanish National Hydrological plan. Irrigation has Southeast region of Spain exist been created and are still created often at the limits of the as a minimum of over half a existing legislation. Clear numbers on irrigated surfaces million illegal boreholes and this do not exist, although satellite technology makes it number could reach 1.500.000 (in Murcia there are only 2500 possible to control the use of irrigation in agriculture. legal boreholes). The absolute According to Ecologistas en Acción, between 5000 and lack of control on the boreholes 10000 hectares of new illegal irrigations per year are filled by aquifers, whose implemented in Murcia.23 192.000 hectares of irrigation depletion is one of the main are legal, but nobody has been able to verify exactly the arguments to realize the Ebro water transfer, is published by size of the illegal part. SEPRONA discovered in 1999 Pedro Brufao and Luis Martinez, over 1000 illegal hectares, nearly all in protected areas. who work at the Marcelino Botín The White Book of the Ministry of Environment says foundation. They demonstrated that some 2200 exploitations of surface water could be that the most affected area of this found in the Segura river basin in 1997, of which only type of illegal water supply can be found in the regions of half was legal; the situation of groundwater exploitations Murcia, Valencia, Andalucia and is very obvious: of 20.000 exploitations, only 4500 were Castilla la Mancha.24 legal.
The lack of control on water extraction causes overexploitation of aquifers
Excessive exploitation of groundwater is causing groundwater levels to drop, the progressive salinization of many aquifers and the disappearance of wells and diverse wetlands. Also, the natural discharges of the watercourses and temporal rivers have practically disappeared.
Illustration 3.8 Irrigation of almond trees at the “El Chopillo” farm25
23 “Interviú” of 23rd of November 2000 24 Heraldo of 15th of December 2002 and direct communication. 25 Credit: Guido Schmidt/ WWF-Spain/ADENA
13 El Chopillo, an example of lack of control26
In 1994, the “El Chopillo” farm (Moratalla, Murcia), as others nearby, suffered from the greatest forest fire in Spanish history (over 30.000 hectares destroyed). Months later, the farm owners received European and regional aid to reforest these lands. Later, this same farm received aid for the modernization of irrigation works.
According to the public prosecutor, the farm was never reforested and the subsidies were dedicated to the construction of irrigation works, and there has never been any agricultural activity (a condition which is required to receive these subsidies).
The presumed fraud, which could add up to 500 million pesetas (3 million euros), is being investigated in Madrid, because European funds are involved and because neither the Murcian judges nor the regional government had taken action on the numerous claims (nearly 100 only from the Guardia Civil).
The public prosecutor declared that “the documents give clear proof of the participation or knowledge of the responsible public authorities”. He says that the General Director of Irrigation, Julio Bernal, is “family and friend of the accused”. The prosecutor also declares that the regional environmental and agricultural authorities haven’t received any accusation, although the forest agents have made many and SEPRONA of the Guardia Civil (the environmental department) processed 97.
The public prosecutor came to the conclusion that there had been a fraud regarding the communitarian budget and falsification of documents.
The excessive water extractions lead to the progressive disappearance of wells and springs like those of El Chopillo, Architana, the spring of Guarunos and others, with related damages to the environment and in the historical rights of small traditional irrigations associated with these springs. 27
The Segura River, a clear example of the bad state of the waters in the Southeast region of Spain
The Segura River is on top of the list of deteriorated rivers in Spain due to contamination and lack of water. The main pressure on the river system proceeds from the agricultural sector (pesticides and irrigation) and the inefficient treatment of wastewater.28 The use of pesticides and fertilizers in Spain has increased clearly during the last years.29 The use of these products has the following impacts on water quality: • Recycling of water with high levels of pesticides and fertilizers without treatment causes an accumulation of chemical materials in the agricultural products, which leads to threats for human health. • Due to the high quantity of nutrients from fertilizers, there is eutrofication of surface waters, for example in the Mar Menor.
26 Heraldo de Aragón 29th of December 2001 27 Ecologistas en Acción: Desertificación y uso no sostenible del agua en la Región de Murcia. Roturaciones y nuevos regadíos en Espacios Naturales Protegidos y áreas afectadas por incendios forestales como causa de degradación del territorio. 28 La Verdad of 24th of April 2001 29 INE Censo Agrario
14 The Mar Menor (Murcia) suffers an invasion of jellyfish caused by discharges of nutrients30
The contribution of nitrates coming from irrigation and the residual waters from the villages, has made Mar Menor a paradise for jellyfish, which feed on these nitrates. The time when the highest concentration of jellyfish can be found is in August, coinciding with the time when the area has the highest number by tourists (in 2001 there were 70 million jellyfish in the 130 km2 of the salt lake).
The jellyfish took the Mar Menor in 1996 and are not likely to leave. They arrived from the Mediterranean, attracted by the great quantity of nutrients that is discharged in the lake due to the use of fertilizers in the intensive agriculture of Campo de Cartagena. The jellyfish clean the water from algae fed by these nitrates, but the tourists (over 500.000) don’t appreciate them.
The director of the Mar Menor office of the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (IEO), Julio Mas, confirms that the jellyfish only form “the symptom of the problem”. The problem is the presence of food that led them to install and reproduce themselves in the largest coastal lake of Spain: residues from agriculture in Campo de Cartagena, especially nitrates from fertilizers dissolved in water.
At this moment, Campo de Cartagena is a fertile plain on the Mar Menor coast. It stopped being a dry area in 1979, when the water from the Tajo- Segura transfer arrived. Now it is a zone of intensive agriculture, greenhouses included. A study estimated in 1997 that 2650 tons of nitrogen arrive at Mar Menor per year, especially via the watercourse of Albujón.
The Ministry of Environment declared Campo de Cartagena a vulnerable area in December 2001 for contamination with nitrates. The majority of the groundwater samples surpassed the EU limit of 50 Illustration 3.9 Jellyfish31 milligrams per litre.
Unclean discharges are the second reason for the low quality of the Segura River. In the Hydrological Plan for the Segura river basin32 880 discharges are identified, classified as domestic, urban and industrial. At this moment, 192 wastewater treatment plants have been inventoried in very diverse situations and with variable function characteristics. The most contaminated river of Europe still suffers 150 violations every month, because of the impotence or “let it be” attitude of the responsible authorities.33
The Segura River arrives at the sea with only 4% of its total discharge. Due to the overexploitation of the resource, downstream the river is dry. In this way the river looses its self-cleaning system of rivers with sufficient discharge.
According to a report by the Department of Ecology and Hydrology at the Murcia University, the contamination of the Segura generates risks for public health. The presence of nickel and cadmium, both of which should not be present in any level at all, the presence of chrome above the legal limit and the existence of microbial pathogen organisms in the river waters, are not only an environmental, but also a sanitary danger. The contamination indices of the Segura river exceed the legal limits, as stated by the Real Decreto de Domino Público Hidráulico and by the Hydrological Plan of the Segura river basin. Together with the implications for public health it can be observed that the
30 El País 24th of June 2002 31 Credit: http://whyfiles.org/coolimages/images/csi/jellyfish.jpg 32 Plan Hidrológico de la cuenca del Segura, 1998 33 La Verdad of 13th of March 2003
15 river water is not acceptable for irrigation or for industrial uses, because of the high levels of sodium, magnesium, calcium, bicarbonates, sulphates, chlorine, dissolved solids and boron found in the Segura river.34
Substance Coming from Impact Chrome Industrial waste Increases risk of cancer Sodium Conserves industry Decreases permeability of the ground Magnesium, calcium y Industrial waste • Inhibits the action of soap and detergents bicarbonates • Damages industrial machines Chlorine Industrial waste Damages the conductions and structures Boron A threat to public health Pesticides Agriculture A threat to public health Table 3.3 Substances found in the Segura River35
Tourists invade the coast and need water
The tourist sector in the Southeast Growth of tourism in the Southeast region region of Spain has grown 50% in 50
the last five years (see illustration ) s 3.10). Furthermore, the three n 45 illio
m 40 ( s
provinces (Alicante, Almería and t h
ig 35 n
Murcia) foresee a strong growth - t s e of their tourist market in the u 30 G future. Murcia plans to double its 25 tourist potential in the next ten 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 years. The objective is nearly one Illustration 3.10 Growth of tourism in the Southeast million hotel places and 100.000 region37 new residences.36
There are three types if tourists in the The so-called residential tourism is the segment Southeast region of Spain: with the greatest growth potential in the tourist • The European who comes for a industry. Of every one hundred constructed few weeks of holidays. He normally stays in hotels or houses in Alicante sixty go to the market for aparthotels, especially during the second houses buyers. The foreign tourists two months of summer. (80% from Germany and Great Britain) have • The European who comes to enjoy 240.000 houses in the province of Alicante; his pension in a nice climate. He many times these are pensioners with strong buys his own house with garden. He is often in the region during financial power and ready to pay between winter from September till March. 180.000 and 240.000 euros to acquire a house. • The Spaniard with a second house For this reason, with 108.193 persons (of a total on the coast, villa or apartment. of 499.661 in whole Spain), Alicante is the top The Spanish stay during the two province in Spain with numbers of residents summer months and the weekends from May till September. coming from other countries of the European Union.38
34 No 34 of La Economía de la Región de Murcia 35 No 34 of La Economía de la Región de Murcia 36 Consejería de Turismo of the Murcia region 37 INE: Economic activities 38 INE: Censos de población y viviendas 2001
16
Amount of tourists in Almería 1999 The tourist growth puts a big strain on the water resources, 7.000.000 especially during summertime, 6.000.000 when the population in the 5.000.000 Southeast region is four times as 4.000.000 big as during winter. As a 3.000.000 consequence, water demand 2.000.000 increases at least four times. This 1.000.000 means that water supply systems 0 should have a capacity 1st trimestre 2nd trimestre 3rd trimestre 4th trimestre dimensioned on these few months Illustration 3.11 Amount of tourists in Almeria39 per year.
The modern tourist demands quality and this is translated in Spain into golf courses. It is expected that the number of golf courses in the region of Valencia will triple in the next ten years to 50 and in the region of Murcia in ten years there will be 39 golf courses. This means that the amount of Spanish golf courses will be doubled.40 The annual water consumption of a golf course is about 1 million cubic metres, or the equivalent of a city of 12.000 inhabitants. In other words, the annual consumption of these 89 golf courses is going to be 89 cubic hectometres, or the equivalent of the consumption of a city of over a million inhabitants (for example the amount of inhabitants in Alicante and Valencia together).
It has been said many times that golf Water consumption courses consume treated wastewater. The A family consumes almost 200m3 per year. high salinity of these wastewaters often means it is not used to irrigate the “green”, A golf course needs between 10.000 and 15.000 which is subsequently watered with a mix m3 per hectare per year. The surface of a golf of drinking water or groundwater in course lies between 50 and 150 hectares, which proportions sometimes up to 50%.41 means that the annual consumption of a golf course of around 1 million cubic metres per year. Urbanizations of villas with gardens and swimming pools need significantly more A swimming pool of 25 by 4 metres needs water than apartments with terraces (in around 1200 m3 of water per year.
Madrid the difference in water use 43 between these types of dwellings can 2001 Water consumption 42 Murcia 145 (140) reach 100%). Furthermore, according to Almería 183 (180) the University of Alicante, one hectare of Alicante 166 (164) apartments consumes 13 times more water Table 3.4 Water consumption in litres per than one hectare of irrigation. inhabitant per day
39 INE: Encuesta de ocupación hotelera 40 Diario Información 7-11-2002 41 Ecologistas en Acción del País Valenciano, October 2000. www.eapv.org/camposgolf.htm 42 Study on the water demand for urban use in the region of Madrid, Canal Isabel II, May 2000. 43 INE. Encuesta sobre el suministro y tratamiento de agua. Litres/inhabitant/day in 2000 and between parenthesis in 1999
17 3.1.2 Elimination of the natural landscape
The natural landscape is threatened on two fronts. From the coast, tourist urbanizations are spreading and from inland, agriculture is expanding. The occupation of the grounds by tourism and agriculture is a threat for the protected areas and accelerates desertification.
The expansion of agriculture leads to less fertile grounds
Desertification and erosion are severe problems in the Southeast region of Spain. Murcia is the only area in Europe that is qualified as a very high risk for desertification, having 76% of the territory eroded and 44% annual ground losses higher than admissible. In Almeria, nearly half of the province has a high risk of desertification. The causes for this phenomenon are44: • Natural conditions; • Destruction of the vegetal cover; • Ploughing land with a strong gradient; • Overgrazing; • Abusive timber cutting; • Misuse of fertilizers.
Nevertheless, in Murcia and Almeria agriculture with irrigation is practised inside areas with high risks of erosion (the black areas in illustration 3.12 and Fuente: www.um.es/~inuama 3.13). The irrigation accelerates the White area: high risk for erosion process of desertification by Black area: irrigated agriculture accumulation of salts (salinization). Illustration 3.12 Desertification and agriculture in Murcia
The use of groundwater can easily produce overexploitation of aquifers, resulting in desertification. Other factors of desertification are due to inadequate agricultural management of the grounds.
Poor grounds can only be productive over a few years. Later, farmers abandon them and reclaim new sites causing the same problems and expanding the desertified areas.
44 Heraldo 10-9-2002
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Fuente: www.cma.junta-andalucia.es White area: high erosion risk Black area: irrigated agriculture
Illustration 3.13 Desertification and agriculture in Almería
The expansion of agriculture reduces natural areas
The two maps, illustrations 3.14 and 3.15, show that many protected areas (Sites of Community Interest and Special Protected Areas for birds: the white areas) are surrounded and threatened by irrigated agriculture and greenhouses. Sometimes, they can be found inside the limits of protected areas (black areas). Due to irrigation, there are local problems of drought. Greenhouses surround the Natural Reserve of Albufera de Adra in Almeria, forming the main threat for the survival of the area. Severe processes of eutrofication can be observed as a consequence of the fact that the aquifer receives nutrients from greenhouses.45
45 45 www.copt.junta-andalucia.es
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Fuente: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y INUAMA
Fuente: www.cma.junta-andalucia.es Murcia
White area: SPA and SCI Black area: irrigated agriculture within SPA or SCI White area: SCI and SPA Black area: irrigated agriculture Illustration 3.14 Irrigated agriculture in protected areas in Illustration 3.15 Irrigated agriculture in protected Murcia areas in Almeria
The urban expansion of the city of Murcia occurs in very fertile zones next to the Segura River
Houses constructed in the Garden of Murcia The economic growth in the region of Murcia reflects itself in the 7000 6500 construction of new houses in the 6000 “Garden of Murcia”. The 5500 construction of houses in 2001 5000 4500 doubles that of 1993. Most of the 4000 constructed buildings are villas with 3500 a garden that which occupy more 3000 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 ground than a building with several apartments. This is confirmed by the Illustration 3.16 Houses constructed in the Garden of fact that the average of homes per Murcia46 building in the “Garden” is 2 against an average of 3 in the city of Murcia.47
46 Colegio de Arquitectos 47 Ministerio de Fomento and Consejería de Obras Públicas, Vivienda and Transportes
20 Evolution of agriculture in the Garden of Murcia
85000 80000 75000
es 70000
ectar 65000 H 60000 55000 50000 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Illustration 3.17 Evolution of agriculture in the Garden Illustration 3.18 The Garden of Murcia49 of Murcia48
During the last few years, a clear decrease of land occupation by agriculture in the traditional Garden of Murcia can be seen (10% during in the last seven years). One could say that expansion of urbanizations produces a decrease of traditional agriculture in fertile zones. In many cases, farmers sell their irrigation rights to companies of agro- business, which use them for agriculture in drier areas with higher risks for exhaustion of the grounds and erosion. These grounds also need more irrigation, which means that this type of agriculture puts an additional pressure on the natural resources.
Almería, a sea of plastics50
The low quality of the grounds and Evolution of greenhouse surface in Almería the extreme scarcity and irregularity 25000 of rainfall, combined with the few surface water resources and the 20000
s 15000 e
frequent strong winds, determine the ar
ect 10000 difficulty for agricultural use of H many grounds in Almería. Its 5000 principal advantages are the 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1993 relatively moderate temperatures and the everyday sunshine. Illustration 3.19 Evolution of the greenhouse surface in Almería51
Distribution of the greenhouse surface in Spain Greenhouses offer a solution with good results to
Others 1999 these harsh climatic conditions. Almería is the area 19% with the strongest development of greenhouses: nearly 40% of agriculture takes place under plastic Valencia 3% (illustrations 3.19 and 3.20). According to data from the Regional Ministry of Environment of the Murcia Regional Government of Andalusia, nearly 30% of 12% Andalucia the new constructed greenhouses are illegal and 66% don’t pass any sanitary or environmental control. The products that are used for fitosanitary Illustration 3.20 Distribution of the greenhouse treatment are not controlled either. surface in Spain52
48 Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Medio Ambiente. Servicio de Control, Estudios y Estadísticas. 49 Credit: Guido Schmidt/ WWF-Spain/ADENA 50 www.gem.es 51 www.gem.es 52 INE: Censo Agrario
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Greenhouses break the continuity and aesthetics of the landscape in an ugly way. To install a greenhouse disused land is reclaimed. The environmental change under plastic is translated in a major proliferation of plagues and illnesses. The great quantities of fertilizers and fitosanitary products are producing an increase in contamination of groundwater and wetlands. Furthermore, the spectacular development of greenhouses gave way to a higher consumption of water in irrigation, that has led to a drop in the water levels in the aquifers, leading to marine intrusion at certain points of the coasts. Although greenhouses have a higher efficiency in the use of water per hectare per labourer, the other costs are that much higher, that competing with lands like Morocco seems difficult.
During summer, the greenhouse owners in the coastal zones of the South of Europe renew the plastics of their exploitations of intensive agriculture. A high percentage of these plastics are not transferred to the incinerator and recycle plants. They are left on the roads or burnt directly, spreading dioxin gasses. This practice, completely prohibited, is a severe environmental and sanitary problem because of the increase of the surface of greenhouses and the lack of control on them. At the east coast of Andalusia, the intensive agriculture under plastic generate 30 millions of kilos of waste every year, in majority plastics, but also organic materials.53
53 www.ideal.es/waste/invernaderos.htm
22 Land occupation by tourism forms a threat for the protected areas
Many of the tourist constructions in the Southeast region of Spain take place inside zones with high ecological value. In San Miguel de Salnias 27 millions of quadric meters - half of the municipal area - have been rezoned, part of it in areas with high ecological value, like the Serra de Escalona. Among the projects in this place figures the construction of three golf courses. In Rojales an urbanization inside the river basin of the Natural Park of the Laguna de la Mata has been approved. In Algorfa an illegal golf course and thousands of bungalows have been constructed, and even the wife of the General Director of the governmental department of housing is owner of part of the area, where they are planning to build thousands of houses. In Albaterra a golf course and bungalows for 4000 persons have been projected next to the Site of Communitary Interest of the Sierra of Crevillente, and in Pilar de Horadada local promoters have signed a convention with the mayor to pay 1,50€/m2 which should be rezoned in the new Spatial Plan.54
In Murcia, 175 real estate promoters that operate on the Murcian coast are preparing, in advance of the new ground law, dozens of urban projects on the coast of Mazarrón and Aguilas in the areas of Moreras, Percheles, Calnegre and Marina de Cope, exactly the same areas which have suffered the recent change of protected natural areas into building land (14.000 hectares)55. The regional government pretends, as explained by Ruiz Abellán in the newspaper “La Verdad”, to create a 50 metre wide beach along the whole “La Manga”. The required sand will be extracted from the lake, like stated in the plans of tourism56.
There are comparable examples in Almería. In the Natural Park of Cabo de Gata-Nijar, Oyonarte is constructing an illegal urbanization on the Isleta del Moro. In the last few years the official surface of the natural park has decreased by 4000 hectares57.
54 Juan Manuel Carretero in www.ebre.net/article35.html 55 La Verdad 21-5-2002 56 La Verdad 18-12-2002 57 www.iea.junta-andalucia.es
23 3.2 The economy is growing, but with victims The environment is not the only victim of the non-sustainable growth in the Southeast Region of Spain. The fast changes have their impacts on society, with both winners and losers.
3.2.1 More production, less benefits
Overproduction is every year’s reality
Overproduction is not only a threat, it happens nearly every year with one product or another. The process of overproduction is very simple: one year some farmers earn a lot of money with one product, like for example lettuce. The next year more farmers produce lettuce. With a high production the prices go down. There is overproduction when the prices of the products are lower than the costs.
The biggest crisis in the export of The “Tomatina” in Buñol (Castellón) vegetables leaves more than 800 workers on the street58 The traditional “Tomatina” is a unique celebration in which over a 30.000 people throw tomatoes at each other on the Vegetable exporters recently dealt central day of the festival in this village in Valencia. with a crisis of overproduction - the Wednesday, after ten o’clock in the morning various trucks worst for the last 20 years. 60% of start to launch ripe tomatoes to the public (see illustration the harvest of lettuce, cauliflower 3.21). and broccoli needed to be sold under the cost price to not lose the EU clients. Many companies were not able to withstand this financial situation. Abemar from Mallorca, one of the emblems of the agro- alimentary sector of the region, had suffered so much that he had to decide to dismiss over 800 people. This is only the first case. The agricultural organizations are warning that other companies will dismiss hundreds of workers during this month. Illustration 3.21 Image of the festival in Buñol59
Growth of the market of second houses leads to unoccupied houses
The census of houses in the province of Alicante this year reached for the first time one million units. A spectacular number if you take into account that the official population is only about 1,5 million inhabitants.60 Due to this growth of the second residence sector, the province of Alicante now has a park with over 150.000 unoccupied houses or houses only occupied between 15 or 45 days per year61. In Murcia and Almería equal trends can be noticed. The following table shows that Murcia and Alicante already have twice as many houses as households.
58 La Verdad 4-5-2001 59 Source: www.ananova.com/images/web/27278.jpg 60 El Periódico de Alicante 22-10-2002 61 Diario Informatión 31-10-2002
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2001 Number of houses62 Number of households63 Murcia 859.388 370.788 Almería 213.395 162.154 Alicante Ca. 1.000.000 485.689 Table 3.5 Relation between the number of houses and the number of households
3.2.2 Society is changing
The population in the Southeast region of Spain is changing. According to official data, there is an important immigration flow. Almería has over 30.000 foreign residents and nearly 19.000 applications of working and living permits per year (8,4% of Spain). The situation in Alicante and Murica is very similar. In Alicante the immigration consists mainly of “tourists” from Germany and Great Britain. In Murcia and Almería the workers in agriculture are the major part of immigration.64
Immigrants in the Southeast of Spain 2001 Immigrants Percentage of Great Britain the population Spain 1.572.017 3,8% Murcia 69.556 5,6% Germany Almería 39.220 7,3% Others Alicante 126.157 8,6% Table 3.6 Immigration in the Columbia Southeast region65
Ecuador
Morocco Illustration 3.22 Origin of immigrants in the Southeast region of Spain66
Agriculture enjoys the cheap labour of many legal and illegal immigrants
In the Southeast region of Spain immigrants do most of the labour in the agricultural sector. According to the data of the Anuario de Extranjería of the Encuesta de Población Activa, in 1999, the foreign workers formed over 30% of the total workforce in agriculture in Almería and 21% in Murcia, although these proportions should be summed to the immigrants in illegal situations or in regularization process.67 According to the Office for Social Integration of Immigrants in Almería, nearly 92% of the agricultural workers are immigrants, of which 64% are from Morocco. In 1998, this office calculated that the number of legal immigrants was about 15.000 and the amount of illegal immigrants between 15.000 and 25.000.68
62 INE: Censos de población y viviendas 2001 63 INE: Encuesta continua de presupuestos familiares 64 INE: Censos de población y viviendas 2001 65 Dirección General de la Policía 66 Dirección General de la Policía 67 Vicente Gozálvez Pérez, Universidad de Alicante: Los inmigrantes: ¿Nos necesitan o les necesitamos? Los excedentes demográficos del desarrollo. 68 Explotación de inmigrantes en Europa, Nicholas Bell
25 According to a report prepared for the European Commission69, the amount of illegal labour in Spain can be estimated to produce between 15 and 20% of the Gross Domestic Product of the country, strongly above the European average of 9%. The Southeast region of Spain is the region with the highest levels of illegal labour: Murcia 32%, Andalusia 29% and Valencia 24%.70
Nearly 11.000 day workers - the majority from outside the EU - work legally in Alicante in the agricultural exploitations of the province. According to “La Unió de Llauradors”, this number supposes 80% of the labour in the field; the rest consists of farmers in charge of coordination and control.71
The profile of the actual temporary worker is that of a foreigner, between 25 and 45 years old, just arrived in Spain with no experience in the national agricultural sector. Once established, his priority is to let his family move to Spain. The South Americans and the people form Eastern Europe are, in this way, the most willing to work on the land. In third place are the citizens from the Magreb - especially from Morocco and Algiers - and Africa.72
The direct labour relation between the Twelve Ecuadorians die in an accident in which a 74 company and the worker hardly exists. train collided with a bus
Flexibility is seen as something very Fourteen people occupied the car, with the important and is translated in contracting capacity for twelve. The temporaries were on their workforce by means of subcontractors or way to harvest broccoli at a farm in Lorca. One intermediaries leading to the growth of girl of 13 years old and the driver were the only companies of temporary work. In the survivors. The entrepreneur, for whom they worked, Victo Lirón, had received earlier 10 morning the people wait at central places sentences by the social court of Murcia. to be contracted for one day. Buses take the workers to the field. This 30 immigrants loose their home in El Ejido75 subcontracting means that the workers have a very weak or informal labour Nearly 30 immigrants have lost their homes. The relationship with the company for which Local Police of El Ejido destroyed the slums in they work and lack any normal labour which they lived. rights.73
69 Undeclared Labour in Europe –Towards an integrated approach of combating undeclared labour-, S. Mateman and P.H. Rencoy, October 2001 70 La economía sumergida en relación a la quinta recomendación del Pacto del Toledo, Consejo económico y social, Madrid 1999 71 El País 22-4-2002 72 El País 22-4-2002 73 Andrés Pedreño, Universidad de Murcia: Esto es la huerta de Europa. 74 La Verdad 2-1-2001 75 Agencia EFE, 27-5-2001
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The immigrant workers lack also the Low salaries, a real misery77 most elemental social rights for a The assessors of the Sindicato Obreros del Campo life with dignity. They don’t own a (SOC78) have sued a company, whose owner threatened decent house, especially not the them and a journalist of La Vanguardia with death when people from a Magreb origin. About they proved that the salaries of the workers from Eastern 70% of the houses cannot be Europe in the farm were 25 euros per day (the legal salary qualified as a real house.76 is 28,75 euros). The Spanish workers were paid one euro more.
The SOC had also received testimonies of immigrant workers assuring that some managers of farms in the area of El Rocío were offering work to immigrants for 10 euros, a place in a slum and food.
In the zone of Moguer a farm owner has put some very strange living conditions on his workers. He doesn’t allow them to receive visits in their houses and the Magreb workers are obliged to be inside before dark.
76 Andrés Pedreño, Universidad de Murcia: Esto es la huerta de Europa. 77 http://Soc-andalucia.com/abuso.htm 78 Land workers syndicate
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4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The economic development during the last few years in the Southeast region of Spain has produced negative impacts on environment and society: water is getting scarce, the natural landscape is disappearing and the economy grows at the expense of social victims. WWF/Adena concludes that one of the principal causes of these problems is the lack of sustainable development79 in the Southeast region of Spain: • Lack of an equilibrated economic growth, because the agricultural incomes are not stable and because of the pressure on the landscape caused by tourism; • The natural resources are not used with prudence, nor is the environment being conserved: the aquifers are overexploited, there are problems with desertification and protected areas are threatened by the expansion of agriculture and tourism; • There is a lack of solidarity within the society: many immigrants work in inadequate circumstances and there are not sufficient houses for them, while another part of the population enjoys the benefits of economic growth.
Without sustainable development and following the actual trend, it is possible to develop future scenarios for the Southeast region of Spain in which the landscape will be transformed in a desert, the tourists have left to visit other Mediterranean regions and agriculture is being developed in North Africa or other areas in Europe (for example, the countries in Eastern Europe).
The Spanish government focuses in their analyses only on the water offer problems and pretends to solve them by means of the Ebro water transfer. This solution, however, does not slow down the non-sustainable growth of tourism and agriculture and therefore the growth of the water demand will not be ceased. On the contrary, the transfer stimulates the non-sustainable development in the Southeast region of Spain: • Part of the transferred water will be used by a small group of farmers, benefiting economically this group at the expense of European society (the transfer will be financed by European public funds); • The transferred water will stimulate the expansion by tourism and agriculture, being a threat for nature; • The transferred water will reverberate in a overproduction in the agricultural and tourist sector.
79 Following the principals of sustainable development of the Ministry of Environment.
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WWF/Adena recommends initiating a Agenda 21: a tool to achieve sustainable process of sustainable development for the development
Southeast region of Spain, in which all To be able to have a more environmentally administrative levels play a role. sustainable city, an activity framework has been established, generally called Local Agenda 21. The The European Union should stimulate municipality of Murcia has initiated a Local Agenda sustainable development through financing 21 process, which could serve as stimulation for the Southeast region of Spain. sustainable solutions and through not financing projects contrary to the Water WWF/Adena believes that Agenda 21 on a regional Framework Directive and sustainable and local level can be an effective instrument to development in general, like for example establish a sustainable development in the Southeast the Ebro water transfer.80 region of Spain that not only deals with water, but covers the whole development in this region. WWF/Adena uses the following criteria to get a The government, especially the Ministry process with satisfactory results: of Environment, should promote the • The regional and local government have to be the rational use of water, energy and land. The principal driver and protector, being the persons Ministry has developed a very expensive with political weight. communication campaign on sustainable • The associations, businessmen and citizens are not only informed and consulted, but are the active development and could use this drivers of the process together with the regional opportunity to bring it into practice. and local institutions taking their responsibility in Moreover, the Ministry has an important this process. role to create transparent participation and • The Local Agenda 21 considers equally the obtain more information, especially in economic feasibility, social justice and environmental sustainability. relation to the limits between legality and • In the Southeast region of Spain it is necessary illegality in use of water. that from this integrated perspective themes like agriculture and immigrants, water use and tourism The Confederaciones Hidrográficas, are being tackled. especially the one of the Segura river • It is necessary that the regional or local basin, have to stimulate and lead a debate government leads the process and is prepared to establish the necessary channels so that the on sustainable management of water citizens, associations, businessmen and the local resources, including water demand and technicians are involved in the Action Plan of the offer. This debate will form part of the Local Agenda 21. integral debate on sustainable development • Local Agenda 21 is a continuous process in time, in the Southeast region of Spain. which never finalizes.
The three autonomous regions (Valencia, Murcia and Almería) are responsible to define, execute and lead a process to obtain sustainable development that includes the three principles of sustainable development: • Equilibrated economic growth: sustainable development is not possible if there are no profits. Special points in this theme are: o Promote a tourist sector that flourishes not only in the short term, but also in the future; o Assure that agriculture produces benefits independently of the European funds81;
80 WWF (2002): Seven reasons why WWF is opposing the Spanish National Hydrological Plan. Recommendations and alternatives. 81 The European Union reforms the PAC and FEDER funds in the frame of the expansion of the EU with its consequences from 2007.
29 • Prudent use of natural resources and conservation of the environment: Sustainable development means that there are no irreversible impacts on the environment. Special points in this theme are: o Define water and land problems as a problem of demand management; o Put strict limits on water availability, with serious criteria of sustainability and revision; o Stop the processes of new land reclamations and illegal exploitations of irrigation in coherence with the available recourses82; • Solidarity within the society: sustainable development is more than the environment. The whole of society has to benefit. Special points in this theme are: o Improve the working conditions in agriculture; o Regulate immigration in the Southeast region of Spain.
Within the three autonomous regions, the following Regional Ministries have an important role: • Spatial Planning: the Regional Ministry with this responsibility already has the role of looking at development with integral glasses, that’s why this Regional Ministry is the most qualified organization to lead any process. Moreover they supervise the ground management, crucial to assure an managed occupation by agriculture and tourism; • Economy, Environment and Social Matters: these Regional Ministries should propose ideas in the framework of sustainable development and create debates in their respective sectors; • Agriculture and Tourism: these sectors should adapt their development with changes.
The local administrations are interested in a good local economy, but also in a pleasant environment for their citizens. For this reason the local administrations should implement sustainable development in their politics and govern tourist expansions with sustainability criteria.
To obtain widely supported sustainable development it is necessary to have participation by all stakeholders, including tourist companies, representatives of agriculture and environmental and social non-governmental organizations.
In conclusion, the Ebro water transfer will not solve the problems in the Southeast region of Spain, but sustainable development will.
82 WWF (2002): Análisis y valoración socioeconómica de los trasvases del Ebro previstos en el PHN. Elaborado por la Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua.
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