Junta splashes out six million euros on marshlands to help protect Spain's Doñana national park

The area surrounding the Doñana national park in the south of Spain now enjoys greater protection. The Junta de Andalucía has closed a deal to purchase more than 1,100 hectares of natural marshland, which will enable the protected area to be extended, making this swathe of land, which is of such great ecological value, the largest, protected, natural area in Europe.

Junta president Juanma Moreno announced this Monday the purchase of the Tierras Bajas estate that is located next to Veta La Palma, the area acquired last year for 70 million euros in the easternmost sector of the Doñana marshes.

The main value of this land, unlike the one snapped up a year ago with a system of locks built as part of a fish farm, lies in the fact that it is a natural marsh. There has been no human intervention and it is a stopping-off and feeding point for migratory birds and a wintering place for some 300,000 birds every year, some of them protected and endangered species. The farm now placed into public management of this protected area was used for cattle breeding.

Moreno explained that this land is key for Doñana as it contains the largest area of natural marshland in the park. Its acquisition, along with the land already owned by the Junta in the Doñana area, means that, when adding the two estates together, this publicly-owned land now reaches a surface area of 8,700 hectares. "This will allow us to manage the entire southern area of the Guadalquivir's largest island in an integrated manner, in terms of protection, development and planning," explained the president.

He also pointed out that the natural resource value of the now unified Veta La Palma and Tierras Bajas is comparable only to the most valuable areas already included in the Parque Nacional de Doñana. The acquired land is one of the last virgin habitats and its location is a fundamental aspect of its own value, as its flooding potential makes it key for the birds of Doñana and for coping with the periods of drought that especially threaten the species that live in these wetlands.

Moreno stressed that the best way to protect Doñana is to safeguard its wetlands, which is why the acquisition of the estate is a noteworthy milestone: "These ecosystems have proven to be key to the survival of this privileged environment of this great jewel that is Doñana national park, but their fragility requires a commitment from all the governing bodies and from society as a whole."