Highly productive berry farms and water scarcity are causing conflicts with the environmental assets and values of the Doñana National Park, Spain. There is growing interest in the agricultural sector to reverse this situation by implementing a water stewardship program. A catchment assessment is needed to produce baseline information to support the implementation of the Allicance for Water Stewardship Standard for a number of sites and catchments in the region.
Southern Spain is a highly productive agricultural region, but with huge challenges around water scarcity and environmental sustainability. There is a demand in the agricultural sector to work towards water stewardship in Spain. The Alliance for Water Stewardship has developed a Standard which helps retailers and their suppliers to cause change at scale. This approach recognizes that there are common challenges that could be more easily overcome through a collective, place-based approach.
In the Doñana region, berry farms and groundwater usage are causing a conflict with the unique ecosystems in the National Park. A catchment assessment and active stakeholder engagement is needed as a first step in this region to work towards water stewardship. The catchment assessment will provide information on the catchment context, in line with the requirements of the Standard. The purpose of the assessment is to reduce the burden on agricultural sites by providing them with a common set of information which they and others can use to inform responses to their shared water challenges.
Related publications
2024 - FutureWater Report
Contreras, S., M. Bea, J.E. Hunink. 2024. Hydrological Assessment, Risk Analysis and Farming Opportunities in the Doñana Ecosystem and the Coast of Huelva (Spain): AWS Catchment Status Report. FutureWater Report 253.X
Hydrological Assessment, Risk Analysis and Farming Opportunities in the Doñana Ecosystem and the Coast of Huelva (Spain): AWS Catchment Status Report
Contreras, S., M. Bea, J.E. Hunink
