Doñana National Park

• Oil and gas (Potential impacts from infrastructural projects in the vicinity of the property, including gas storage)
• Mining (Proposed re-opening of Aznalcóllar mine upstream of the property)
• Water infrastructure (Proposed upgrading of a dam upstream of the property)
• Water (extraction) (Unsustainable use of water with impacts on the Doñana aquifer)
• Water infrastructure (Dredging of the Guadalquivir River)

A joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN/Ramsar Reactive Monitoring mission visited the property from 25 to 28 February 2020 (mission report available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/685/documents). On 30 November 2020, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property available at the same link which reports the following:

• Within the context of a long drought, in several sectors the condition of the Doñana aquifer has stabilised (2018-2019 hydrological year). In 2020 three of the five bodies of water in the Doñana aquifer were declared "at risk of not achieving good quantitative status" and one "at risk of not achieving good chemical status”;
• The Special Management Plan of the Irrigation Zones located to the North of the Forest Crown of Doñana (PEOCFD, also previously referred to as the Special Irrigation Plan), other water measures and annual Extraction Plans continue to be implemented:
  • 446 wells have been closed, user communities have been formed, water concessions are being regularized, 298 water rights files have been reviewed with 75 proceedings terminated, zoning operations have been approved, 151 forestry infringement proceedings have been initiated since 2019, and remote sensing is being used for surveillance,
  • 66 hm³ of ground water has been substituted with surface water from the Tinto-Odiel-Piedras basin and the Technical Commission responsible for implementing the planned transfer of 19.99 hm³ will soon be appointed. It will duly consider the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV),
  • The two most easterly wells near Matalascañas will be relocated;
• On 17 September 2020, a hearing was held regarding the State Party’s alleged non-compliance with the European Union (EU) Water and Habitats Framework Directives;
• The draft Guadalquivir Basin Hydrological Plan (2021-2027) includes a specific chapter on the property. It is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2022;
• No new developments are reported regarding the reopening of the Aznalcóllar mine and the four gas projects;
• The ornithological values remain exceptional with an average of more than 500,000 wintering aquatic birds and the maintenance of habitats for the reproduction of at least seven endangered species. Under severe drought conditions in 2020, only 300,000 wintering aquatic birds were counted, the lowest number since 2007. The Iberian imperial eagle continues to maintain a stable presence in the protected area and Iberian lynx populations remain at historical highs;
• Of the 38 Habitats of Community Interest (HCI) under the Habitats Directive of the European Commission, most have an excellent or good conservation status, but four are of significant concern.

On 3 December 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued the Advocate General’s Opinion that the excessive abstraction of groundwater in the Andalusian Doñana natural area infringes the EU Habitats Directive (https://europa.eu/newsroom/content/1522020-3-december-2020-opinion-advocate-general-case-c-55919_en).

The 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission concluded that the values for which the property has been inscribed under the World Heritage Convention and recognized by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands are still present but noted that there remains scientific uncertainty about the impacts of the wider eco-hydrological dynamics of Doñana and the potential future risks of the impacts of climate change on the OUV of the property. The State Party should be requested to implement all recommendations of the mission.

The State Party’s reported efforts to reduce groundwater usage from the Doñana aquifer (including through continued inspections, remote sensing and closures of illegal wells and illegally irrigated farmlands) are appreciated. However, the confirmation that three water bodies are overexploited and that the CJEU considers that the excessive abstraction of groundwater in the Doñana natural area infringes the EU Habitats Directive, is highly concerning. Noting the mission’s conclusion that further research on the hydrological and ecological connectivity between the Doñana aquifer and the wetlands of the property is required, and that the CJEU considers that there has been no appropriate assessment of the effects of groundwater abstraction on the protected areas concerned, it is recommended that this further research be undertaken urgently in line with the mission recommendations, including to determine any potential impacts of abstraction on the OUV of the property. Considering this level of scientific uncertainty, and in order to eliminate any possible risk to the OUV, it is recommended that the State Party be requested to take all measures necessary to ensure the recovery of the water bodies, including to urgently continue the implementation of the PEOCFD, to relocate the most eastern wells near Matalascañas, and to support sustainable agriculture practices.

The inclusion of a chapter on the OUV of the property in the draft Guadalquivir Basin Hydrological Plan (2021-2027) is welcomed. Yet it is noted that this plan does not provide an overview of the minimum water requirements needed to ensure the protection of the property’s OUV nor an assessment of the potential impacts of other water uses on such a threshold. As highlighted by the mission, an increased research effort is urgently required to understand the relationship between the region’s hydrology and the property’s ecology, against the backdrop of climate change. The construction of an eco-hydrological model would allow the impacts of various scenarios to be defined in order to inform urgent management actions including to increase the resilience of the property under climate change.

The confirmation by the State Party that there are no new developments regarding the reopening of the Aznalcóllar mine is noted. Against the background of Decisions 22 COM VII.25/24, 24 BUR IV.B.39 and 39 COM 7B.26, it is recommended that the State Party prepares a clear risk preparedness plan and rapid emergency response capacities. 

Regarding the gas storage projects, in line with the recommendations of the mission, the State Party should be requested to include in future state of conservation reports a summary of the systematic monitoring of the possible impacts of the two operating drilling holes near the property. It is also recommended that the Committee reiterates its previous decision, and request the State Party to ensure that any development, water transfer or infrastructure project in or near the property is thoroughly assessed in conformity with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment.

The mission also noted the importance of the surrounding areas to the OUV, for example certain species that are attributes of the OUV (such as the Iberian lynx or migratory bird species) also utilise habitats in the areas beyond the property. It is recommended therefore, to request the State Party to establish an official buffer zone for the property, which includes the areas in the immediate water catchment of the property. Such a buffer zone would also increase the resilience of a sensitive ecosystem in light of anticipated climate change impacts.

Recalling the importance of effectively monitoring and reporting on the attributes of OUV, it is recommended that the World Heritage Centre and IUCN finalize the retrospective Statement of OUV of the property with the State Party, for its adoption at the next Committee session.