Doñana National Park

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

On 1 December 2016, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/685/documents/ and provides updates in response to Decision 39 COM 7B.26 as follows:

• Dredging to deepen the Guadalquivir River has not been authorized and will not be allowed to proceed;
• Out of four proposed gas extraction and storage projects, two projects (Aznalcázar and Marisma Occidental), located outside both the property and the Doñana Natural Park, have received Unified Environmental Authorizations, and the latter has an authorization to proceed. The other two gas projects (Marisma Oriental and Saladillo) are located inside Doñana Natural Park but outside the property. Marisma Oriental will not be allowed to proceed and Saladillo may also be rejected if the same assessment criteria are applied;
• There exists no reopening project of the Aznalcóllar Mine, but a research project has been authorized. In case a project will be presented, a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process will be followed;
• The Special Management Plan of the Irrigated Zones to the North of the Forest Crown of Doñana (PEORNCFD), including its EIA, has been submitted in Spanish, which reportedly obtained sufficient prior consensus from various stakeholders, and its implementation has started. Guadalquivir Basin Hydrological Plan 2016-2021 has additionally been developed to which the State Party has provided a link and submitted a Strategic Environmental Study. A project plan for the proposed enlargement of the Agrio dam on Guadiamar River has not yet been submitted but its impact has been analyzed in the Hydrological Plan, which reports an anticipated reduction in groundwater extraction but notes that an EIA is required;
• Concerning the status of the groundwater of Doñana, annual reports are published by the Guadalquivir River Basin Authority, based on their established regular monitoring system. Additional initiatives have been introduced since January 2015, e.g. monitoring of Doñana lagoons through remote sensing, hydrogeological modeling to improve knowledge on Doñana groundwater, and a collaborative project with academics to monitor and model the hydrological processes in Doñana Natural Park.

On 12 May 2017, the State Party transmitted additional clarifications concerning the above-mentioned dredging and gas projects.

The State Party’s confirmation that dredging of the Guadalquivir River will not be permitted is welcomed, which was further reiterated in its additional clarifications of 12 May 2017. While still being mentioned in the 2016-2021 Guadalquivir Basin Hydrological Plan, the State Party also referenced the Port Authority of Seville’s recent public statement of its decision to suspend the dredging project.

It is noted with appreciation that the Marisma Oriental gas project will not be allowed to proceed and that the Saladillo project is reported to be unlikely to be authorized. While the Aznalcázar and Marisma Occidental gas extraction projects are located outside of both the property and Doñana Natural Park, the latter is located close to the property boundaries. The clarifications by the State Party on the projects’ impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) are noted and it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to submit, as a matter of urgency, the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and specific assessments of impacts on the OUV of the property, including its conditions of integrity.

It is noted that the Aznalcóllar mining project has not proceeded to implementation. However, the undertaking of a research project as well as on-going discussions on the allocation of water resources for mining operations, indicate a movement towards its realization. Considering that the mining company has already been identified, as previously noted by the Committee, it is recommended that the State Party keep the World Heritage Centre informed of any developments before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

The proposed enlargement of the Agrio dam reportedly aims to address industrial and electricity demands and reduce groundwater extraction. Whilst the proposal is still at its conceptual stage, it is noted that the Hydrological Plan has already identified the need for an EIA. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to ensure such an EIA includes an assessment of impacts on the OUV of the property.

The State Party notes a number of current initiatives that monitor the Doñana aquifer to inform its status. It should be noted that the aquifer will need a long time to completely recover from the illegal and unsustainable use of water. The Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation also presented, in its publicly available 2016 annual report, that the current level of groundwater extraction is compromising the conservation of the Doñana ecosystem. It is therefore evident that further effective actions are urgently needed to reverse the current trend, including by controlling groundwater withdrawals and improving irrigation practices. These measures are considered in the Special Management Plan of the Irrigated Zones to the North of the Forest Crown of Doñana, which therefore requires being fully and speedily implemented.

It is recalled that the Committee has previously considered that the deteriorating status of the Doñana aquifer needed urgent action to reverse the trend, and could otherwise represent a potential danger to the OUV of the property, in line with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines (Decision 38 COM 7B.79). No specific updates for example are provided on the previously reported increases in water use for irrigation of rice paddies, as requested by the Committee (Decision 39 COM 7B.26), which is of concern due to potential added stress to the ecosystem, which is further exacerbated by climate change.

Furthermore, it is recalled that the 2015 mission recommended that an absence of the State Party’s commitment to abandon the dredging of the Guadalquivir River should trigger the inscription of the property in the List of World Heritage in Danger. At present, neither this commitment to permanently abandon the dredging nor the urgent actions required to protect the Doñana aquifer are satisfactorily in place.

Although the State Party has annexed what is referred to as the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as requested by the Committee (Decision 38 COM 7B.79), it does not assess the cumulative impacts of water use, and agricultural, industrial and commercial development occurring at present on the Guadalquivir River Basin as well as the impacts associated to future demands and proposed projects. In addition, and of most concern, is the fact that the SEA does not make reference to the OUV of the property.