The holm oak and with it that unique ecosystem the dehesa are under threat. An invasive fungi phytophthora from Australia is ravaging across the dehesa causing a disease known as sudden oak death, aided by a deadly cohort of drought, several insects and other fungi. There are currently some 500 foci but scientists believe the worst is yet to come and that the production of Iberian ham could be seriously affected, not to mention the biodiversity based around this habitat. Regeneration and the more sustainable use of the system are seen as the only remedies.

El País

See also:

• Destruction at all co(a)st 2008 Report on the situation of the Spanish coast (Greenpeace) “The Builders and Developers Federation estimates that Spain needs more than 300,000 new dwellings every year. However, during the last four years, this number has almost tripled with 800,000 new dwellings valued between the second half of 2006 and May 2007. Now, the slump in the real estate market has plunged the construction sector into a depression that has affected the entire country.” Excellent review
• State of the Spanish coast (iberianature 2004)
• Also in today’s Guardian:  Campaigners warn of threat to one of Spain’s last pristine beaches “Politicians have long promised to bulldoze the Algarrobico hotel, but the 411-room glass and concrete structure still towers over the El Algarrobico beach in Almería, south-east Spain. Now campaigners say the authorities have changed their tune and are opening the way to more building on this stretch of protected Mediterranean coast.
  

Spain is currently the world’s second-biggest tourist destination after France, with the population of 45 million being bolstered every year by as many as 60 million foreign visitors, 80% of whom flock to the coasts. Tourism contributes more than 11 per cent of Spain’s GDP and employs more than two million people. These figures are going to fall in the next few years because of the economic crisis, but the sector faces a much greater long-term threat, that of climate change. According to the Fundación Empresa y Clima “the changes are going to be far more drastic than those caused by the current economic crisis”. Impact are likely to include higher temperatures, loss of beaches due to sea level rise, loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, the reduction of water resources and the increase in forest fires. El Mundo

Meanwhile, the EU has delivered a stinging criticism of Spain’s property laws, allowing urban sprawl and corruption, voting overwhelmingly to freeze hundreds of millions of euros in Spain’s EU funding if the Spanish government does not tackle what the parliament condemned as “extensive urbanisation” practices. BBC

And again, the long-term prospects for the traditional Spanish tourist industry may not be rosy. Over-development of the country’s coasts has seen them lose their much of their appeal for tourists. Some statistics:

• In the six years between 2000 and 2006, urban development within the first two kilometers of the coast of Huelva increased by 48.1 percent.
• Urban sprawl in Valencia increased by 53.1 percent. In just six years, concrete was blighting one out of every 10 previously untouched kilometers of Valencia’s coastline.
• In Alicante and in the Andalusian province of Málaga, more than half of the first two kilometers of coast are under concrete. In Barcelona, just 32 percent of the coastline remains undeveloped. Across Spain, coastal urban sprawl has increased by 22 percent in just six years.

La Comunidad Valenciana construyó un 10% de su costa en sólo seis años (EL País)

SEO note

• “This will suppose the direct occupation of more than 300 hectares of land, directly on the principal winter roost of the common crane in Europe, with 11,325 cranes registered there last year.
• Those two solar power plants also include a natural gas combustion unit each, to maintain the energy production during cloudy days, which will suppose the installation of both tall chimneys for the evacuation of waste gases and of cooling towers.
• In order to be able to use the energy produced, both power stations will share an electrical substation and a new high voltage power line more than 38 km in lengh, to connect with the grid at Valdecaballeros, and which will affect the entire Vegas Altas del Guadiana zone, including two SPAs.

Martin kelsey of Birding Extremadura has brought this to the attention of iberianature so thanks to him, and he has drafted the following series of letters for you to get in contact with the authorities in Extremadura. Revenue from birding tourism now represents quite a fair of amount for Extremadura and the more people that contest this, the more the Extremaduran authorities are likely to rethink such a poorly planned scheme.

“it is very important that this message gets to as many people as possible who have had the opportunity to enjoy watching birds at the site known as Casas del Hito, in the ricefields of Extremadura, close to the town of Madrigalejo.

This wonderful area is threatened by a huge solar thermal generation plant, where heat from solar panels will be used to generate electricity, involving major infrastructure including cooling towers, gas combustion and high tension power lines. There are many other more suitable sites for such development, where the sunshine is the same, but where the impact on wildlife will be much less.

Those of you who have visited Casas del Hito in winter will have seen one ofthe finest bird spectacles in Europe: last winter’s roost of cranes totalled more than 11,300 birds (that’s 5% of the Western European population and the second largest winter roost in Spain). It has a large harrier roost and winter flocks of Little Bustard. In passage, I have recorded 27 wader species (a remarkable total for an inland site in central Spain), and it is a regular stopover for Glossy Ibis.
Breeding birds include Black-winged Kite (I have recorded 20 species of raptor there) and Extremadura’s first Kentish Plovers.

It is without doubt one of Extremadura’s top sites both for conservation as well as birdwatching.
The decision to go approve the plan will be made by the Consejería de Industria,Energía y Medio Ambiente (Council for Industry, Energy and the Environment) of the government of Extremadura. I attach examples of letters that can be sent to…

• The head of the Extremadura government (Presidente de la Junta de Extremadura),

• The Counsellor for Industry, Energy and Environment.

There is also an example of a letter that can be sent to the Counsellor for Culture and Tourism
which emphasises the birding tourism value of this site.

These letters are examples, and you can modify them as you wish. Some of you I know have got some wonderful photos of birds from Casas del Hito, and they couldeven be included.

If you want to support this campaign, please send these letters as soon as possible. They can either be mailed (each letter has the address) or sent by email using the email addresses below.

• Presidente de la Junta de Extremadura: presidente@prs.juntaex.es

• Consejero de Industria, Energía y Medio Ambiente: consejero.iema@juntaextremadura.net

• Consejera de Cultura y Turismo: consejera.cyt@juntaextremadura.net

Your support will demonstrate international concern for the future of conservation in Extremadura and is very important.=

EXAMPLE ONE

D. José Luis Navarro Ribera
Consejero de Industria, Energía y Medio Ambiente
Junta de Extremadura
Paseo de Roma, s/n
06800 Mérida (Badajoz)
Spain

Dear Sr. Navarro:

The purpose of this letter is to express my profound concern for the future of one of the most important sites for migratory and wintering birds in Extremadura: the area around the Sierra Brava reservoir and the estate known as Casas del Hito, in the municipality of Madrigalejo in the province of Cáceres.

I have recently learnt that permission has been requested for the construction of two solar thermal power plants, each of 50 hectares area, in adjacent plots, situated in the Casas del Hito estate, with an electricity substation and a high-tension pylon line of up to 47 kms. All of this will seriously affect the two Special Protection Areas for birds in the area: “Llanos de Zorita y Embalse de Sierra Brava” and “Vegas del Ruecas, Cubilar y Moheda Alta”.

These areas, now under treat by this proposal, represent one of the most important zones for birds in Extremadura, attracting numerous visitors from all over the World, coming to watch birds there. There are few places where this sort of development could cause so much damage. It would be unforgiveable for this to proceed when there are available many hundreds of more suitable sites, each receiving the same amount of sunlight.

Given my personal knowledge of this site, I consider its ornithological importance to be very seriously under treat and I wish to register my opposition to the construction of these solar thermal power plants. I urge you to take into account the outstanding ornithological and conservation value of this area and that the Consejería de Industria, Energía y Medio Ambiente does not approve the proposal for these power plants.

Yours sincerely,

Copia al Excmo. Sr. Presidente de la Junta de Extremadura
Copia a la Consejería de Cultura y Turismo

EXAMPLE TWO

Dña. Leonor Flores Rabazo
Consejera de Cultura y Turismo
Junta de Extremadura
C/ Almendralejo, 14
06800 Mérida (Badajoz)
Spain

Dear Sra. Flores:

The purpose of this letter is to express my profound concern for the future of one of the most important sites for migratory and wintering birds in Extremadura: the area around the Sierra Brava reservoir and the estate known as Casas del Hito, in the municipality of Madrigalejo in the province of Cáceres.

I have recently learnt that permission has been requested for the construction of two solar thermal power plants, each of 50 hectares area, in adjacent plots, situated in the Casas del Hito estate, with an electricity substation and a high-tension pylon line of up to 47 kms. All of this will seriously affect the two Special Protection Areas for birds in the area: “Llanos de Zorita y Embalse de Sierra Brava” and “Vegas del Ruecas, Cubilar y Moheda Alta”.

These areas, now under treat by this proposal, represent one of the most important zones for bird tourism in Extremadura, attracting numerous visitors from all over the World, coming to watch birds there. There are few places where this sort of development could cause so much damage. It would be unforgiveable for this to proceed when there are available many hundreds of more suitable sites, each receiving the same amount of sunlight.

Given my personal knowledge of this site, I consider its ornithological importance to be very seriously under treat and I wish to register my opposition to the construction of these solar thermal power plants. I urge you to take into account the outstanding value of this area for bird tourism and that the Consejería de Industria, Energía y Medio Ambiente does not approve the proposal for these power plants.

Yours sincerely

Copia al Excmo. Sr. Presidente de la Junta de Extremadura
Copia a la Consejería de Industria, Energía y Medio Ambiente

EXAMPLE THREE

Excmo. Sr. D. Guillermo Fernández Vara
Presidente de la Junta de Extremadura
Plaza del Rastro, s/n
06800 Mérida (Badajoz)
Spain

Dear Sr. Fernández Vara:

The purpose of this letter is to express my profound concern for the future of one of the most important sites for migratory and wintering birds in Extremadura: the area around the Sierra Brava reservoir and the estate known as Casas del Hito, in the municipality of Madrigalejo in the province of Cáceres.

I have recently learnt that permission has been requested for the construction of two solar thermal power plants, each of 50 hectares area, in adjacent plots, situated in the Casas del Hito estate, with an electricity substation and a high-tension pylon line of up to 47 kms. All of this will seriously affect the two Special Protection Areas for birds in the area: “Llanos de Zorita y Embalse de Sierra Brava” and “Vegas del Ruecas, Cubilar y Moheda Alta”.

These areas, now under treat by this proposal, represent one of the most important zones for bird tourism in Extremadura, attracting numerous visitors from all over the World, coming to watch birds there. There are few places where this sort of development could cause so much damage. It would be unforgiveable for this to proceed when there are available many hundreds of more suitable sites, each receiving the same amount of sunlight.

Given my personal knowledge of this site, I consider its ornithological importance to be very seriously under treat and I wish to register my opposition to the construction of these solar thermal power plants. I urge you to take into account the outstanding environmental value of this area and its importance for bird tourism and that the Consejería de Industria, Energía y Medio Ambiente does not approve the proposal for these power plants.

Yours sincerely

Copia a la Consejería de Industria, Energía y Medio Ambiente
Copia a la Consejería de Cultura y Turismo

Some key facts

• The spill is the largest environmental disaster in Spain’s history.
• 64,000 tons of fuel oil were spilled in the incident
• The cost of the clean-up to the Galician coast alone is estimated at €2.5 billion
• The World Wildlife Fund estimated that 300,000 seabirds died. A study published this month (Nov 2007) shows that hydrocarbons are still present in the seabird chicks (El Mundo)
• Seafood industry was halted along much of Galicia’s coast
• WWF warn of the possibility of other “Prestiges” today and notes three oil spills in Spain this year Sierra Nava (Algeciras), Don Pedro (Ibiza) and Samothraki (Gibraltar) WWF

See also “The largest environmental disaster in Spanish history began during a fierce storm off Galicia’s Coast of Death, la Costa da Morte, on 13th November 2002, as the Prestige oil tanker was sailing from Latvia to Gibraltar, to its ultimate destination of Singapore.” (Typically Spanish) + More on the Prestige oil spill (wikipedia)

“The Balearic islands are to freeze all construction along the most delicate parts of coastlines and around the islands’ capitals, which have been blighted by property developments since mass tourism first arrived in Spain in the 60s. The plan, set to be announced tomorrow, will come into force immediately in an effort to save some of the most beautiful coastlines on the islands of Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca, from further development.” Read on the Guardian

See also “Medio siglo de éxito del turismo de masas y de élite, más el urbanismo salvaje reciente, han dejado su huella de hormigón sobre buena parte del paisaje costero. Pero la mayor parte del perfil insular, de 1.428 kilómetros, no ha sido explotada: está casi intacta, a salvo del desarrollismo que dejó inaccesible, sin uso público, muchas decenas de kilómetros.” Paraíso y caos en la costa balear (El Pais) “

• Latest lynx bulletin with details of all the breeding facilities under construction (Programa ex-situ pdf)
• 500 animals killed in a year along a single road crossing Doñana, including two lynxes (Consumer)
• Bunkering, the refueling of tankers in the Straits of Gibraltar, causing a ”silent” oil slick. (Consumer)
• Invasion of American plant Baccharis halimifolia,a serious threat to Urdaibai wetlands (El Pais)
• Ski project in Sierra Nevada a threat to birdlife (El Pais)
• Cold winter predicted this year (Alfred Picó)
• Castilla y León approves three golf courses in Villanueva de Gómez, Ávila, despite huge environmental impact. 7000 homes planned for village of 143 inhabitants.  (SEO) 

(El Pais)

Map of risk of desertification in Spain (MMA)

Map of aridity in Spain

El mar más sucio del mundo (El Pais)

I think we take that “sea” here means open sea, and so excludes bodies of water such as the inland Aral Sea.