In 2023, the Doñana natural area recorded its worst figures in terms of the number of wintering birds and the increase in average temperature, almost one degree compared to 1990, while the disappearance of permanent wetlands has been confirmed. The Doñana Biological Station yesterday presented a report on the state of the biodiversity of this space, marked by climate change and the continuous overexploitation of its underground aquifer, some “very intense changes”, according to its director, Eloy Revilla, who warned of the economic impact that the social environment will suffer. Last month’s census of wintering birds showed, according to preliminary data, 120,000 specimens of 97 species, 42% less than in 2023 and 18% less than the historical maximum.
Several emblematic species have not appeared for years, such as the ocellated lizard, the eel or the common toad. 79% of aquatic bird species suffer a reduction in their populations compared to ten years ago, and rabbit populations – key for predators such as the lynx or the imperial eagle – show a density of only one specimen every two square kilometers.
Waterfowl are the ones that suffer the most from the situation. The 2023 census reveals that there were 206,000 specimens in January, “the tenth worst figure for this date in the historical series,” according to Javier Bustamente, vice director of the unique scientific-technical infrastructure of the Biological Station.
The reduction of humid areas is the key. The permanent lagoons of Doñana are considered to have disappeared as such, after their drying out for two consecutive years, while the temporary ones have gone from 4,000 in rainy years to around 1,600, since the majority are already invaded by scrub vegetation. A high mortality rate is detected in ancient pines and cork oaks.
The temperatures were allied with the drought. Doñana registered an average of 19.3 degrees in 2023, a historical record, above the 18.5 in 1990. And the rainfall was the second scarcest in the last decade, a dry period.