But the WWF warned on Thursday that the Donana wetlands on Spain’s southern coast, which also act as a crucial refuge for Europe’s Africa-bound migratory birds, now only receive a fifth of the water they need, in part due to illegal farming. Going thirstyThe Donana wetland complex in the region of Andalusia spans more than 100,000ha, an area bigger than Singapore. But the environmental group says 1,000 illegal wells and 3,000ha of illicit farms have also sprung up over the years. In its report, the WWF called for a number of measures, urging for instance the government to cancel the planned dredging of the Guadalquivir river and close illegal farming fields. It added that it was working towards "resolving the problem of the lack of water".

Source: Viet Nam News September 15, 2016 04:18 UTC