Chloe Glover (Reporter)
A BRITISH expat has successfully enlisted the help of the UN to probe a farming scandal that is ‘killing the last oasis’ in Europe.
Thanks to green campaigner David Dene, the UN Office of Human Rights is investigating the alleged destruction of the ‘El Rio de Aguas’ area of Almeria due to intensive olive tree production.
Environmentalists claim the trees are rapidly depleting a precious underground aquifer, which is rapidly running dry.
They insist the lack of water is already wreaking havoc on the environment and forcing whole communities to move.
“It’s a massive human and environmental rights abuse, which is why the UN is now looking into it”, explained Dene, is based in the same village as eco charity Sunseed.
“Four million trees have been planted by large industrial producers over the last few years.
“Each is extracting 10 litres of water a day from the aquifer, which is a basin of non-renewable water that both humans and nature depends upon to survive in this area.
“Already a few communities have been forced to move and we now have to drive 15km to the nearest spring to get our water.”
Dene continued: “At the current rate, unless something is done, the aquifer will run dry in just a few years”, he said. “It’s killing the last oasis in Europe.”
Farmers are rapidly becoming the number one environmental enemy in Spain. They can’t see past their own noses as the destructive effects of over-growing, which in turn depletes the water table, leads to desert-like conditions in which nothing will eventually grow (not even their own crops). Illegal planting and irrigation is another major issue, and without enforcement (which admittedly is very difficult) this process will continue until nothing else can be grown on these lands. The recent Spanish harvest has been a disaster, and can only get worse.
Deforestation a few trees each year is deforesting northern Spain so that ganaderos can over-graze cattle. Now run-off is creating sink holes and gullies. Bramble, bracken and gorse thrive where there were oak, chestnut, birch, walnut, holly and alder.
Good to hear someone is taking action to address the overfarming in El Rio de Aguas. It does appear there is no environmental impact survey produced which so important to control the expansion of olive tree planting!
When these aquifiers have been drained and life becomes untenable just where are these Spanish going to go – free movement of capital and labour, I know Germany, Netherlands,, Denmark, Sweden and quite right too. After all free movement of labour is the most important of the 4 EU tenets, always was even when it was the European Steel and Coal Federation. They’ll get a great welcome along with the sub-Saharan Africans trying to escape the exploding populations in their own countries – wait a minute will it be a great welcome – vamos a ver.
Deforestation causes run-off to create sink holes and gullies. Bramble, bracken and gorse thrive where there were oak, chestnut, birch, walnut, holly and alder in Asturias.
Chas,
your talking rationally, greed and stupidity can’t hear, never could.
Hope he has also enlisted the help of the UN to probe a ecological disaster in the port of Gibraltar due to those leaking oil tankers, floating gas stations, etc.
Disaster waiting to happen.
Hey chico give us all a clear explanation why denial syndrome is the mainstay of the Spanish mentality, the mass murderers took this with them when they went Central and South America, so you are highly qualified to answer – we are waiting. If you don’t give us an answer we will know you are a cobarde.