The Santa Olalla pond has dried up. The only area remaining little wet is a small trickle of spring water that runs along its southern shore, maintaining a tiny muddy stream. We can hardly see them, but if we look closely, in the mud, we can see small dark spots… moving! They are pond turtles, immobile on the areas where the water slowly comes out. From time to time, they show their snouts out to breathe. They hold on as long as there is still some water left, but… how long will they be able...

Since the Doñana Biological Station has kept records, the lagoon has never dried up two consecutive summers. Severe drought and overexploitation of the aquifer are the causes of the serious situation of the Doñana dune lagoon system

This Friday, the ICTS – Doñana Biological Reserve has installed a new camera in the Doñana National Park to monitor the drying of Santa Olalla, the largest lagoon in the protected natural area. This will predictably happen in mid-August, a couple of weeks earlier than last year. Since the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC has records, this lagoon has never dried up for two consecutive years, which demonstrates the critical situation of the Doñana lagoon system.

The Doñana Participation Council meets to analyse the proposed law that aims to extend legal irrigation in the Doñana region. Spain is sentenced by the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fulfil its legal obligations towards the World Heritage Site Doñana.
Eloy Revilla, director of the Doñana Biological Station - CSIC, presents scientific data to illustrate the critical situation of Doñana, an emblematic natural area in south-western Spain, and gives some proposals to...

A study led by the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC shows that a drought experienced in their birth year impaired individuals of the endangered Red kite, a raptorial bird of Doñana National Park, for the rest of their lives. Natal drought caused a 40% decline in forecasted population size and a 21% shortening of time to extinction.
Results show that climate change may erode populations much faster than previously realized