The largest permanent lake in the national park in Doñana, a wetland in southern Spain, has completely dried up for the second summer in a row due to severe and prolonged drought and overexploitation of groundwater, Spain’s National Research Council (CSIC) announced today.

Spain is experiencing its third heat wave this summer, while the depletion of water reserves has led to the adoption of restrictive measures on water consumption in some areas of the country.

“Since we started collecting data on the area half a century ago, this has never happened for two consecutive years, which shows the seriousness of the situation facing the Doniana lake system and with it the biodiversity that depends on it.“, states the CSIC in a statement.

The Doniana wetland is home to a number of endemic and endangered species, such as freshwater eels and turtles.

Most lakes in Doniana are ephemeral, meaning their beds fill with rainwater when groundwater overflows in the winter and dry up in the warmer months. Some, however, retain water even in the summer and are a valuable refuge for migratory birds heading south after giving birth in northern Europe.

According; with researchers, h Doniana experienced in recent years the lowest rainfall levels in a decade and the highest average temperatures ever recorded, 18.53°C.

But Doniana’s lakes are not only threatened by drought and heat. They are surrounded by a sea of ​​greenhouses and a labyrinthine pipe system that carries water from illegal wells to irrigate strawberry crops.

Andalusia’s conservative local government plans to legalize additional water withdrawals from the Doniana, prompting an outcry from environmentalists.