Splendid natural resources to protect
Andalusia is home to three of Spain's 16 national parks: Doñana, Sierra Nevada and Sierra de las Nieves, all of which have been classified as biosphere reserves by UNESCO. Doñana National Park, covering over 104,000 hectares, is a former hunting reserve of beaches, dunes and marshes. It's a must-see in the region, a paradise for flora and fauna. It is home to millions of migratory birds, as well as critically endangered species such as the imperial eagle, the Iberian lynx and the Moorish tortoise. The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range ideal for hiking, but also for skiing: it is home to the Sol y Nieve ski resort, one of Spain's best-known and best-equipped. This mountain range includes the peninsula's two highest peaks: Mulhacén (3,479 m) - located in the Alpujarra region - and Veleta (3,398 m), surrounded by the 86,208-hectare Sierra Nevada National Park, which includes 44 villages. Above Marbella lies the Sierra de las Nieves National Park. Covering almost 23,000 hectares, it is home to numerous caves and galleries suitable for caving, as well as the Andalusian bluestone pine, the pinsapo.
The region also boasts a number of nature parks, including the Cabo de Gata Nijar Natural Park, a Biosphere Reserve since 1997, which covers 26,000 ha of land and 12,000 ha of sea. Its crystal-clear waters are ideal for diving. Unfortunately, some corrupt property developers flout the notion of a natural park by constructing buildings without any permits. The Asociación Amigos del Parque Natural Cabo de Gata-Níjar has come together to combat this. In the south-west of the province of Córdoba, the Sierra Subbética Natural Park is a splendid 31,560-hectare protected area with Mediterranean vegetation. The municipalities in this area are developing a well-considered form of rural tourism, enabling visitors to enjoy a certain quality of life. The 51,600-hectare Sierra de Grazalema Nature Park extends into the province of Málaga. The emblem of this verdant protected area is a rare botanical species, the pinsapo, a relict pine from the Tertiary era that grows at an altitude of 1,000 m and has been able to survive thanks to the heavy rains that characterize this beautiful region. The Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and las Villas Natural Park is home to 1,200 animal species. Discerning botanists will be able to observe species as dissimilar as the Cazorla violet and the grasilla, a carnivorous plant.
Above the Costa del Sol, from Marbella to Estepona, lies the Sierra Bermeja mountain range. It owes its name (Bermeja means vermeil) to the color of its rocks. The vegetation is highly specific, with species such as galium viridiflorum and staelina baetica. Nearly 85% of the plant species found in the Sierra Bermeja are included in the European directive Natura 2000, due to their endemic nature, including the endangered Andalusian fir at the summit. Other natural treasures in Andalusia include the Bay of Cadiz Natural Park, the Barbate, Tinto and El Odiel marshes, and the Flecha de Nueva Umbría. Many of the region's beaches have also been awarded Blue Flag status. The Environmental Council (Consejería de Medio Ambiente) of the Junta de Andalucía pursues a proactive policy to protect these areas, identify environmental threats and inform the public about them. But these efforts are not always enough..
A region particularly exposed to climate change
Both climate and geographical location explain Andalusia's vulnerability. The province of Huelva was hit by serious fires in 2017. During the heatwave of 2023, temperatures reached up to 48°C in southern Spain. And the gota fría (DANA) of November 2024 affected Andalusia, notably Malaga, Jerez and even Seville, causing heavy flooding but no deaths. The province of Almería is home to Tabernas, the only desert on the European continent. 300 square kilometers of arid land have been protected in a nature park since 1989, but are steadily gaining ground as a result of global warming. As elsewhere in Europe, the Spanish population is increasingly aware of these issues. Thousands of young people took part in climate marches on Fridays, in the wake of the appeal launched by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. But this issue is struggling to emerge in the midst of all the other political issues shaking the country, including independence and the rise of the far right.
An overexploited agriculture
Agriculture accounts for 40% of Andalusia's GDP and employs over 120,000 people. The province of Jaén produces olives, while Huelva is famous for its strawberries. Cattle and pigs are also raised to produce the famous Serrano and Iberian hams. But the biggest producer is undoubtedly Almeria, where over 40,000 hectares of greenhouses form what environmentalists call "an island of plastic". Fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries are produced here intensively, to supply European markets, and not without impact on the environment: the region is regularly the subject of less than glowing reports denouncing the sobreexplotado (over-exploitation) of natural resources, the use of chemical fertilizers and, above all, the working conditions of the many immigrant workers employed on these farms. Against a backdrop of climate change, water management is one of the region's most worrying environmental issues. And not just in Almeria. Water tables are being emptied because of this agriculture and because some farms resort to illegal wells - of which there are more than a million throughout the country, according to Greenpeace Spain. The Doñana Park, for example, is threatened by strawberry cultivation, which is drying out the soil and causing desertification. So much so that in January 2019, the European Commission took Spain to the European Court of Justice for failing to take adequate measures to protect Doñana's groundwater bodies. Environmental associations such as FACUA Andalucía (consumer protection association), Fundación Savia, Red Andaluza Nueva Cultura del Agua, Ecologistas en Acción, Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua and WWF are mobilizing on this issue. A pact was finally signed in November 2024 between the Junta and the Ministry of Ecological Transition to prevent the agricultural exploitation of numerous bodies of water, and which notably provides for the intensification of vetoes concerning illegal irrigation and investments of 1,400 million euros for municipalities located in the park's surroundings. This was not the only threat to Doñana Park. In 1998, a dam at the Aznalcóllar pyrite mine burst, spilling toxic sludge into the park's surroundings. Despite this disaster, in 2015 the regional government appointed Grupo México to operate the mine again. In 2024, the Junta de Andalucia gave the green light for the opening of a new Aznalcóllar mine, once the environmental authorizations had been obtained. The plan is to invest 450 million euros to extract 45 million tonnes of materials (copper, zinc, lead) by 2027, creating 2,000 direct and indirect jobs.
And what about organic food?
Farmers, however, are well aware that the future is organic. Nearly half of conventional farms in Andalusia, whether in cereals, fruit or vegetables, are in the process of converting, and the province is already home to half of Spain's organically farmed land. Organic tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelons from Almería can be found at increasingly lower prices in European supermarkets. The question is, at what price? Some companies are accused of not respecting social and environmental standards. Fortunately, associations and the media are keeping a close eye on them, and do not hesitate to denounce them, but it takes time to raise awareness.
To find out more about the problems of agriculture in Andalusia and the alternatives that are developing, the Danyadara association in Villamartín offers "eco-tours" on these subjects. It also organizes courses in permaculture. Agritourism is also possible on some of Andalusia's organic farms. For example, at the Los Portales farm in Castilblanco de los Arroyos, in the province of Seville, which also runs a bed and breakfast. Here you can learn about goat cheese-making, bread-making and organic vegetable growing. Alternatively, near Ronda, the LA Organic Experience project allows visitors to discover environmentally-friendly olive oil production on a 26-hectare farm featuring works by Philippe Starck. Accommodation is also available on site.
The alternatives in action
Is this linked to its climate or political history? Spain is a country conducive to creativity, and various communities, large and small, are developing alternative lifestyles, particularly on the ecological front. In Andalusia, one of the best examples of this inventiveness is the Molinos del Río Agua eco-village, in the Karst en Yesos de Sorbas Natural Park. The Sunseed project, created by Englishmen in the 1980s, involves developing solutions to combat desertification: using solar energy, filtering water, etc. It welcomes volunteers all year round. It welcomes volunteers all year round. The village also boasts a self-sufficient house, La Casa de La Realidad, a school and permaculture production facilities. Inspiring!
More political, but also born of the desire to farm differently, in the province of Seville, the village of Marinaleda and its 2,700 inhabitants have developed a system of self-management. Gathered within a cooperative, all farm workers receive the same salary and are housed for 15 euros a month. This community, created in 1979, attracts curious visitors from all over the world. Finally, in a somewhat "Rainbow Family" spirit, the community of Beneficio, on the heights of the village of Órgiva, in the Sierra Nevada Natural Park, has been trying to develop more eco-friendly, alternative and solidarity-based lifestyles for the past twenty-five years, with varying degrees of success, but with a certain creativity.
Some remarkable gardens
Plant fans will be delighted by the Cordoba Botanical Garden, which houses an ethnobotanical museum and a paleobotanical museum, as well as a greenhouse divided into different microclimates. There's also a majestic one in Málaga, the La Concepcion Botanical Garden, with 5,000 species of tropical, subtropical and native plants. Alternatively, the Jardin Botánico de Cactus, in the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park in the small village of Casarabonela, boasts one of Europe's largest collections of cacti.
