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article_detail
Date Published: 17/07/2020
ARCHIVED - Use of fertilisers within 1500 metres of the Mar Menor will be prohibited
Political agreement will help to push through the new law protecting the Mar Menor next week
This week the Mar Menor has been at the centre of considerable political discussion as the deadline of Wednesday 22nd July approaches, the day on which the new law aiming to implement measures to protect the Mar Menor is scheduled for voting in the regional parliament.
The Ley de Protección y Recuperación Integral del Mar Menor embraces a raft of measures and is the response of the Murcian regional Government to the current problems.
As explained many times, competence for the various issues which combine to create this large-scale problem is complex. Unpicking these and resolving them requires action in many different areas, but one core issue is widely recognised as being at the heart of the most visible problem, which is excess algal growth in the lagoon, and that is agricultural activity using artificial nitrates to water crops, and the subsequent filtration of the chemicals into the soil, water run-offs and aquifer which holds vast deposits of water beneath the campo de Cartagena and beyond that, into neighbouring Alicante. (this link gives some background information; Click here if you want to understand some of the basics of these problems)
One of the key proposals in the new law is to prohibit any agricultural activity involving the use of chemical fertilisers within a strip surrounding the lagoon and this has been the topic of considerable debate and argument, although this week politicians finally agreed to put their differences aside and have agreed that the strip surrounding the Mar Menor will be amplified to 1500 metres, not the 500 originally proposed and this will be incorporated in the text of the document for approval on Wednesday. In theory the document should now be approved, following agreement between the PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos.
The new restrictions prohibit the use of any type of chemical fertilizer, non-composted manures and green manures within a distance of one and a half kilometers from the coast. Only organic farming is permitted and only crops that do not exceed 170 kilos of nitrates per hectare per year.
Existing agricultural greenhouses will be permitted to continue activities under these new conditions, but cannot be expanded in any way and no new greenhouses may be built.
As part of the conditions under which ecological agriculture will be permitted, the creation of natural filters and barriers to prevent water-run-off and improve bio-diversity are included. Agriculturalists will have to allocate 20% of their surface area to the creation of hedges or planted barriers which will help to catch organic material and form planted breaks between agricultural areas and the water; green filters, wetlands or forest spaces will also be used to create a belt of vegetation that protects the lagoon. No agricultural planting will be permitted within 500 metres of the shore.
Different types of crops will have to be grown that require less water, as although the agricultural sector can continue to irrigate, they must do so using a drip system only, in order to consume less water and create less run-off. This also leads to different crops that do not favour the creation of such large volumes of sediment and mud run-off (for example, broccoli requires weed-free space around each plant which results in large patches of bare earth which are subject to water run-off when it rains, lavender grown as a dry cultivation aromatic oil crop forms broad bushes which cover the ground and form a solid root base, better absorbing water, demanding less water and minimising the risk of run-off).
The agricultural sector has been up in arms about the proposals, saying that this will kill off the sector and destroy jobs, but the reality is that they will simply have to learn to adapt their methods and grow different crops.
Organic farming is absolutely viable all over the world, and the restrictions proposed will simply lead to a change in farming practices, not the elimination of them.
Undoubtedly aid for the sector will be requested, and probably granted, and significant sums of money invested by governments to assist the sector in its transition to a sustainable future, and everyone will benefit long-term from a better environment and healthier Mar Menor.
This is just one tiny step towards resolving the problems and this week there have been other topics in the headlines (see feed below) which show that there is still a long way to go, but agreement amongst politicians and a positive commitment to change far outweighs the politically motivated arguments which have blighted the call for action for so long!
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