The European Union has criticized a plan by lawmakers in southern Spain to expand irrigation rights for farmers near one of Europe’s largest wetlands, arguing that it will further endanger a major wildlife refuge that is already drying up.
The government of the Andalusia region wants to grant water rights to farmers on 1,460 hectares (3,607 acres) of land near the Doñana National Park, which the United Nations cultural agency has designated as a World Heritage site and a biosphere reserve.
