Editing Spain (section)

=== Environmental issues and protection ===

There are numerous environmental threats and issues related to [[Environmental conservation|environmental conservation]]. Deforestation, soil erosion, and river pollution, including due to increased use of nitrogen fertilizers, as well as illegal cultivation of protected lands, desertification in poorly managed agricultural areas, and soil salinization in irrigated areas, are some of the problems facing the country. Tourism, a major source of income for the nation, also has serious environmental impacts. Protected areas are threatened by poorly planned urban development, and inefficient wastewater and water treatment plants cause serious pollution, especially during the summer months on the Mediterranean coast.

In 1998, a serious spill of toxic substances from a gold mine reservoir occurred in the south of the country. Despite attempts to divert the spill from Doñana National Park (a World Heritage Site and an important protected wetland) to the Guadalquivir River and then into the Atlantic Ocean, the environmental damage was extensive. It is estimated that the polluted waters from the spill threatened the survival of millions of birds and wildlife and caused severe economic losses to local agriculture. Another serious pollution incident, this time marine, occurred with the sinking of the oil tanker "Prestige" off the coast of Galicia in November 2002: 300 km of coastline were flooded by the oil slick, causing serious environmental and economic damage.

Spain is a party to the Ramsar Convention on the Protection of Wetlands and the World Heritage Convention. Biosphere reserves have also been established under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MBA) programme. Spain has ratified the Antarctic Environmental Protocol, the Antarctic Treaty, and the 1983 Tropical Timber Treaty, as well as numerous international environmental agreements concerning air pollution, biodiversity, climate change, endangered species, environmental modification, toxic and harmful waste, marine waste dumping, marine life, the ban on nuclear testing, protection of the ozone layer, pollution from ships, and whale conservation.

The country has established numerous protected areas for wild birds under the relevant European Directive and several marine sites protected under the Mediterranean Action Plan. Protected areas, including nine national parks and several smaller sites with special conservation regimes, account for {{Percentage of protected areas}} of the country. Among the main national parks are Tablas de Daimiel National Park, Doñana National Park, and Aigües Tortes National Park.