German society, key to saving the Mar Menor

German society, key to saving the Mar Menor.

• Ecologists in Action goes to the Fruit Logistica fair in Berlin to demand urgent actions to prevent the ecological collapse of the Mar Menor.

• The organization thus begins a new international campaign to denounce the critical state of this ecosystem and demand its recovery.

• Some German supermarket chains have already shown concern about the production method of Huerta de Murcia suppliers.

• The Mar Menor is one of the largest salt lagoons in Europe and is suffering a serious ecological crisis due to the abuses of agricultural and livestock activity.

A delegation of Ecologists in Action has been in Berlin since April 4th and until the 7th of the same month. Thus, it kicks off an international campaign to denounce the critical state of the Mar Menor and demand changes in the agricultural management of Campo de Cartagena (Murcia) that allow the survival of this natural jewel.

The Ecologistas en Acción delegation will be present this week at the Fruit Logistica fair, where they will provide information on the current degradation of the Mar Menor and the solutions it offers to its serious ecological crisis. Fruit Logistica is the largest fresh produce fair in Europe and serves as a meeting point for fruit and vegetable production and distribution companies from across the continent. Both the Region of Murcia and producers and distributors who import products from the Huerta de Murcia to Germany will be present at the fair.

In addition, Ecologists in Action will take advantage of these days to hold numerous meetings with environmental and consumer associations, with representatives of political parties and journalists. All of these groups have expressed their interest in learning more about the problems of the Mar Menor and supporting the environmental organization's campaign from Germany.

Some of the large German supermarket chains, such as Aldi, have also shown concern about the production methods of their vegetable suppliers in Campo de Cartagena and their negative effects on areas of great environmental value - such as the Mar Menor - even reaching cancel orders.

This international campaign has started after twenty years of work without environmental demands regarding changes in agricultural management having been heard by either the Government of the Region of Murcia or the Government of Spain. Also due to the immobility of large agribusiness corporations, despite the poor ecological state of the Mar Menor that worsens year after year.

In recent years, the Mar Menor has experienced continuous episodes of extreme eutrophication, which cause explosive growth of algae and different processes that reduce the oxygen available in the water and cause the death by suffocation of tons of fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Although there are several factors that contribute to this phenomenon of eutrophication, scientific studies place the arrival of large quantities of nitrates and phosphates (fertilizers) from crops as well as livestock in Campo de Cartagena, the agricultural area, as the main source of nutrients. that surrounds the lagoon.

Most of the production of Campo de Cartagena – mainly vegetables such as lettuce, peppers, cabbage and fruits such as lemon, melon and watermelon – is dedicated to export. 25 % of exported vegetables reach Germany, which is the main receiving market, followed by the United Kingdom (with 25 % of production). This is the other reason why Ecologistas en Acción starts this campaign in Germany: German distribution chains can be the main engine of change in the unsustainable model that today dominates the landscape of the Mar Menor.

Conserving the Mar Menor and agriculture in the Campo de Cartagena is possible. But to do this, it is essential and urgent to make changes to the current model, and take measures that drastically reduce pollution by nitrates and phosphates. In this sense, the main demands of Ecologists in Action are:

1. Stop the lack of control of irrigation in Campo de Cartagena, with an audit that eliminates, at a minimum, all illegal perimeters.
2. Reduce agricultural pollution at source, with effective, quantifiable and verifiable measures in application of the Nitrates Directive and the declaration of Campo de Cartagena as a Vulnerable Zone.
3. Apply natural measures to retain diffuse pollution throughout the entire Campo de Cartagena, which act as nutrient and sediment traps from each agricultural plot to the vicinity of the Mar Menor.
4. In the strips near the lagoon, recover natural wetland surfaces (not to be confused with the green filters) and connect them again with the boulevards, which are the only ones capable of retaining and eliminating nutrients, which escape the rest of the measures, in case of avenues.

Natalia López, responsible for the Mar Menor consumer campaign, stated: “To save the Mar Menor we must raise awareness among those who consume the products of our land. During our visit to Germany we are sensing great sensitivity to the sustainability of the products they import, and there could be the key to the necessary change in agricultural practices in Campo de Cartagena."