Doñana, Spain: Water Roadmap Collective Action Project
Restoring water and ecological health in one of Europe's most important fruit sourcing regions.
A resilient food supply chain relies on healthy ecosystems, yet the Huelva region surrounding Doñana National Park - where 95% of strawberries and 98% of all Spain's soft fruits are grown - mostly for export, is facing water scarcity from intensive agriculture and other pressures. This threatens Doñana, a UNESCO site and a crucial resting site for migratory birds.
Building on the long history of projects in this region and locally led restoration efforts, this Collective Action Project is part of the UK Food and Drink Pact's Water Roadmap - convened by WRAP, supported by businesses and delivered in partnership with SIFAV and Good Stuff International. Using a catchment-first approach that puts the needs of the water system at the centre, it unites producers, retailers, irrigation communities, researchers, authorities and NGOs around an inclusive and long-term strategy to protect Doñana's ecosystems and protect shared water resources in a vital food sourcing region.
Our impact on Doñana, Spain 2022-2026
Download the Collective Action Project Impact Summary for Doñana, Spain
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Social Impact
285+ workshop and webinar participants collaborating across the value chain.
Critical for locally led action that’s aligned with market expectations, farm reality and local environmental and socioeconomic context, stakeholders from across the value chain have come together to tackle shared challenges through in-person workshops and webinars.Image: Good Stuff International -
Environmental Impact
~2 hectares of habitat restored in a critical fruit growing area.
A first for the region, this targeted but milestone restoration pilot involved schools, food businesses, public authorities and was co-led by the local Irrigation Community of Condado de Huelva, establishing trust and successfully laying the foundation for future restoration and systemic change – plus unlocking £100,000 more funding.Image: Good Stuff International -
Economic impact
Reducing legality and water risk to safeguard food supply chains.
By addressing the area’s 10-15% illegal water use for food production, the project is helping reduce regulatory, legal, and reputational risks for businesses sourcing from the region by delivering resources, training and workshops in partnership with and building on the work of WWF.Image: Good Stuff International
Environmental Impact
Surrounded by intensive strawberry production, the La Cañada ecological corridor, is part of an important network of habitat for endangered species and millions of migratory birds that stop in this region on their flight across the globe Focusing on one section of a damaged and polluted stream due to illegal water irrigation and agricultural runoff, we collaborated with the local Irrigation Community of Condado de Huelva and the local community to restore the stream with a nature-based approach.
In a rare moment, the restoration event brought together 60 schoolchildren (the next generation of farmers in the community), local officials, the Guadalquivir River Basin Authority and business supporters. Together we restored around 2ha of habitat by removing invasive plants and planting 80 native trees along the riverbank, which when established will provide much needed shelter for the species that call this area home.
It built the trust we need, showed the local community that international markets can and want to have an active role, ties into a wider scheme of restoration from the central government and has played a catalytic role in attracting further funding to create bigger restoration projects for greater impact.
Economic impact
Improving legal water use for agriculture surrounding Doñana is one of the most powerful levers to protect the environment, as well as the producers and businesses that operate within it.
High levels of illegal irrigation for agricultural use has faced the region surrounding Doñana over many years, creating systemic regulatory and reputational risks for food businesses sourcing from the area.
By engaging regulators, irrigation companies, producers and businesses, this Collective Action Project is driving more responsible use of water and reducing legality risks tied to food production.
For instance, in a key workshop in September 2025, WRAP & WWF convened 50+ auditors, farm technicians, certification bodies and businesses to address the lack of consistent criteria for verifying legal water and land use. Not only did this bring stakeholders together in one room to talk about a difficult subject in a constructive way, but it also built alignment around shared definitions and practical tools, and gave WRAP and WWF a clear mandate from participants to co-lead the development of common legality criteria going forward.
For industry, action on legality and compliance reduces the risk of supply chain disruption, reputational exposure and loss of production capacity. For producers, it creates a clearer pathway, with consistency across customers and access to markets. Together, it strengthens the long-term resilience and viability of Huelva as a food sourcing region.
Project feature
Creating the conditions for regenerative agriculture at scale in Doñana
Berry production surrounding Doñana depends on fragile groundwater systems that also sustain the area’s habitats and ecosystems – but water is running scarce and the environment is degrading. Farmers had no coordinated pathway to learn alongside their customers how good agricultural practices can be efficiently scaled so that they are both environmentally effective and commercially viable. Through this Collective Action Project, we have produced new research in collaboration with the Dutch Embassy and Wageningen University on regenerative practices for berry systems and convened the Doñana Regenerative Agriculture Workshop to kickstart the practical phase of the project, ensure farmers work together with value chain partners to define what local regenerative agriculture should look like and build a scalable business case.
At the workshop, producers, NGOs, traders, researchers and food businesses collaborated to plan trials that will test soil amendments, cover crops, flower strips, efficient irrigation and landscape diversification. These interventions aim to reduce water stress and agricultural runoff, improve soil organic matter, enhance biodiversity and strengthen the resilience of berry production. All these factors will feed into the resilience of the Doñana region as a globally important landscape and help to secure sustainable livelihoods and berry supplies into an ever-changing future.
While still in early stages, this approach aims to embed nature-based solutions within mainstream farming, rather than as one-off projects. Businesses will have a credible route to invest in regenerative sourcing and support long-term security of supply from a high-risk food sourcing region. Piloting is taking place from early 2026.
Project feature
Building a shared evidence base of water data and plans
The funding and collaboration through this project has enabled the development and continuous improvement of the Doñana Collective Action Portal. The open access repository consolidates environmental data from the Doñana Natural Park and is kept up to date in collaboration with a local technical committee. The technical committee ensures robustness, transparency and independency of Information included in the portal. With insights now available in one place, it shows the reality of water in the area and its relationship with agricultural production. With thousands of views, it’s one of the key tools that’s helping make progress towards improved ecological status in the region, helping build transparency and a shared understanding of the challenges and plans for our collaborative work in the area.
Why we’re working in Doñana, Spain
Spain is one of the world’s most productive horticultural regions and the Huelva, where Doñana is located, is a vital berry sourcing hub for UK food businesses. Yet this UNESCO World Heritage site is affected not only by a changing climate, but by severe water use and land modification for agriculture within the Doñana Forest Crown. What’s more, between 10-15% of this water use is illegal. Without focused efforts, Doñana faces collapse, threatening an incredibly important ecosystem and berry production.
Through this targeted Collective Action Project, we’re working to restore balance between water governance, sustainable agriculture, resilient UK food supply chains and healthy ecosystems, directly contributing to the UK Food and Drink Pact Water Roadmap’s goal of restoring catchments to good ecological status and safeguarding water for food production.
"The cooperation between markets, farmers, local actors and the administration to initiate a joint environmental improvement project has become a historic milestone in the recovery of Doñana, achieved through the efforts of the local community and stakeholders directly involved."
Where we’re working in Doñana and the wider Huelva region
Locally led,
globally supported
Action to protect water in Doñana, Spain
Locally led delivery is central to this project. Through the UK Food and Drink Pact’s Water Roadmap, WRAP and food and drink businesses are funding and working with producers, communities, irrigation bodies, closely with authorities and our local delivery partner Good Stuff International.
Collective action is enabling a group of historically misaligned local actors to come together and establish shared priorities, trial restoration solutions, upskill on legality and build long-term stability of food sourcing in this region.
"As local delivery partners, we bring the on-the-ground knowledge, relationships, and capacity to drive action where it matters. But achieving scalable impact requires a different kind of collaboration. In places like Doñana, where many initiatives already exist, WRAP’s inclusive, catchment-level approach brings co-responsible companies together, complements ongoing efforts, and adds resources. Crucially, it opens doors with public authorities, NGOs, and funders that we couldn’t access alone. This partnership is what enables practical and systemic impact."
Why businesses are committed to collective action
"Doñana is an important region for us. We source berries here, and it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Seeing the wetlands made it clear that urgent action is needed. This is a systemic issue that won’t change unless everyone in the supply chain plays their part. That’s why we strongly believe in collective action and are pleased to be involved alongside WRAP, Good Stuff International, and others."
"It’s vital to us that our products are sourced responsibly, with care for people and nature. In southern Spain, the challenges we face can’t be solved by one company alone. They require collaboration between growers, importing companies, retailers, authorities, and other partners from society and academia. That’s why we’re committed to working together with many other partners in this collective action trajectory."
"The Doñana area is a key sourcing region for our berries, and we’ve been involved since the very beginning, looking at where we can deliver real impact in Spain. Collective action is one of the best ways to drive impact, and there’s a strong, diverse group of stakeholders ready to contribute. The foundations are in place, and this feels like the start of something positive."
Help restore and protect water for food production
Join the Water Roadmap
Huelva, home to Doñana in Spain is an important cornerstone of UK food sourcing. Continued collaboration across food businesses, local partners and producers is essential to safeguard water resources, strengthen governance and protect ecosystems. We invite every business that sources and benefits from the region to step up, champion water stewardship across their supply chains, and support the next phase of this Collective Action Project.
In collaboration with our Collective Action Project funders for Doñana and generous support from the Retail Leadership Commitment:
- AB World Foods
- Aldi
- Aldi Nord
- Asda
- Bakker Barendrecht
- BerryWorld
- CH & Co
- Co-op
- Edeka
- dps Ltd
- Lidl
- Marks & Spencer
- Morrisons
- Natures Pride
- P&G
- Ocado
- Sainsbury's
- SVZ
- Tesco
- Waitrose
- William Jackson Food Group