Mar Menor, Spain: Water Roadmap Collective Action Project

The challenges in Mar Menor’s waters

The Mar Menor and it’s neighbouring Vega Media del Sugura and Guadalentín Valley are a powerhouse for fruit and vegetable production in Spain. Boasting over 770,000 hectares of farmland, intensive agriculture is putting the basin under high demand, using 85% of its total water supply.

But it’s not just how much water being used that’s the main concern. Water quality is suffering too. Chemicals from fertilisers and pesticides on farms, as well as untreated wastewater from towns in the region, are leaking into rivers and underground water reserves. Recovery is slow - Mar Menor isn’t expected to recover to good ecological health until 2039.

While new regulations have been introduced to reduce illegal water use and improve farm practices, many areas remain in poor condition. Climate pressures are adding strain, and ecological collapse linked to intensive farming has sparked growing public concern.

Now is the time to restore and protect the region’s fragile water systems. The Water Roadmap’s Collective Action Project in Mar Menor is helping restore the balance between farming and nature, working with food and drink business and local partners to drive sustainable, systemic change.

What we’re doing to protect water in Mar Menor

The Mar Menor Collective Action Project focuses on four core areas, all with the aim to fix poor water management practices and improve the availability and health of water and ecosystems in the area:

• Improving the understanding of water risks at both a large-scale and local level, from growers through to retailers
• Supporting on-the-ground action by working with the Spanish Ministry to improve the water quality in Mar Menor, linking their multi-million Euro projects on good agricultural practices to markets and supply chains
• Strengthening standards by pushing for water stewardship to be included in farm assurance schemes.

Whether your business sources from or works in Mar Menor, you have a responsibility and opportunity to restore and protect its water.

You don’t have to go it alone – join the Water Roadmap to access guidance and help support this important project.

Our impact in Mar Menor so far

We’re on a combined mission to champion good water practices on farms, ensure water is used legally for crop irrigation, cut pollution and help restore water bodies in the region. Since launching the Collective Action Project in Mar Menor, we’ve brought together over 50 participants to share ideas and solutions. A workshop and contextual tour in Murcia in brought together growers, international companies, research & academia, administrations, civil society and NGOs to introduce the project, explore the Framework of Priority Actions for the Recovery of the Mar Menor, and identify pathways for adopting and upscaling better practices both on and off farm. A public Mar Menor/Segura Basin repository now provides open access to key data and insights, building transparency and a shared understanding of the challenges and plans for our collaborative work in the area.

Momentum to improve water stewardship in Mar Menor is growing, and our collective action project has enabled joined-up action with our delivery partners Good Stuff International, powered by the support and funding of food and drink businesses committed to the Water Roadmap.

Scaling up: action still needed

Protecting Mar Menor’s water and future means keeping up and scaling the momentum. We need more businesses that source from or operate in the Mar Menor and Murcia region to step up, champion water stewardship across their supply chains, and fund the next phase of this critical work.

By joining the Water Roadmap, your participation will drive:

1. Collaboration with the Spanish Ministry as they share learnings from past projects to improve the sustainability of agriculture through funding and on-the-ground efforts
2. Skills training and development for players across the supply chain  
3. Plans for a future fundraising strategy to expand on-the-ground work in Mar Menor
4. Learnings and solutions that can be implemented in other current and future Water Roadmap projects.