By Bond Robertson 
High temperatures and water shortages have plunged Spain into a period of drought. Four municipalities in Mallorca have found themselves forced to do so. Water restrictionsMeanwhile, two others sent appeals to residents to reduce their water use.
The environmental protection organisation Grup Balear d'Ornitologia I Defensa de la Naturalesa (GOB Mallorca) refers to the situation as the worst drought disaster of the last decade.
In addition to the impact of drought on residents and tourists, due to empty pools and restrictions, drought also affects nature, vegetation and wildlife.
The environmental organisation is now sounding the alarm over the S'Albufera nature reserve in Mallorca. At 1,600 hectares, it is the largest wetland area in the Balearic archipelago.
– This is very serious, says Toni Munoz in GOB Mallorca to Dagbladet.
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Last month was the hottest June on record globally, the 13th month in a row that such a record has been set, according to the European Union's climate monitoring service. Copernicus.
In 2011 and 2016, the nature reserve management reported the water problem and the subsequent critical situation in the reserve area to the Ministry of Environment. Since then, the heat has become more frequent.
Now GOB Mallorca believes the situation is more serious than ever and is asking the authorities to take action.
Meanwhile, Munoz blames tourists for the situation.
The solution now is to save the water that has been used for years to urbanize the coast because of tourists, he says.
Muñoz recalls at GOB Mallorca that S'Albufera is registered under the Ramsar Convention for the protection of wetlands of international importance, and is the most important wetland area in the Balearic Islands.
The Ramsar Convention is an international agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
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NASA released information in March that the Sao Paseo de Barcelona nature reserve is on the verge of drying up. Satellite images show how the area has changed in just one year.
according to Catalonia Meteorological Service 2023 was the second driest year in 110 years, with 2022 taking the top spot.
In July, extreme temperatures were expected in several places in Europe. Björn Halvard Samset, a climate researcher at CICERO, told Dagbladet that the warm months recorded show a frightening development.
– In warmer countries in southern Europe, rising temperatures are leading to deadly heat waves, water shortages and agricultural problems, he said.