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Ebro Delta, a land threatened by the sea

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The Vasco restaurant has been surrounded by rocks to protect it from the sea at the Marquesa beach
The Vasco restaurant has been surrounded by rocks to protect it from the sea at Marquesa beach NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
Society
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With rising seas threatening to engulf the Catalan coastline, the Spanish government intends to buy up 832 hectares of private land in the Ebro Delta, in what would be Europe's largest climate-related land acquisitions so far. This has provoked strong opposition from farmers in the Ebro delta, where 62,000 people live and lucrative rice fields account for 65 percent of the area.

The idyllic image
1 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
The idyllic image

A tourist walks along Trabucador beach in the Natural Park of the Ebro Delta, near Poble Nou del Delta
The remains of the storm
2 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
The remains of the storm

A boat dragged by the storm Gloria into a field in the Ebro delta, near Deltebre
The concern of those who live and work by the sea
3 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
The concern of those who live and work by the sea

Marcela Otamendi, 58, and her sister Maria Cinta Otamendi, 56, pose inside their restaurant, which is surrounded by rocks to protect it from the sea at Marquesa beach.
Shame
4 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
Shame

Marcela, and her sister Maria Cinta, talk next to the rocks painted with the word shame in front of their restaurant, in protest for the administrations' inaction

Water inland
5 de 14 NOCHE DOCE / REUTERS
Water inland

Joan Ferrer's family home is still surrounded by water after storm Gloria in February 2020. The storm flooded Joan Ferrer's rice fields up to 3 kilometres inland and caused damages worth €15,000.
Lunch break
6 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
Lunch break

Farmers have lunch before harvesting a rice field owned by Joan Ferrer's family in Deltebre
Work in the field
7 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
Work in the field

Joan Ferrer, a 32-year-old farmer, observes Jordi working with the harvesting machine in a rice field owned by his family in Deltebre.
The value of fertile land
8 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
The value of fertile land

A farmer drives a harvesting machine through the rice fields

The sea is not the only threat
9 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
The sea is not the only threat

A farmer pulls out an apple snail before harvesting rice in his fields in the Ebro Delta. This invasive species is a major threat to crops
Keeping his feet on the ground
10 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
Keeping his feet on the ground

Joan Ferrer walks barefoot through his rice field collecting samples for the Institute of Food Farming Research and Technology that will examine whether the humidity is optimal for harvesting, in the Ebro Delta.
A day's work
11 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
A day's work

Joan washes her feet after harvesting rice in his fields
Preparing the field for a new season
12 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
Preparing the field for a new season

A farmer drives a tractor to maintain and condition a rice field owned by Joan Ferrer's family, after the harvest in the Ebro Delta
The delta is not just rice fields
13 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
The delta is not just rice fields

Local fishermen wait for the catch at Migjorn beach, near the island of Buda, in the Ebro Delta. Fishing was also badly affected by the ravages of storm Gloria.
Flamboyance of flamingos
14 de 14 NACHO DOCE / REUTERS
Flamboyance of flamingos

Flamingos, which are one of the most emblematic birds of the Natural Reserve of the Ebro Delta, fly near the Poble Nou del Delta
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