|
(313) Environmental implications in DNP of the Aznalcollar mine tailings spill. González, Maria Jose1, 1 ABSTRACT- The tailing dam of Aznalcollar pyrite mine collapsed on 25 April of 1998, and 4 Hm3 of sulphide slurry flooded the Agrio and Guadiamar valleys. Massive amount of acidic waters and mud containing toxic elements, mainly Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd and As, were release in the surrounding of Doniana National Park (DNP). The nature reserve of Doniana is situated in the delta of the Guadalquivir River (SW Spain) formed by the accumulation of the detritus materials carried by this river in the former estuary. At present, this area encompasses 106000 Ha of protected land divided in two parts, the National Park and the Nature Park. The National Park involves the inner core of the whole reserve and is the area with the highest protection. UNESCO (1981) declared it Reserve of the Biosphere and several international organisations, namely WWW, contributed to its preservation. The mine tailing accident threatened the 803 floral and 458 faunal species, which harbour in DNP. The highest richness of the Park is the 361 bird species living there, which represent seventy percent of all European bird species. This presentation describes the Aznalcollar accident, the actions undertook to mitigate the damage, and the most important conclusions obtained by the scientific community involved in different studies related to the impact of the spill accident in DNP. Key words: Doniana National Park, Heavy metal pollution, Arsenic, mine tailing accident |
