Greetings All,
Do NOT - repeat - do NOT follow Lisa's link on this thread - Darwin knows what you'll have appearing on your screen

. All I can say is that it has
nothing at **** all to do with golf courses! You have been warned!
B. that as it m., and following Lisa's far from subtle suggestions that my proposed petition be scaled down somewhat - even tho' the draft I posted originally was in fact the précised version - I have now managed to re-edit it for the consideration of iberianatureforumers (tho' there are still a couple of loose ends in there, please add to it of your plenty - all suggestions welcome):
Petition to be sent to EU Commissioner, Spain’s Minister for the Environment, Presidents of Spain’s 17 Autonomous Communities and the UK press (and any other)
11 reasons for signing this petition
1. Spain is one of the European countries most seriously affected by desertization. (31,49% of Spain faces high to very high risk (source: Spain’s Ministry of the Environment -
http://www.mma.es/images/general/biodiversidad/desertificacion/que_es_desertificacion/riesgo.gif and
http://www.programaagua.com/secciones/medios_comunicacion/prensa/notas_pre/2005/04/pdf/Desertificacion2005nota.pdf).)
2. It already has one of the highest rates of water consumption per head. The third highest in the world. (source: Institute of Business Technology of the Balearic Islands -
http://www.idi.es/)
3. Spain is now entering its 3rd successive year of officially declared drought, with many villages in Andalusia, especially, having water rationing during summer - while nearby hotels catering for foreign tourists face no such rationing (source: ¡Error!Marcador no definido. ).
4. Spain already has 341 golf courses (Source: Real Federación Española de Golf -
http://www.golfspainfederacion.com/) with local authority authorisation for another 320-odd approved. (source Greenpeace -
http://www.greenpeace.org/espana/)
5. Andalusia, the driest region of the country, is the region with most golf courses (96, with another 316 projected) with some areas, such as Malaga, having up to 46 golf courses. (Source: Real Federación Española de Golf).
6. Business for golf (a game not played extensively in Spain) is aimed at mainly UK golfers coming over for a few days’ golf at an all-inclusive complex, pre-paid in the UK, resulting in very little money being re-invested in the local community.
7. Many villages routinely demonstrate against existing or projected golf courses in their vecinity, as they have enforced water rationing during much of the day in summer, whereas the golf courses have their own wells which are, of course, drying the aquifers that supply the neighbouring regions (see point 3, above).
8. Many licences are being given by cash-struck local councils, either in exchange for back-handers or the carrot-stick of jobs – as of August 2007, 18 mayors have been jailed for illegally giving planning permission for golf courses and housing developments.
9. Golf courses make sense in areas with abundant annual rainfall. As anyone with a lawn to look after during the UK droughts of XX will remember, it takes an awful amount of water to care for a green, never mind 18 of ‘em!
10. As many visitors to Spain in summer can testify, playing golf in blazing sunshine and average temperatures reaching upwards of 40ºC between 11 a.m and 6 p.m. (source:
http://www.iberianature.com) is hardly likely to improve anyone’s handicap.
11. Spain is a wonderful country to visit and enjoy. It has an unparalleled variety in landscape, gastronomy and leisure activities. Let’s all try to help make sure this lasts for many more years.