Due to the exploitation of water reserves and the reduction in agriculture there is a strong possibility that one third of Alicante Province could become a desert .

Couple with this erosion and climate change and the rate of land change has increased dramatically ..

The Ministry of the Environment’s Rural and Marine department has started to ring the alarm bells .Already there is desertification of over 90,000 hectares and another 90,000 hectares is at risk .  This would be almost one third of the province .

The areas most at risk are the Alto and Medio Vinolopo , the Marina Baja and L’Alacanti .

Humans are one of the main causes but also forest fires are also causing irreparable damage in the north of the province .

The region is now classified as semi-arid , apart from a small area in the north which has a higher rainfall .The Head of Geography at Alicante University has placed the blame squarly on the  shoulders of overdevelopment and has sidelined the climate change theories .

The abandonment of agriculture is one of the main causes of the land changes .