The area around Donana has been settled with towns and cities for over two thousand years, and local wildlife has suffered heavily because of this. However, the marshy landscape also provided a refuge where many species managed to survive into the 20th century. The park was established in 1969 and designated as a world heritage site in 1994. The park is currently threatened by the encroachment of surrounding strawberry farms, and to a lesser extent by the thousands of pilgrims who pass through the place every year during the Romeria de El Rocio festival.