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• Brown bear cub found in Somiedo recovering well - A brown bear cub found last week in Somiedo (Asturias) is recovering in a clinic in Gijón. The 5 month old cub was discovered wandering along a roadside ditch in a confused state and taken to a local police station by tourists. The bear is said to be in good condition although it has problems in one eye which affect it's sense of balance. In the meantime a team of experts from the Brown Bear Foundation has located the mother with another two cubs in the area and is keeping track of them in the hopes of regrouping the family. If the cub recovers in time a reintroduction could still be possible as "bears have a great maternal instinct" said Guillermo Palomero, the Foundation's director.
Date: July 01, 2008 Source: El Comercio Digital
• Turtles washed up in the UK released in Canary Islands - Two loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) which were washed up on beaches in Devon and Cornwall in the UK have been released back into the sea in the Canary Islands. They are the only survivors of the 23 loggerheads which have been stranded on British and Irish coasts this year, an unprecedented number. The pair have been nursed back to health at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay, Cornwall, and have been returned to the sea off a beach in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. The Canary Islands are the nearest land point to the loggerheads' migration route around the Atlantic. Loggerheads turtles breed on the beaches of the Mediterranean, West Africa, Brazil, and along the south-east coasts of America.
Date: July 01, 2008 Source: Telegraph
• Lammergeyers to be reintroduced to Picos - A programme to reintroduce lammergeyers to their former range in Picos de Europa National Park will start in 2009. It hopes within 8 to 10 years to re-establish a breeding population in Asturias which has been absent for more than half a century. Eggs deemed to have a low chance of survival in wild lammergeyer nests in the Pyrenees will be harvested and hatched in captivity for use in the programme. The system, which involves the use of puppet foster-parents to avoid habituation to humans, has been successfully tested in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. Date: July 01, 2008 Source: Terra
• Water issues in Zaragoza Expo - Water and Sustainable Development is the theme of Expo 2008, the international exposition running until 14 September 2008 in Zaragoza. The event aims to set the minds of citizens towards scientific, yet fun reflections about big questions concerning the immediate future of our planet. Some contributions are expected to be rather critical: Sulvain Hubert, director of the EU pavilion, says things will be brought into the light, namely the ‘abuse and the misuse of this precious resource by the built up urban areas, industrial activity and agriculture.’ The site of the exhibition itself - a meander of the river Ebro - has also been questioned by environmental groups who point out that it seems to be against the ethics of the exhibition to construct a built-up area by the river and create an artificial lake 4 kilometres long. The price of a ticket is 35 euros for one day, from 9am until 3 the next morning,
Date: July 01, 2008 Source: Cafebabel
• Recovery of drovers paths continues - A national information centre on Spain's drover's paths is to be set up in Malpartida de Cáceres, in Extremadura. The project has a 760,000 euro budget, supplied by government-sponsored Fundación Biodiversidad. Spain's 125,000 km of drover's paths, linking valleys and mountains and the cool north with the warmer south, occupy a total of 400,000 hectares. The ancient paths, many of which have been cut off by fences or taken over by urban development in recent years, are protected by law since 1995 and slowly being recovered by the different autonomic regions. Most advanced is Andalucia where by the end of this year all towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants aim to have a footpath leading out into the neighbouring countryside.
Date: June 05, 2008 Source: El Mundo
• Imperial Eagle webcam in Cabañeros - A 24h live webcam is in operation on a Spanish Imperial eagle nest in Cabañeros National Park. The cam has been set up by the Spanish Ornithological Society, SEO, in collaboration with the park authorities. To view follow the SEO/Birdlife link and click on the "Imágenes en Directo" photo of the eagle's head. Alternatively copy and paste the following address in your browser: aguilaimperial.org Date: May 07, 2008 Source: SEO/Birdlife
• Climate change in Spain - Celsias report - Spain is currently experiencing the worst drought in 60 years, reports Climate change website Celsias. The amount of rain over the past six months is only 56 percent of typical rainfalls and reservoirs are at 50 percent of capacity, threatening agriculture, tourism and drinking water supplies. Temperatures have already increased 1.5 degrees over the last century. In addition, spring is now coming two weeks earlier in Spain, causing 23 more hot days than 30 years ago. This has an impact on the agricultural cycle, as well as the wildlife. Bears have stopped hibernating and Dung beetles in northern Spain have shifted habitat. Some predictions point to 2.5 degree Celsius increases by 2020 and 5 degree Celsius increases by 2050. At that point, rainfall may have been reduced by as much as 75 percent with Southern Spain essentially becoming a dust bowl.
Date: April 18, 2008 Source: Celsias
• San Glorio ski resort blocked by court - A project to build a ski resort in the San Glorio pass, between the provinces of León and Cantabria, has been blocked by a ruling of the regional courts of Castilla y León. The site, within the confines of the Natural Park of Fuentes Carrionas, is home to endangered Brown bears, although the court based it's ruling on the doubtful viability of a snow-based enterprise due to climate change.
Date: April 18, 2008 Source: El Mundo
• Castilla Leon promotes birdwatching tourism - The Trino Project, subsidised by the EU Initiative for Rural Development (LEADER), seeks to promote a new kind of tourism in the region of Castilla León. At present fourteen Local Action Groups offer accommodation and birdwatching routes in eight different provinces. Follow link for brochure in English with contact details and local websites.
Date: April 08, 2008 Source: Patrimonio Natural
• Oldest European human remains found in Atapuerca - Scientists have discovered the oldest human remains in western Europe. A jawbone and teeth discovered at the famous Atapuerca site in northern Spain have been dated between 1.1 and 1.2 million years old. The finds provide further evidence for the great antiquity of human occupation on the continent, the researchers write in the journal Nature. The find was made in the Sierra de Atapuerca, a region of gently rolling hills near the Spanish city of Burgos which contains a complex of ancient limestone caves. These caves have yielded abundant, well-preserved evidence of ancient occupation by humans and have been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. "It is the oldest human fossil yet found in Western Europe," said co-author Jose Maria Bermudez de Castro, director of Spain's National Research Centre on Human Evolution (CENIEH) in Burgos.
Date: March 27, 2008 Source: BBC
• El Cachucho, Spain's first offshore reserve - El Cachucho, a 450 metre-deep fishery 56 km from the Asturian coast, is to become Spain's first Marine Protected Area. WWF has campaigned for many years for the protection of this specially diverse area which has required a consensus of 8 ministries. El Cachucho, which derives it's name from the Asturian term for Red bream, will form part of the European Natura 2000 network.
Date: March 24, 2008 Source: WWF/Adena
• Introducing European bears to Spain could be OK - Brown bears from the Iberian Peninsula are not as genetically different from other brown bears in Europe as was previously thought. An international study being published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that, to the contrary, the Spanish bear was only recently isolated from other European strains. These findings shed new light on the discussion of how to save the population of Spanish bears. "These bears have possibly been isolated in Spain for a few thousand years, which is a very short period in an evolutionary perspective. In other words, there has been a flow of genes to and from the Iberian Peninsula throughout most of the time brown bears have been there. This is extremely interesting data when we discuss transporting bears from other areas to Spain for the purpose of preservation," says Anders Götherstam, who directed the study.
Date: March 24, 2008 Source: Science Daily
• Ebro footpath finished - It is now possible to walk the whole length of the river Ebro, from its source to the Mediterranean along the newly-inaugurated, GR 99, the "Camino Natural del Ebro". The footpath totals 1,260 km and crosses Cantabria, Castilla y León, the Basque Country, Rioja, Navarra, Aragon and Catalonia. This is the first of an ambitious plan by the Ministry of the Environment to create walking routes, complete with basic accommodation options, along Spain's major rivers. Follow link for printable map.
Date: March 04, 2008 Source: Desnivel
• Greenway videos on Youtube - A series of short films featuring some of Spain's best Greenways (disused
railway lines converted into cycling and walking routes) is now available on
Youtube. Commentary is in Spanish but there is some information is English on the ViasVerdes website. Follow the link below to see the videos.
Date: March 04, 2008 Source: Vias Verdes
• Jelly menace to return this summer - Plagues of "mauve stinger" jellyfish, Pelagia noctiluca, that have been the scourge of Mediterranean swimmers in recent years will return this summer, say scientists at the Barcelona-based Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM). Numbers of large fish such as swordfish and red tuna, which eat jellyfish, have been drastically reduced by bad fishing practices, as have the smaller fish, such as sardines and whitebait, which compete for food with the stingers. Global warming has also brought about the ideal conditions for jellyfish to breed: mild temperatures, little rain and a lack of the usual winter rainstorms. Plagues of jellyfish are nothing new - they often recur in cycles of up to 10 years, but recently, these cycles have become ever shorter, and the blooms more widespread and populous.
Date: March 03, 2008 Source: The Guardian
• Candid bear pictures in Madrid - An exhibition of unique photos of Spanish brown bears in their natural environment, in the western Cantabrian mountains, opens today in Madrid. The photographs have all been obtained by automatic trail cameras set up by conservation organisation FAPAS, and show bear behaviour and situations seldom, if ever, seen by humans in Spain. La Casa Encendida, Ronda Valencia 2, Madrid. Tel. 902 43 03 22. 10 am-80 pm daily, 4th-30th March.
Date: March 03, 2008 Source: La Casa Encendida
• Call for global conservation of Bonelli's eagles - Satellite tracking of Bonelli's eagles in Spain confirms that the young eagles do not always return to their birthplace to establish breeding territories and that distant populations are interconnected. The study, published in Quercus magazine, supports the need for a global conservation strategy for the species in Spain, home to up to 768 pairs, 80% of the European population.
Date: March 03, 2008 Source: Quercus
• Green shopping list for 9th March elections - Spain's main environmental organisations (SEO/Birdlife, WWF/Adena, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and Ecologistas en Acción) have proposed a "Programme for the Earth" to all the parties contesting the general elections of 9th March. The document includes proposals for CO2 reduction, energy efficiency, renewable energy, restricted use of private cars, waste reduction, education against excessive consumerism, reduction of chemicals in agriculture, alternatives to building (renting, restoration of existing housing), closure of illegal wells and restoration of natural water levels for rivers, consolidation of Natura 2000 network of protected areas and the creation of network of marine reserves.
Date: January 30, 2008 Source: WWF/Adena
• Climate change is bad news for Spanish birds - By the end of this century the distribution range of European birds will shift an average 550 km north east and will be reduced by 20% compared to the present. This is one of the conclusions of a new report on the effects of climate change on bird populations. Worst hit will be Arctic birds as well as many Iberian species. The following species are likely to become extinct in Spain: Ptarmigan, Capercaillie, Lapwing, Common Guillemot, Short-eared Owl,
Tengmalm’s Owl, White-backed Woodpecker, Dupont’s lark, Bluethroat, Grasshopper Warbler, Balearic Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Rook.
Date: January 25, 2008 Source: SEO/Birdlife
• Government plan to "revive" rivers - Many artificial barriers in Spain's rivers, such as dikes, walls and dams, could be dismantled in the near future if the Ministry of Environment deems that they are not useful or if they "perturb the balance of the ecosystems". "There is still in Spain, in a very wide sense, an inertia in the belief that rivers should not reach the sea, and that if they do, water is being wasted. This understanding of rivers has to be changed and there should be sufficient water flow (in the rivers) to maintain life", said Minister Narbona in support of what appears to be a government move towards de-regulation of Spain's rivers. The National Strategy for River Restoration has a budget of nearly 1500M euro.
Date: January 25, 2008 Source: El Mundo
• Brown bear found dead in Palencia - A Brown bear was found dead last week in Fuentes Carriones y Fuente Cobre
Natural Park, Palencia. The death is presumed to be "accidental" but this is
the second bear carcass to appear in the area in less than a year. Since
2001 six bears have died in Palencia and León due to poison or shooting by
hunters. Conservationists say an even bigger threat to this population of
circa 25 bears is the proposed construction of a ski resort in Puerto San
Glorio. Date: December 05, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• Ground-breaking law for nature protection in Spain - The recently passed Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Law is hailed by conservationists as a giant step towards nature protection in Spain. The law provides a framework for the protection of the Natura 2000 network in Spain (currently 24% of Spain's total territory). Sustainable activities, such as agriculture or farming, will be allowed in these areas, but urban development or industry will be excluded. Date: December 05, 2007 Source: WWF/Adena
• Spain enters fourth year of drought - Spain will enter a fourth year of drought unless abundant rainfall comes
soon, said Ministry of Environment water spokesman Jaime Palop. A Royal Decree for Water Recycling is to be passed in January 2008 although cuts in drinking water are not foreseen until October.
Date: December 05, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• Were ancient people of Sierra de Baza eco-meddlers? - A Bronze Age people living in the Sierra de Baza, eastern Andalucía, could have brought about their own downfall by meddling with the environment. According to recent pollen datings from peat bogs, the area was originally covered by deciduous oaks and other broad-leaved trees. But about 4,200 years ago - just after the Argaric civilisation emerges - it appears that forests were burned to clear land for mining and grazing. Not long afterwards, about 3,900 years ago, the diverse forest ecosystem disappears, to be replaced by monotonous and fire-prone Mediterranean scrub. What astonished the researchers was the speed of this change. About 300 years after this ecological transformation, the Argaric civilisation disappeared. Researchers say the study could also provide lessons for modern populations living in water-stressed regions. Date: December 05, 2007 Source: BBC
• State buys Galician coastline - The Government is to spend 25M euro to buy 500 hectares of coastline in Galicia to save it from developers. Much of the land will be used to create coastal footpaths. The state also recently purchased the island of Sálvora, opposite the municipality of Ribeira.
Date: December 05, 2007 Source: El País
• Government study predicts dire consequences of Climate Change - A study by 17 Spanish experts on climate change predicts heat waves, 15 cm increases in sea-levels and the desertification of the South of the country. The North coast will become Mediterranean, the South will become a desert, plants and animals will become extinct, many beaches will be eaten by the sea and Spain's human inhabitants will succumb to new diseases related to air pollution and subtropical climates. The "Africanisation" of Spain will be a fact by year 2050, says the new report commissioned by the Government, unless severe measures are taken. Date: December 05, 2007 Source: El País
• 50 Andalusian wolves - Wolves in Andalucía, although still severely endangered, could be making a
slow comeback said wildlife conservation official Fernando Ortega. There is
now a stable population of around 50 wolves and numbers are increasing
slowly. Most Andalusian wolves are found in large private hunting estates in
Sierra Morena which are far from roads but well provided with prey and
watering holes. If current conservation measures are successful the population could reach 200 to 300 wolves in 10 to 15 years. Ortega added that it is important that numbers don't grow too fast so that wolves don't suffer from negative social attitudes as has happened in parts of northern Spain.
Date: October 29, 2007 Source: ABC
• Video evidence of Lynx in Castilla la Mancha - "Although it is soon, we can confirm that there is a stable population (of
Lynx) in our territory". With this recent statement to El Pais, President of
Castilla La Mancha Jose María Barreda has effectively re-drawn the
distribution map of critically endangered Iberian Lynx. Previously it was
thought that the species existed only in two areas of Andalucía: The Doñana area, in Huelva province, and Sierra Morena, in Jaén and Cordoba provinces. Barreda said scientists have re-discovered a small breeding group of the world's most endangered cat in an undisclosed location in Castilla La Mancha. Follow link to see two short video clips released by CLM.
Date: October 29, 2007 Source: El País
• Brits walk Costa Blanca for Spanish Imperial Eagle - RSPB members Rich Harris, 51, and Bill Jeffery, 55, have completed a 150 mile sponsored walk from Denia (Alicante) to Cabo de Palos (Murcia) to raise cash and awareness for SEO/BirdLife's campaign to save the Spanish Imperial Eagle. The walk received much media attention but Harris and Jeffery said it was not their intention to seek the limelight but to "motivate the people to join and become proactive members of SEO and other wildlife organisations across Spain". Follow link for the walker's blog, in English. Date: October 01, 2007 Source: SEO/Birdlife
• Petition against lime bird traps - An international petition has been set up to oppose plans by the Catalan
Government to legalize hunting birds with lime (glue-based) traps. The
traps, known as "barracas" in Catalonia, are designed to capture thrushes
migrating from Northern Europe but are criticised and being non-selective,
cruel and impossible to control properly. Follow link to sign petition, in
English.
Date: October 01, 2007 Source: Grup d'Estudi i Protecció dels Ecosistemes del Camp
• Loggerhead turtles released in Cabo de Gata - Ten year-old Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) are due for release
today on an undisclosed beach in Cabo de Gata Natural Park, on the Almería
coast. This, the first ever release in peninsular Spain, marks the start of
a long-term reintroduction plan. It is hoped the turtles will return to the
Cabo de Gata to breed once they achieve maturity. Loggerhead turtles are
classified as vulnerable. An estimated 20,000 - 40,000 turtles are
accidentally killed every year in the Western Mediterranean by longline
fishing rigs.
Date: October 01, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• Wired Doñana - 100,000 ha in and around Doñana National Park in Huelva are to be covered by
a WiFi system which will collect and transmit data from the protected area.
Fernando Hiraldo, the park's research director, says the sensors will allow
the remote monitoring of weather, water quality, water levels and vegetation
growth rates. The WiFi network, to be completed within a year, will also
transmit live images from webcams to education and research centres.
Date: October 01, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• World gathering of nomadic and transhumant pastoralists - 300 pastoral representatives from 40 different countries are gathering in La Granja, Segovia to discuss nomadism and transhumant shepherding. Organisers say the international meeting aims to guarantee the rights of the pastoralists to their traditional grazing lands, their customs, their migrations and social structure as well as more recognition of the role pastoralists play in preserving the planet’s natural resources, food sovereignty and biological diversity. Spain has legislation that protects since the13th century more than 400,000 hectares of drover roads, with a total length of 125,000 kilometers. Date: September 11, 2007 Source: Nómadas Segovia
• Virus could decimate Mediterranean dolphins - Mediterranean Striped Dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) are washing up on Spanish coasts, victims of a virus epidemic. Experts agree that the disease is the same as the one which killed tens of thousands of dolphins 16 years ago. A form of distemper, the last know epidemic started on the Valencia coast and extended to the rest of the Mediterranean. If repeated the virus could wipe out a third of the population of this species and affect other marine mammals, including the Mediterranean Monk seal.
Date: September 11, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• SEO requests change of carrion-disposal ruling - SEO/Birdlife, the Spanish Ornithological Association, has formally asked the European Commission to revert or modify the ruling which forces farmers to dispose of livestock found dead in the field, to the detriment of carrion-eating birds. SEO's new report shows the critical status of Griffon vultures, Black vultures, lammergeyer, Egyptian vultures, Red kites and Spanish Imperial eagles. SEO says Spain has an international responsibility for the preservation of these birds as over 50% of their European population lives in this country.
Date: September 11, 2007 Source: SEO/Birdlife
• Eight tons of jellyfish collected in one week - The coasts of Granada and Valencia seem to be the most affected by jellyfish invasions this summer. 6600 kg of jellyfish were collected during the last week of July off the coast of Granada by workers employed by the Ministry of Environment's "Operation Jellyfish". Another ton was collected in Valencia.
Date: August 06, 2007 Source: El País
• Fate of Blue Chaffinches unknown after Canaries fires - The forest fires which swept through the mountains of Gran Canaria last week have destroyed a large number of centuries-old Canary Island Pines and greatly diminished the habitat of one of the island's natural jewels, the Blue Chaffinch, (Fringilla teydea) of which there are only 70 pairs left. Scientists studying Blue Chaffinches in the Biosphere Reserve of Inagua, Ojeda y Pajonales were among the first to be evacuated when the fires started. It is uncertain how the chaffinches have fared, although some have already been heard in the area and watering holes are being opened up urgently. The forests of Gran Canaria are adapted to fires so it is hoped that natural regeneration of the vegetation will take place.
Date: August 06, 2007 Source: El País
• Voles advance on Castilla-León - A population explosion of Common voles (Microtus arvalis) is affecting crops and trying the patience of rural communities in arable land of Palencia, Valladolid, Ávila, Soria, Zamora and Salamanca. Scientists say these population cycles are normal and happen every 5 years or so, but current numbers have reached a record-breaking 700 million by some estimates. Spain's voles originally lived in the Cantabrian mountains, Pyrenees and mountains of the centre of the peninsula, but quickly adapted to life in the plains with the advent of European subsidies for watered crops in the late seventies.
Date: August 06, 2007 Source: El Pais
• Bears and wolves hit by EU carrion ban - Spain's bears and wolves are going hungry due to the EU ban on abandoning dead livestock in the countryside. The ban, intended to help prevent mad-cow disease, is already known to affect Griffon vultures, hundreds of which have recently turned up in Germany in a desperate search for food. But now the effects could be spreading to more endangered carrion-eaters such as bears and wolves. Up to 10 bear cubs have starved to death in Asturias, according to a report by FAPAS: "210,300 kg of meat have been taken out of the food chain" said the organisation's director, Roberto Hartasanchez, who adds that the ban seems excessive for the mountainous bear-habitats of Asturias, areas without a single recorded case of BSE. The regional government of Asturias is supporting a request to the European Union for local exemptions. Date: July 26, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• La Palma opens giant eye on the sky - The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) is a 10.4 metres primary mirror reflecting telescope in Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma, Canary Islands. It is designed to incorporate the most up-to-date technology and, when it enters service this week, it will be one of the most advanced telescopes in the world. The construction of the telescope lasted 7 years and cost 130m euros. The Canary Islands are one of the "astronomy heavens" of our planet, together with places such as the Chilean Andes and the Hawaiian Islands. GranTeCan, a Spanish project with a small collaboration by institutes from Mexico and Florida, is the latest and greatest addition to a array of amazing instruments.
Date: July 12, 2007 Source: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (+ others)
• Golden cup corals found near city of Cádiz - Large colonies of golden cup corals (Astroides calycularis) have been discovered just offshore from the city of Cádiz. This vulnerable species is found only in the south-western Mediterranean, on shaded rocks down to 40 metres, but had never been recorded so far west. The new colonies form continuous orange-coloured belts, formations which are not uncommon in the Granada and Almería populations, but were thought not to exist on the Cádiz coastline. Date: July 02, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• Teide listed as UNESCO world heritage site - Teide National Park, on the island of Tenerife, has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site for "its beauty and its importance in providing evidence of the geological processes that underpin the evolution of oceanic islands". The park covers 18,990 ha and features the Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcano that, at 3,718 m, is the highest peak in Spain. Standing 7,500m above the ocean floor, it is regarded as the world's third tallest volcanic structure and is situated in a spectacular environment. The visual impact of the site is all the greater due to atmospheric conditions that create constantly changing textures and tones in the landscape and a ‘sea of clouds' that forms a visually impressive backdrop to the mountain.
Date: July 02, 2007 Source: UNESCO
• Construction continues to destroy coasts, says Greenpeace - The construction industry "robs Spain's coastlines of the equivalent of three football pitches every day", states a new Greenpeace report. The report says that within the last 12 months councils have projected the building of nearly 3 million homes in coastal areas, plus 202,250 hotel rooms, 316 golf courses and 112 marinas. Worst affected by building is Galicia, the Canary islands and the south and south-eastern coasts of the mainland. Most worrying, says Greenpeace, is the tendency towards a faster, not slower, building rate.
Date: July 02, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• Battle of the jellies - "Operación Medusa" (Operation Jellyfish) is the name of a nationwide plan set in motion by the Ministry of Environment this summer to tackle what is increasingly perceived as a serious threat on Spain's tourism trade. Jellyfish swarms, which have become unusually common on Spanish coasts in recent years, will be watched, studied and, if necessary, netted and dumped by specially appointed teams on the Mediterranean and southern coastal areas, said environment minister Narbona. The minister also pointed out that the absence of jellyfish was far from guaranteed and that much of the plan includes scientific research. The demise of predators such as tuna and global warming are the two main hypotheses for the current jellyfish boom.
Date: June 12, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• Environmental volunteer camps this summer - Week-long volunteer summer camps are being made available from mid-July to end of August in five Spanish nature reserves by SEO/Birdlife and the Eroski foundation. The camps will be held in the Ebro Delta (Tarragona), the Alto Tajo natural reserve (Guadalajara), Doñana national park (Huelva), Tablas de Daimiel national park (Ciudad Real) and Santoña natural park (Santander). Follow link for application details, in Spanish. Applicants should call 902.54.08.46 or email voluntarios@seo.org.
Date: June 12, 2007 Source: SEO/Birdlife
• Vulture feeding stations legal once more - Modern versions of the traditional "muladares" - literally, mule dumps -
will once more be made available for carrion-feeding birds, such as Griffon
vulture, Black vulture, lammergeyer, Imperial eagle, Golden eagle, Red kite,
Black kite and Egyptian vulture. Many of these artificial feeding stations
were closed down with the advent of mad cow disease (BSE). A new law
regulates the conditions of the feeding stations which must be fenced off,
placed over 500 metres away from human habitation, and contain only carcases
of cows, sheep or goats with have tested negative for BSE. The law is
welcome by environmentalists, and also by farmers who have increasingly
reported attacks on livestock by hungry vultures.
Date: June 12, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• Retuerta horses of Doñana could be Europe's oldest breed - Sixty horses which live free in the "retuertas" area of Doñana National Park (Huelva) are now thought to be the sole survivors of Europe's oldest horse breed. A 4-year genetic study conducted on 12 European breeds, including those of Central European and African origin, concludes that these horses, which live in an area bordered by marshes and sand dunes, "clearly form the base of the genetic tree for European horses" said Ciro Rico, spokesman for the research team.
Date: June 01, 2007 Source: El Mundo
• Breeding success for Madrid's urban Peregrines - A pair of Peregrine falcons which took up residence in an artificial nesting box above Madrid's America Museum (Moncloa area) has successfully produced three healthy chicks. The pair is one of only 4 living in the city. Peregrines are currently in decline in the Madrid region and in Spain in general (current population 2,500 pairs) due to agricultural chemicals which inhibit fertility and competition from other species such as Eagle owls.
Date: June 01, 2007 Source: ABC
• Spain's natural bounty - Spain has 80,000 different species of animals and plants, including 3,700 species of butterflies and moths, 360 species of birds (breeding + wintering) and over 100 mammals, including the planet's most endangered cat, the Iberian lynx. Of Europe's 12,000 species of higher plants 10,000 are found in Spain and 1,800 of those are found nowhere else (compared to, say, Great Britain with only 15 exclusive plants, 5 in Germany or none in Iceland or Finland). Date: June 01, 2007 Source: WWF/Adena
• 75% of Spain's Loggerhead turtles come from Florida - Thousands of Loggerhead turtles hatch on the Florida beaches in the USA and then migrate thousands of kilometres across the Atlantic to Spanish waters where they remain for 12 to 15 years until they are sexually mature, before returning to their breeding grounds. Adolfo Marco, author of a genetic study which confirms the origin of Spain's Loggerheads, is concerned that the population of female turtles is plummeting, down by half in the last five years. Since the Florida breeding grounds are well-protected the blame is presumed to lie with long-line fishing rigs in the Mediterranean which are estimated to accidentally kill over 20,000 turtles every year.
Date: May 04, 2007 Source: El Mundo
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