Iberianature

Eco-tourism and bears in Somiedo

Following a rather sensational article in El Pais, an interesting polemical discussion is currently going on in the Spanish press. The original article centres on the dangers of bears becoming accustomed to human presence and approaching villages and their food sources, such as beehives, with the ensuing possibility of attacks on humans that this could incur. It refrains from mentioning that, in the north of Spain, bears and humans have lived side by side for hundreds of years resulting in no, or very little, danger on the part of the humans. In fact there exists a certain admiration and respect among the people of the Cantabrian mountains for their Ursine neighbours. The article also omits the very important factor of the lack of carrion around (an important part of the bear’s diet) due to the BSE laws enforcing the removal of carcasses from the countryside. Another concern raised is that foreign tour companies, in particular the British wildlife tour company Naturetrek, are endangering the future of the bears by disturbing them in their natural habitat.

Naturetrek deny they cause the bears any disturbance, a spokesman stating that their tours look for bears at a distance using public footpaths, though they don’t guarantee sightings. The Asturian tourist board and ecologist groups are of the opinion that this kind of tourism is endangering the growth and survival of the precarious Cantabrian brown bear population. However, bear specialist organisations and the mayor of Somiedo all envisage a future of guided and regulated wildlife-watching tours contributing to the local economy without disturbing the bears. A delicate balance.

lne.es

Posted in Asturias, Cantabrian mountains, Rural tourism, bears | Tags: eco-tourism, Naturetrek, Somiedo |

Spanish imperial eagle webcam

Here’s another great live webcam, this time on a Spanish imperial eagle’s nest in Cabañeros National Park (Ciudad Real). At the moment of posting this the chick is less one month old. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of the conservation of the Spanish imperial eagle.

Spain currently has 234 pairs of imperial eagles, 34 more than in 2006, of which 73 are found in Castilla-La Mancha. The bird’s principal threats are poison and power lines; between 1990 and 2007 at least 95 birds were poisoned and a further 130 were electrocuted. The lack of rabbits is also a problem. More information from aguilaimperial.org

See also Bonelli’s eagle webcam in El Garraf

Posted in Castilla_La Mancha, Spanish imperial eagle, birds, webcams | Tags: Cabañeros National Park, Ciudad Real |

Be a shepherd for a day

It is increasingly difficult for shepherds to make a living these days, and without them the landscape and biodiversity they help to produce would be seriously affected. Ways must be found to increase the earnings of shepherds and to compensate them for the work they do. In Catalonia for instance there is a pilot scheme which pays shepherds to graze forests thus cutting down the undergrowth and reducing the risk of fire. They are also employed to detect and warn about fires.

Another way forward is the great initiative by a group of Aragonese shepherds in the Medinaceli and Calatayud area. Ser Pastor por un Día, offers you the chance to go out for a morning or afternoon with a shepherd and a biologist and learn about the different skills involved in shepherding, mastiff dogs, local sheep breeds, shearing, lambing and the landscape they help to create. Knowledge of some Spanish is probably a must. Tel: 659 834 121 or visit Ser Pastor por un Día. I intend to sign up one of these days.

Posted in Aragon, Farming, Livestock, Rural Spain, Rural tourism | Tags: sheep, shepherd tourism, shepherds |

Bonelli’s eagle webcam 2

Update 02/05. The webcam has been up and working again for the last few weeks, and the new chick is growing fast. Click here to see webcam

It was decided to bring a chick from a nest outside the park. The new chick comes from a nest of two and its parents only managed to rear one of their two chicks last year.  The pair on the webcam have been unable to rear any chicks successfully for seven years, and the two other pairs of Bonelli eagles in the park won’t be breeding this year as the two males have disappeared (one while its mate was incubating. Lucy

STOP PRESS 01/04: Sad news for everybody who has been following the Bonelli eagle webcam. The chick appears to have died. Follow up the discussion on this on the forum where Clive notes it might be early enough for them to make another attempt.

The live webcam of the pair of Bonell’s eagles (Hieraaetus fasciatus ) is up again. The nest is in El Parc del Garraf, near Barcelona. This is the best wildlife webcam in Spain that I know of. Yesterday I saw the chick, white, cute and fluffy, squeaking incessantly for food as it’s mother tore a rabbit apart, and gently fed it. There’s a limited number of visitors at a time so if it doesn’t work try again later.

• More details on the project here
• More on Bonelli’s eagle in Spain
• Information on the El Parc del Garraf here on Iberianature
• Follow up the discussion on the pair on the forum

Posted in Catalonia, birds, webcams | Tags: Bonelli’s eagle, Garraf, Hieraaetus fasciatus |

Peregrines of the Sagrada Familia

Eduard Durany, of the Barcelona Peregrine Falcon Reintroduction Project, a scheme close to my heart, has sent me this photo of chicks in Guadi’s Sagrada Famila. Eduard notes that this year four chicks have hatched in the nestbox, a record for the site. In 2005, 2 chicks were hatched, in 2006, there were another 2, and in 2007 just 1 females. The father was released in Barcelona port in 2001 and the female was born on the Montjuïc cliffs in 2006. Photos here another BCN pair. + More info on Barna’s peregrines.

Posted in Barcelona, Catalonia, birds, urban wildlife in Spain | Tags: peregrine falcon, Sagrada Famila |

Plesiosaur fossils on the coast of Asturias

Aragonese dinosaur hominid and maño by adoption and inclination, Rupert Glasgow has kindly sent me the latest update on Spanish dinosaurs from aragosaurus, this time news of Plesiosaur fossils on the coast of Asturias. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Asturias, Paleontology in Spain | Tags: Cretaceous, dinosaur coast, Dinosaurs, Jurassic Museum of Asturias, Plesiosaur |

Fire threatens Garajonay National Park on Gomera

29/04/2008 Latest news: fire appears to be moving away and is under control.

A fire is threatening the laurel forest of Garajonay National Park on Gomera, one of the last remaining Tertiary habitats to survive in Europe. The humid subtropical forest of Laurisilva covered almost all of Europe during the Tertiary, but disappeared due to climate changes . More soon. El Pais

Posted in Canaries, Fire | Tags: Garajonay National Park, Laurisilva, Tertiary |

Sounds of Spanish animals

Valsaín forest near Segovia (El Mundo)

A short run-around of Spanish animals sounds I’ve found on the web. Some remarkable grunting and snorting of Paca and Tola when they were bear cubs here. Emotive Iberian wolf howls from this Basque wolf site. The gruff barking of a roe deer and a wild boar sounding just like a wild boar somewhere in Extremadura from here. And here this rather nice natural history soundscape with commentary from the Valsaín forest near Segovia. And lastly but not leastly, the mating call of a female Iberian lynx Here from the BBC (real audio).

Posted in Sounds | Tags: bear sounds, Paca and Tola, Valsaín forest, wolf sounds |

Latest lynx brief

Dan Ward has just sent me the latest and as usual excellent Lynx Brief (pdf). This issue looks at:

• The serious situation for the lynx in Doñana whose population seems to be going from bad to worse. He calls for an action plan to combat:

- High traffic speeds and volumes
- Habitat loss to intensive agriculture
- Apparent mismanagement of protected areas
- The population’s small size and low diversity
- Conflicting attitudes amongst local people

This is all undoubtedly true but I personally feel the greatest threat to the lynx in Doñana is the extremely low rabbit population across the park which is forcing young lynx to disperse into conflictive areas. Despite being increasingly hemmed in by infrastructure, Doñana is still big and wild enough to support a far larger and almost sustainable lynx population than now, as indeed it did until myxamatosis arrived.

• The Iberian Lynx captive breeding programme is advancing well, both in terms of more captive breeding success, and in terms of actions and plans made for: further captive breeding centres, and; the planned reintroduction of captively bred animals in the future.
• Lynx presence in Cuidad Real, Castilla-La Mancha with a population of 15 individuals, including 3 reproductive females, 2 adult males, 4 sub-adults and 6 cubs

Cuidad Real province borders the area of northern Andalucía with current lynx presence (Andújar – Cardeña). This, combined with the fact that extensive surveys conducted over previous years failed to confirm lynx presence, suggests that the lynx in Castilla-La Mancha are individuals dispersed from northern Andalucía rather than a separate remnant population. Unofficial suggestions have been made that the photographed lynx come from a specific private hunting estate bordering Andalucía in southern Cuidad Real province, which, if true, would confirm the hypothesis that these animals dispersed from Andalucía. Unfortunately, however, the regional government has
refused to confirm the precise location of these lynx. The Castilla-La Mancha government has justified withholding this information so as to protect the lynxes’ habitat. However, the reverse would seem to be true. The precise location of lynxes in Andalucía has been widely publicised for several years without apparent detrimental impact upon their habitat. Moreover, it would seem that accurate and openly-available information about lynx presence has been key to allowing effective lynx conservation in Andalucía through co-ordination, lobbying, conservation projects, research and outreach.

Also check out Dan’s recommendation for the new soslynx.org website with some beautiful photos and videos.

Posted in Andalucia, Castilla_La Mancha, Doñana, Iberian lynx | Tags: conservation in Doñana, Cuidad Real, Dan Ward, Lynx Brief, lynx in Ciudad Real |

Pyrenean bear news

The last photo of Canelle?

The French hunter who in 2004 shot Canelle, considered the last autochthonous Pyrenean female bear has been absolved by a court, which believed the hunter’s version that he did so in self-defence after the bear attacked him. The death of Canelle caused outrage in France and led directly to the current reintroduction project of Slovenian bears. El Pais

Also in the Pyrenees, Guillermo Palomero, president of the Fundación Oso Pardo, notes that the Pyrenees still has enough habitat for a bear population to develop and stresses the role bears could play in increasing the need to combat the animal’s poor image here in contrast to the Cantabrian Mountains. (Aragon Digital). Some 15-20 animals survive on both sides of the border.

Posted in Pyrenees, bears | Tags: Canelle, Fundación Oso Pardo, Guillermo Palomero, Slovenian bears |

RUNA

Over the next two days (18-19th April) I’ve been invited to attend what promises to be one of the most interesting meetings in recent Spanish conservation history. The seminar is entitled “Conservation of Biodiversity and Rural Development” and is organised by the RUNA project under auspices of the Fundación Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente. Some 40 representatives from an array of Spain’s leading conservation and rural groups will be attendance along with experts in e-portals and information technology. The aim is to help to define the RUNA (rural - natural) project, which seeks to find ways of combining rural life with the natural world, and hand back the custody of the latter to the people who live in isolated rural areas, and who, by accident or design, over the centuries managed to foster such a rich biodiversity. This is to be a partnership between those who live and work in the rural world (farmers, hunters, foresters, etc) and those who work in natural history (biologists, wardens and environmentalists), turning biodiversity into an economic asset which can foster sustainable development and bring young people back. Benigno Varillas, founder of Quercus, and the person in charge of the project notes, ”The rural as we know it is coming to an end. It needs reconversion… Nature conservation stands at a crossroads… As the rural population grows older and EU money dries up, the rural world must change.

The Internet platform will be formed by several distinct areas. These include (there are more):

1. Public and private forums and blogs. Some of the forums will be closed to the public as they will deal with sensitive information discussed by experts.
2. The division of Spanish territory into areas each with a threatened species which will function as a flagship species around which to concentrate efforts (conservation, IT, education, business). The first of these flagship species is to be the brown bear.
3. A digital book covering all issues affecting Spanish nature.
4. A single-topic magazine sold in kiosks covering all aspects of each of the flagship species.

Some questions:

1. The project is very ambitious. How to organise so much information and so many people with so many different ends.
2. How to make these admirable digital contents useful for the real projects in villages and the countryside. That is, how to transform information into a real economic asset for the inhabitants of the rural areas, especially those least visited, and to turn their protection into an economic asset, and provide a real alternative to the attraction of mass development (skiing, golf, residential estates for the rich. industrial agriculture) in some areas and to the rapidly dying communities in many, many more. I repeat. We must offer real alternatives. The project must in the end be useful for the inhabitants of these areas and not just for the usual suspects (like me).
3. How to get everybody to work together. As Roberto Hartasánchez notes in this month’s Quercus, it is not only farmers, hunters and who are in conflict, but often pointless infighting between conservation groups themselves. As a Spanish friend recently commentated, the Reinos de Taifa come to mind.

A few ideas off the top of my head:

1.  Rural tourism was seen several years ago as the panacea to all ills but in its present model of just offering accommodation it has reached a saturation point in many areas, with properties being full for a few key dates of the year while the rest of the year owners are faced with very low occupancy levels. Rural tourism must be promoted - as it often is - with additional activities or as part of a route if it is offer more. I’m stating the obvious I know.
2. Conversion of activities - as an example I heard yesterday in Grazalema- with the end of EU grants a goat farmer is going to convert to horse riding activities. But the land will no longer be grazed which will affect the landscape and for example the orchid biodiversity.
3. Setting up/strengthening national commercialisation channels for agro products to bring the produce to the cities. Although the production costs will remain the same, distribution costs could be reduced. Perhaps a national brand “Producción de Biodiversidad” Agreements with large supermarket chains in return for improving their corporate image. Health food shops are not enough to bring about a revolution.
4. Broadband

More on this soon.

Posted in Iberianature news, RUNA | |

Lynx cub news

The Iberian lynx breeding programme is expecting five more female lynxes to give birth this week in El Acebuche, Doñana and two at the new La Olivilla centre in Santa Elena, Jaén. The mother’s names are Esperanza, Aura and Aliaga (El Acebuche) and Castañuela and Barraca - (La Olivilla). Last weekend Adelfa and Boj also gave birth to litters in El Acebuche. Terra

Video here of Boj and her cubs

On the negative side three lynx cubs have been found dead in the Coto del Rey, apparently from malnutricion. The litter of four were micro-chipped at the end of March when, according to WWF/Adena, two of them should have been taken from their mother due to the unlikelyhood of them all surviving naturally. According to their sources, the cubs weren’t in the best of health then. Follow this on the forum

Photos from Programa de Conservación Ex-Situ del Lince ibérico

Posted in Andalucia, Doñana, Iberian lynx | Tags: El Acebuche, Jaen, La Olivilla, malnutricion |

San Glorio ski resort project rejected by law courts

But great news for the Cantabrian mountains and their wildlife;

The Castilla and León law courts have vetoed the project put forward by Tres Provincias S.A. for a ski resort in the San Glorio region of the Cantabrian mountains in the north of Spain, citing climate change as the main reason for its very doubtful economic viability. This makes it the first plan to have been denied on the grounds of climate change. The judgement points out that when, in 2006, the regional government of Castilla and León modified the laws protecting the Natural Park of Fuentes Carrionas and Fuente Cobre-Montaña Palentina (land included in much of the project) to enable the building of a ski resort, no scientific study was included to take into account the effects of climate change.

The threats to the environment and the future of the Cantabrian brown bear made by the project have led to huge opposition from conservationists, who have provided many environmental impact reports. The court also recognises that this project would be incompatible with the survival of many species of flora and fauna of the area, including the bears whose Eastern population would be severely affected.

News from El País

Read all about the subject on Iberianature forum

Posted in Cantabrian mountains, Castilla y León, Conservation, Iberianature news, bears, climate change | Tags: Cantabrian brown bear, Fuentes Carrionas, rejected, San Glorio, ski resort |

Stork village

I loved this photo in El País today Urbanización para cigüeñas. I think it’s somewhere in Extremadura. Someone correct me on this if I’m wrong.

• Live stork webcam in Avila (updates every 30 seconds)
  

Posted in Extremadura, birds | Tags: storks |

Innovative breeding techniques for Lammergeier

Using a technique for the first time with this species, the Foundation for the Reintroduction of the Lammergeier hope to release a bird bred completely isolated from human contact. They’ve built a 6×6m platform at 1,500m in Ordesa which includes a heated nest with a “puppet” adult bird to feed the chick and, next to it, a cage which the chick will be moved into after 80 days to continue the natural imprinting process as in this area of the Pyrenees there is the largest population of the species in Europe. A feeding station next to the cage will provide opportunity for the chick (born in Feb.) to observe and learn natural adult behaviour. After 120 days the young bird will fly for the first time.
They say that this tecnique will be used in the “near future” for the release of three birds in the Picos de Europa, from which I guess will be next year, the only difference being that the birds will be relocated from the Pyrenees two weeks before their first flights in the Picos.

The conservation group are already using another technique of strategically placing caged adult birds in areas in which they hope to encourage the Lammergeier to return.

For more info go to the discussion on Iberianature forum

Posted by Lisa

Posted in Aragonese Pyrenees, Conservation, Picos de Europa, Pyrenees, Vultures in Spain, birds, lammergeyer | Tags: bearded vulture, breeding techniques, Conservation, lammergeier |

Jerez zoo lynx pregnant

Tests have confirmed that Azahar, an Iberian Lynx from Jerez de la Frontera Zoo is pregnant and will hopefully give birth in mid-April. This would be the zoo’s first lynx litter. Azahar was brought to the zoo after being captured in the Sierra de Andújar as she had an injury which made her survival in the wild unlikely. There is a chance that the birth will coincide with the iberianature forum trip to the zoo’s facilities on April 13th. Terra

• Photo from Iberian lynx breeding Plan at Jerez Zoo
• January 2008: Boletín 47: Emparejamiento y apareamientos 2008

Posted in Andalucia, Iberian lynx | Tags: Jerez de la Frontera Zoo, Sierra de Andújar |

Lynx cub news

This week has seen the first lynx cubs this year born in captivity.

1. Brisa, a first-time mother gave birth, prematurely, to two cubs, one of which was still born. Lisa on the forum notes “If www.publico.es is not exaggerating Brisa spent a long time trying to bring it round but had to give up and ate it. Eight hours later, the second cub was born having shot out a metre after the last contraction  She rejected this cub (well, not an ideal first experience was it?) and the cub is being reared by experts in charge of the breeding programme. It’s still in a critical condition.”
2. The second news is somewhat better. Brisa’s mother, Saliega, gave birth to her 4th litter on Saturday. Three cubs were born. One of the three has since died but far the other two are fine.

• Photo above is a photo of Saliega in 2005 with her then-cub Brisa. More lovely photos here
• Follow this topic on the forum

Posted in Andalucia, Iberian lynx, Mammals | Tags: Brisa, Saliega |

New species of reptile identified on La Gomera - Chalcides coeruleopunctatus

Our understanding of the reptile world is in a constant state of flux as advances in DNA techniques continue. The latest is the promotion of a species of skink on La Gomera to full species. The joint study by researchers from France, UK and Spain is published in the latest issue of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. They have baptised the new reptile Chalcides coeruleopunctatus, Lisa de Salvador in Spanish (Salvador’s or the Gomeran Skink in English), in honour of Alfredo Salvador, researcher at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid, who described it for the first time in 1975 El Mundo.

Posted in Canaries, new species in Spain, reptiles & amphibians | Tags: Canaries skink, Chalcides coeruleopunctatus, La Gomera |

Abandoned villages in Spain

I’ve just come across Pueblos abandonados, an interesting blog detailing abandoned villages in Spain with hundreds of photos and lots of detailed information. The photo above is from La Vereda, an abandoned village in Guadalajara, with classic examples of the black architecture (arquitectura negra) style.

Posted in Castilla y León, Human geography of Spain, Rural Spain | Tags: abandoned village, arquitectura negra, black architecture, Guadalajara |

natura ibérica: iberianature en español

In a spurt of madness, I’ve decided to publish a slimmed-down version of iberianature in Spanish. We shall see how this goes…

natura ibérica

And also a rural tourism section in Spanish should you be interested

Posted in Iberianature news | |