The lagoons of Las Moreras, located in the municipality of Mazarrón (Murcia), are home to 20 specimens of marbled teal, bred in captivity. This wetland is one of the areas of action of the LIFE Marbled Teal project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation (MITECO), in the Region of Murcia, and a wetland of international importance included in the Ramsar list. The release has been possible thanks to the actions carried out in this wetland with the aim of improving the habitat for the species, carried out by the previous Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Environment and Emergencies of the Government of the Region of Murcia, a partner in the project. Specifically, 95 tonnes of rubble have been removed, 550 m2 have been revegetated with native plants and the old fence has been fixed in a length of 150 metres in order to regulate access to the lagoons, all in the north-east area of the old gravel pit. The actions also include the conditioning of a stretch of shore by clearing 1,500 m2 of the reed bed to promote the heterogeneity of habitats for the marbled teal. The Association of Naturalists of the Southeast (ANSE), a partner in the project, has built a pre-release cage, where the specimens will remain for a week for acclimatization before being released definitively. These teals have been loaned by the Generalitat Valenciana, a partner in the project, as they have been bred in captivity at the La Granja Wildlife Recovery Centre in El Saler (Valencia). This wetland will also be the scene of some of the volunteering and environmental education activities carried out in the project with the aim of involving socioeconomic sectors, the general public and students in the area. NATURAL VALUES
The lagoons of Las Moreras are formed by an old gravel pit and a surface created by the union of the ponds of the old treatment plant of Mazarrón within the framework of another LIFE project for the recovery of the white-headed duck. It also has a space that includes the final area of the Rambla de las Moreras, until its mouth in the Mediterranean Sea. These wetlands were declared a Wetland of International Importance, included in the Ramsar List, in 2011. They have also been part of the Natura 2000 Network since 2014, as a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA). The marbled teal is a species that became extinct as a breeding stock in the Region of Murcia in the twentieth century and is thus included in the Catalogue of Endangered Species of Wildlife of the Region of Murcia. However, there are two relatively recent breeding sites in these lagoons. In addition to the marbled teal, other threatened species, such as the white-headed duck or the brown duck, find food and refuge in this wetland. However, the environmental conditions of the Las Moreras lagoons have been changing in recent years due to the proliferation of the reedbed, to which is added the presence of debris. For this reason, it was considered essential to promote heterogeneity in vegetation and promote habitat diversity, promoting refuge, resting, nesting and feeding areas for the marbled teal and many other species.

RELEASE ON THE EL ESPIGAR
FARMLikewise, this week there has been the release of another 20 specimens of marbled teal, also bred in freedom, on the El Espigar farm, located in the El Hondo Natural Park. This is the second release of specimens that takes place on this farm, acquired within the framework of the project by the ANSE and SEO/BirdLife organizations. Thanks to the actions for the management of vegetation, the adaptation of gates and the dredging of channels, which guarantee adequate flooding throughout the year, it has been possible to achieve the right conditions for the release of these specimens and ensure the maintenance of water throughout the breeding season. THE LIFE MARBLED
TEAL PROJECTThe LIFE Marbled Teal aims to improve the conservation status of 3,000 hectares of wetlands to reverse the risk of extinction of the most endangered duck in Europe, in a critical situation in Spain.

For this reason, it has undertaken a series of actions to strengthen the status of its populations in the natural environment, improve the state of wetlands and scientific knowledge of the species.

The project, which is coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, involves the ministry itself, through the Segura Hydrographic Confederation and Tragsatec; the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Ministry of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy and the Environment and Water Agency; the Generalitat Valenciana; the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, through the Ministry of the Environment, Mar Menor, Universities and Research, as well as the organizations Spanish Ornithological Society/BirdLife International and Association of Naturalists of the Southeast. It is supported by the LIFE Program of the European Union and the Directorate General for Water.