Line of action:

Terrestrial ecosystems

Status:

En ejecución

Execution date:

January 2024

End date:

December 2026

Total budget:

€62,502.50

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

50.002 € (80%)

The project aims to recover high mountain aquatic ecosystems by improving the conservation of habitats (HIC 3110) and various target species (Rana temporaria, Calotriton asper, Alytes Obstetricans, Rhinolophus hipposideros, Plecotus macrobullaris, Barbastella barbastellus, Myotis blythii, Myotis bachsteinii, Nyctalyus lasiopterus, Myotis myotis and Galemys pyrenaicus) in two Natura 2000 sites in the Catalan Pyrenees.

Its specific objectives include:

• Restoration of the species composition, ecological function and structure of amphibian metapopulations (Rana temporaria, Calotriton asper, Alytes Obstetricans) in high mountain lakes in two Natura 2000 sites in the Pyrenees, with the restoration of new populations through fish eradication.

• Improvement of the trophic status of high mountain lakes by the eradication of the piccardo.

• Improvement of know-how and optimization of fish eradication by mechanical methods and development of alternative but safe methods of eradication by chemical methods.

• Awareness of the problem of the introduction of fish into lakes among the general public, educational community, local and national authorities, fishermen and fishermen’s associations, protected areas and fisheries management bodies.

• Scaling up of the project’s conservation strategy by promoting the transfer of the knowledge generated to other European high mountain regions and conservation authorities.

• Eradication of minnowfish in high mountain lakes through an experimental action with chemical methods.

• Eradication of fish introduced into high mountain lakes in the Pyrenees and surrounding streams by non-chemical methods.

• Transfer, replicability and dissemination of the actions developed, with the publication of technical guides, presentations and publications.