Line of action:

Terrestrial ecosystems

Status:

En ejecución

Execution date:

January 2024

End date:

December 2026

Total budget:

213.000 €

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

€170,400 (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

of the Catalan Pyrenees.

It has these specific goals:

• Restoration of the species composition, ecological function and structure of amphibian metapopulations in high mountain lakes in two Natura 2000 sites in the Catalan Pyrenees, with the re-establishment of new populations thanks to fish eradication.

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

• Improvement of the conservation status of terrestrial and semi-aquatic insectivores through the eradication of invasive fish in high mountain lakes.

• Improvement of know-how and optimization of fish eradication by mechanical methods and development of alternative 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, etc.

• 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 of the Pyrenees and surrounding streams by non-chemical (mechanical) methods.

• Monitoring of the ecological status of high mountain lakes and tributary streams of the Pyrenees and the recovery of target species.

• Monitoring the effects of the eradication of fish introduced into high mountain lakes on Galemys pyrenaicus and other semi-aquatic mammals.

• Monitoring of rotaenone degradation time in high mountain lakes in the Pyrenees.

• Transfer, replicability and dissemination of the actions carried out.