- The population of this critically endangered species has increased almost fourfold to 172 breeding females with chicks since the start of the project in 2021
- Its achievements also include the release into the wild of more than 3,700 specimens bred in captivity and the signing of 15 land stewardship agreements
- The project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation, has developed 22 research, conservation, governance and awareness-raising actions in Andalusia, the Valencian Community and the Region of Murcia
After five years of coordinated actions between administrations, conservation organisations and the scientific community, the LIFE Marbled Teal project concludes with, among other results, the restoration of more than 3,600 hectares of wetlands and the reinforcement of the population of the species, classified as critically endangered, to reach 172 breeding females with 1,427 chicks in the wild. the highest figure in two decades.
In addition, new breeding areas have been identified: nine in Andalusia and four in the Valencian Community. The case of the Region of Murcia is particularly noteworthy, where the species has reproduced, for the first time in 15 years, in two of its wetlands.
The results of this project coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) were presented this Tuesday at the Ciutat d’Elx Congress Centre (Alicante). The event was attended by the general director of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification of MITECO, María Jesús Rodríguez de Sancho, who stressed that “the collective effort has served to obtain excellent results for the recovery of this endangered species”.
Subsequently, representatives of the regional governments of the Valencian Community, Andalusia and the Region of Murcia, the Segura Hydrographic Confederation and the partner NGOs of LIFE Marbled Teal, SEO/BirdLife and ANSE discussed the importance of wetland restoration and the achievements made in the recovery of the species.
Next, the attendees moved to the El Hondo Natural Park (Elche) to visit the El Espigar and La Raja farms, acquired within the framework of the project, and where actions have been carried out to improve the habitat of the marbled teal.
RESTORATION OF KEY
WETLANDSOn both farms, which have a total area of 141 hectares, water management has been improved, old irrigation infrastructures have been naturalized and new nesting habitats have been created for the species. In addition, they have been adapted for public use with informative signage and the installation of three towers and an observatory.
The recovery of 24 hectares in the Brazo del Este Natural Park (Seville) and the restoration of two meanders of this old Guadalquivir riverbed have also been key, which have generated a total of 50 hectares located in essential refuge areas for the species in the years with unfavourable water situation in the Doñana National Park.
In the Region of Murcia, the action in the Laguna and Rambla de las Moreras has allowed revegetation, the control of the reed bed and the supply of water to guarantee the right conditions during the breeding season.
The project has also promoted innovations in habitat management, such as a virtual fencing system in the Eastern Arm. By means of GPS collars on marsh cattle, it has been possible to control their access to specific areas to manage the reedbed, open flooded areas and improve the habitat available for the marbled teal.
Within the framework of the project, a guide of good practices for the management of the habitat of the marbled teal has been developed, which will serve as a basis for future management actions in wetlands that maintain and attract the species.
IMPROVEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND POPULATION
REINFORCEMENTThe project has significantly expanded scientific knowledge about the species, with a genetic study carried out by the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC) that has served to guide the ex situ conservation program aimed at population reinforcement through captive breeding. Following the lines of the program, 3,769 specimens have been released in Spain and in strategic enclaves in Italy and Portugal. This result represents a threefold increase in the initial target.
Captive breeding has been carried out in the reference centers La Granja de El Saler and Santa Fez, managed by the Generalitat Valenciana; the Cañada de los Pájaros Concerted Nature Reserve, located in Seville, and the Jerez-Alberto Durán Zoobotanical Biodiversity Conservation Centre in Jerez de la Frontera.
The releases have been supported by the construction of acclimatization cages and the installation of nest boxes in key wetlands, which has favored both survival and reproductive settlement.
In addition, a program of marking individuals using GPS/GSM transmitters has been carried out and the data obtained have been analyzed by the Miguel Hernández University of Elche. The monitoring of 164 specimens tagged during the project has revealed patterns of movement between Spain and North Africa, differences in survival between wild and captive-born individuals, as well as the identification of more than 60 wetlands used by the species. In parallel, five coordinated annual censuses have been carried out in Spain and monitoring campaigns in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, which have provided key information to understand the dynamics of the Ibero-Maghreb population.
Thanks to institutional and technical coordination, the Strategy for the conservation of the marbled teal, Moorish coot, white-headed duck and brown duck has been updated in 2024, and the preparation of the next Recovery Plan for the species in the Region of Murcia has been supported.
THREAT REDUCTION
The project has implemented measures aimed at preventing accidental hunting, combating poaching and reinforcing surveillance in the most sensitive periods. Among them is the constitution of a Technical Table for the Fight against Poaching in the Lower Guadalquivir, made up of administrations, the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office, police forces and the Andalusian Hunting Federation.
Likewise, agreements have been formalized with hunting entities that have adopted voluntary measures to reduce the risk of confusion of the species in hunting areas. And with respect to other threats, protocols have been developed for the control and prevention of outbreaks of botulism and cyanobacteria and thus avoid mass mortalities.
SOCIAL DIMENSION
Land stewardship has been another of the pillars of the project, both to amplify the scope of the actions, and to promote the voluntary involvement of all sectors, especially those that develop economic activities linked to the conservation of wetlands, such as livestock and rice farmers. In total, 15 agreements have been signed that also incorporate third sector entities and public administrations of the three autonomous communities.
In the field of education, 145 activities have been carried out in 48 centres and 34 municipalities, as well as 15 training sessions aimed at teachers and environmental educators. There have also been 56 volunteer days, eleven sectoral seminars and a Manual of good practices for ornithological tourism in wetlands has been drawn up.
THE LIFE MARBLED
TEALThe LIFE Marbled Teal project has been coordinated by the MITECO Biodiversity Foundation. The ministry itself, through the Segura Hydrographic Confederation and Tragsatec; the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment and the Environment and Water Agency M.P.; the Generalitat Valenciana, through the Ministry of the Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery; the Region of Murcia, through the Ministry of the Environment, Universities, Research and Mar Menor, as well as the organizations Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/BirdLife) and the Association of Naturalists of the Southeast (ANSE).
The project, with a budget of 6.37 million co-financed by the LIFE Programme of the European Union and the Directorate-General for Water of MITECO, has developed coordinated research, conservation, governance and awareness-raising actions in 7 of the 13 critical areas for the species, where most of its population is found in Spain.
