The Secretary of State for the Environment, Federico Ramos, accompanied by the President of the Government of Extremadura, José Antonio Monago, the Mayor of Plasencia, Fernando Pizarro, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, Environment and Energy of the Government of Extremadura, José Antonio Echávarri, and the Director General of the Natural Environment of the Junta de Castilla y León, José Ángel Arranz, presented today in Plasencia the National Strategy for the Conservation of the Iberian Desman and the LIFE+ Desmania Project.

Ramos stressed “the importance of developing this type of project in which experts in the species have participated, both in the scientific field and in the management of the natural environment. That is why we consider it to be an appropriate instrument and whose application we will strongly support to guarantee the conservation of a species that, until now, had received little attention”.

With the coordination of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA), a strategy has been developed that sets the guidelines to guarantee the future conservation of desman.

The Strategy was favourably reported by the State Commission for Natural Heritage and Biodiversity on 24 July 2013 and will soon be approved at the Sectoral Conference. In it, a complete diagnosis of the distribution of the species and its conservation problems is made, while the guidelines and the most appropriate measures to correct its current regressive trend are indicated.

CONSERVING EMBLEMATIC SPECIES

With this initiative, the MAGRAMA is not only committed to the conservation of emblematic species of the Iberian Peninsula, but is also directing its efforts towards the conservation of other lesser-known species, such as the Iberian desman, but also very important from a biological and ecological point of view.

He also presented the “LIFE+ Desmania” project, which aims to recover the populations of Iberian desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) in Extremadura and Castilla y León. The project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation and which obtained 1.3 million euros from the European LIFE+ programme, has among its objectives to recover this species in the Central System.

The Iberian desman is a small mammal that inhabits the mountain massifs of the Iberian Peninsula (Central System, Northern Iberian System, Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains and Montes de León), and whose distribution area and populations have decreased significantly in recent years due to several factors, such as water pollution, decreased river flow, alterations in the riverbeds or the loss of riverside vegetation.

It is estimated that the population has been reduced by more than 30% in recent years, caused by loss in habitat quality. In addition, habitat loss is suspected affecting 17% of the rest of its Spanish range. Conservation actions include improving the habitat of Galemys pyrenaicus in riverbeds and banks, reducing and controlling non-native species and non-natural hazards, and raising awareness and engaging society.

The project, 50% co-financed by the European Commission within the framework of the LIFE+ programme, is being carried out between 2012 and 2016 in Natura 2000 Network areas in the provinces of Ávila, León, Palencia, Zamora, Salamanca and Cáceres.

It is coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation and has as partners the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Junta de Castilla y León, the Junta de Extremadura, CESEFOR, the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León, SOMACYL and Tragsatec.

The City Council of Valencia de Don Juan and the Association of Municipalities of the South of León participate as co-financiers and has the support of the Hydrographic Confederations of Miño-Sil, Tagus and Duero, research centers and fishermen’s associations.