The marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris), the most endangered duck in Europe, continues to show a very delicate population status and a high risk of extinction. This is the main conclusion of the second meeting of the working group on the species, declared in a critical situation in Spain by the Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO) in 2018. At the meeting, held in Trebujena (Cádiz), representatives of public administrations, experts, researchers and conservation entities have agreed on new actions to monitor the specimens they breed in our country, as well as surveillance tasks in the wetlands they use. Among others, it has been decided to mark specimens with GPS transmitters to detect possible black spots of unnatural mortality.

In 2018, they bred between 68 and 71 pairs in 13 Spanish wetlands, especially in Doñana and Trebujena (Cádiz), El Hondo (Alicante) and S’Albufera de Mallorca. The trend shown in recent years is one of slight increase, although always within the framework of a very worrying population situation and with a high risk
of extinction. In 2017, they bred 60 pairs.

At its last meeting, the working group has highlighted the importance of knowing the patterns of movement and causes of mortality of marbled teal, given that to date there is no precise data on the fate of the specimens that are born annually in Spanish wetlands. Therefore, it is
will mark individuals with GPS transmitters in the two most important areas (Alicante wetlands and the Doñana area) throughout 2019, which will contribute to detecting possible black spots of unnatural mortality.

The participants in the working group, which is coordinated by MITECO, have also considered it necessary to deepen coordination at the state level in the captive breeding of the species to optimize the resources and performance of the centers in which it already breeds. Currently, the El Saler centre managed by the
The Generalitat Valenciana and the Cañada de los Pájaros in Seville have an important contingent of marbled teals that breed in captivity and that are a valuable reservoir to undertake population reinforcement tasks in different wetlands with appropriate characteristics for this bird. These actions will be enhanced thanks to the incorporation of new possible areas for the release of specimens in Castilla-La Mancha, which complement the work already carried out in Andalusia, the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands.

Habitat restoration in wetlands is also essential, especially in those enclaves where the species breeds. Thus, for example, an important battery of adaptation measures is being developed to favour the marbled teal both in the marshes of Trebujena (Cádiz) and in wetlands in the south of Alicante in the surroundings of the El Hondo Natural Park.

To develop all these measures, the environmental administrations of the autonomous communities in the species’ distribution area are allocating significant resources, with the support of MITECO and sectoral associations, which are expected to be reinforced by the European Commission through the LIFE+ programme. The role of research centres is equally important in assessing the effectiveness of the measures implemented and in understanding the most important aspects of marbled teal ecology.