May 13 is World Migratory Bird Day, which has been celebrated every year since its proclamation by the UN in 2006, on the second Saturday of May and also on the second Saturday of October. In this way, reference is made to the different migratory cycles of birds with the change of seasons. This date, the result of the union of two international treaties such as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), aims to raise awareness about migratory birds and the need for cooperation on a global scale to conserve these species and their habitats.

This year, under the slogan “Water: Vital for birds”, the aim is to highlight the importance of water for the subsistence of migratory birds (which account for almost half of the known avian species), having to move from one habitat to another as the seasons change. These birds depend on habitats such as lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, swamps, marshes, and wetlands to breed, obtain food and drink, overwinter, and recharge during migration.

However, the current scarcity of water due to factors such as habitat fragmentation, climate change or pollution are threatening the preservation of aquatic ecosystems. For example, in the last 50 years, 35% of the planet’s wetlands have been lost, which affects the quality of rest and feeding of migratory birds and also their reproductive cycles.

In Spain alone, 40% of the 200 species of migratory birds present in our country show signs of decline. On the other hand, the Iberian Peninsula is the main migratory corridor in all of Western Europe, so the importance of protecting our water resources and aquatic ecosystems is especially important.

Within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) promotes various projects linked to improving the situation of areas of passage or regular presence of migratory birds. This is the case of three initiatives selected in the 2021 call for the promotion of the bioeconomy and ecological transition (Bioresilmed, Resalar and Secanos Vivos) and two of the call for the restoration of river ecosystems in urban environments, also corresponding to 2021 (Predra and RestaurAlcùdia).

Bioresilmed aims to reverse the loss of biodiversity, as well as to increase the climate resilience of Mediterranean landscapes in the Ebro Delta and coastal wetlands and inland agricultural areas in Granada, Almeria and Murcia.

Resalar contemplates the regeneration of spaces on the Mar Menor coastline and its biodiversity to reduce the impact of intensive agriculture, strengthen the resilience of the coastline to climate change and improve and increase ecosystem services.

Secanos Vivos promotes the bioeconomy of rainfed agro-systems (cereals and vineyards) through good agri-environmental practices and nature-based solutions. To this end, it implements sustainable production models (with a scientific-technical basis) and innovates in the development of a value chain based on biodiversity and resilience to climate change.

Predra pursues the restoration of habitats and biodiversity at the mouth of the Algar River (Altea). The action will consolidate a wetland of high importance for the migration of birds along the Mediterranean, as well as its function as an ecological corridor. In addition, it will contribute to the reduction of flood risk and the recovery of ecosystem services in order to mitigate climate change.

RestaurAlcùdia plans to restore and renaturalise the wetlands of the ecological corridor of the Bay of Alcudia (Maristany and Estany des Ponts) as a strategy for mitigating flood risk and adapting to climate change. It includes actions such as the creation of new flood zones, revegetation and renaturalisation, removal of exotic and invasive vegetation and waste, elimination of barriers, expansion of drainage channels and actions to favour fauna.

In addition, through the Pleamar Programme, co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), the Biodiversity Foundation has supported the project “ARTABRO III: Research, innovation and governance for marine SPAs in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula”, which has made it possible to know the population status of various species of seabirds present in Natura 2000 marine areas in this demarcation. Among other milestones, the importance of this territory for the conservation of the shag has been highlighted, unknown to date, as it is home to the main breeding area of the species on the Iberian peninsular coast, in addition to confirming the importance of the Cantabrian-Atlantic migratory corridor for hundreds of thousands of specimens of dozens of European seabird species.