On 25 and 26 February, the town of Hoyos del Espino in Ávila hosted the third technical seminar of the LIFE+ Desmania project “Programme for the conservation and recovery of Galemys pyrenaicus and its habitat in Castilla y León and Extremadura”, a project coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment. which aims to recover and conserve the Iberian desman and its habitat in areas of the Natura 2000 Network of Castilla y León and Extremadura.
 
At the meeting, the attendees analysed the state of the population and habitat of the Iberian desman in the project area, and shared their progress in those specific actions developed to improve the management and conservation of the species’ habitat in different areas, such as the control of the American mink, the regeneration of the riverside habitat, the elimination of barriers to the facilitation of longitudinal connectivity in its distribution area, as well as the improvement in the use and quality of water and optimization of the water regime.
 
The main threats to the survival of this small insectivorous and semi-aquatic mammal have to do with causes that lead to the degradation and fragmentation of its habitat, and which are mainly of anthropic origin, such as water pollution, illegal or uncontrolled withdrawals, degradation of riparian forests, the presence or creation of artificial barriers and the expansion of the American mink.
 
For two days, the technical teams of the project partners, including administrations, entities and associations involved in the conservation of the Iberian desman, have delved into the search for solutions to stop the regression of the populations of the species, through the sharing of the results and progress achieved in their corresponding areas of action. and to share experiences regarding the management of the distribution area, the population structure and the habitat of the Iberian desman, in order to advance their knowledge of the biological, ecological and ethological aspects of the species.
 
This seminar will serve as a starting point for the beginning of in situ actions that will be carried out in the coming years and that will improve the habitat of the Iberian desman and correct threats that are reducing its populations.
 
The LIFE+ Desmania project, co-financed 50 percent by the European Commission, has as partners, in addition to the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, the Ministry itself, the Junta de Castilla y León, the Government of 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. It also has the support of the Miño-Sil, Tagus and Duero Hydrographic Confederations, research centres and fishermen’s associations.