The Casa del Parque de Lario (León) in Picos de Europa hosts today and tomorrow the LIFE+ Desmania Technical Seminar.

The Casa del Parque de Lario (León) in Picos de Europa hosts the LIFE+ Desmania Technical Seminar on April 17 and 18.

This is the first of the five technical seminars scheduled within the framework of the LIFE+ Desmania project, aimed at project partners, scientific and technical staff related to the project’s theme, as well as staff from administrations, hydrographic confederations and autonomous communities. Organized by the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León, the objective of the event is to share the experiences developed by the project’s technicians, as well as the current situation of desman, creating a network that will also provide information for future experiences.

The Iberian desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is a small aquatic mammal that lives in the vicinity of rivers, torrents and lakes in mountainous areas, distributed from the French side of the Pyrenees to Portugal. The number of specimens in the Central System has suffered a decline in recent years and is already considered endangered within the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species. Among some of the causes that have caused its decrease are the decrease in the quality and quantity of water in rivers, the degradation of the riparian forests that serve as a refuge, and the presence of the American mink,  an invasive species  , with a great capacity for expansion and adaptation to the environment.

With the aim of contributing to the conservation of the desman, the LIFE+ project Conservation and Recovery Programme for Galemys pyrenaicus and its habitat in Castilla y León and Extremadura (LIFE+ Desmania) has been launched, 50% co-financed by the European Commission within the framework of the LIFE+ Call, and coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation.

Its partners include the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA), the Regional Government of Castilla y León, the Regional Government of Extremadura, the Cesefor Foundation, the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León, SOMACYL and Tragsatec. In addition, the City Council of Valencia de Don Juan, the Association of Municipalities of the South of León, and the Hydrographic Confederations of Miño-Sil, Tajo and Duero, as well as research centers and fishermen’s associations, participate as co-financing entities.