The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, has convened the biannual meeting of the Management Committee of the LIFE+ Cantabrian Capercaillie project, which has been held at the headquarters of the Foundation, where the results obtained throughout 2013 have been analysed and progress has been made in the initiatives to be developed during 2014 for the conservation of the subspecies.

The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, has convened the biannual meeting of the Management Committee of the LIFE+ Cantabrian Capercaillie project, which has been held at the headquarters of the Foundation, where the results obtained throughout 2013 have been analysed and progress has been made in the initiatives to be developed during 2014 for the conservation of the subspecies.

During 2013, the most noteworthy activities carried out within the framework of this LIFE+ project have been those related to habitat management measures, in which silvicultural treatments have been carried out on 93.25 hectares and 20.3 km of livestock enclosures have been signposted. In addition, negotiations have begun for the correction of the Collado La Vieja electrical substation.

The technical document “Genetic characterisation of the Cantabrian capercaillie population”, carried out by the University of Oviedo, has also been reviewed, which has served to know the current genetic situation of the subspecies, as well as the technical report “Programme for the reinforcement of the Cantabrian capercaillie population”, which includes an action plan with recommendations for the development of the reinforcement programme.

The Autonomous Communities, for their part, are implementing plans aimed at controlling the effects that competitors and predators have on the subspecies.

Since the beginning of the captive breeding program, developed at the breeding center of Sobrescobio (Asturias), 32 chicks have been born, of which 12 have managed to survive, 37.5%, a survival higher than the natural one. To increase these survival rates and review the protocols, it has been agreed to bring together a group of experts in captive bird breeding. In addition, actions aimed at increasing the number of breeding individuals at the centre continue. In this sense, three females have been radiotagged for monitoring. During the last quarter of 2013, five specimens from the breeding centre are being redistributed between two other centres, the Wildlife Recovery Centre of the Government of Cantabria and the Wild Animal Recovery Centre of the Junta de Castilla y León in Burgos, to reduce the risks of epizootics.

The project also develops specific actions to act on the tree and shrub stratum in the eastern part of the Cantabrian mountain range, in the Liébana, Sierras del Cordel and headwaters of the Saja and Nansa (Cantabria) and Picos de Europa (León) SPAs. Work is currently being carried out in the western area, in the SPAs of Omaña and Alto Sil (León).

The programme also includes conservation actions that require the involvement of landowners through the land stewardship programme and the promotion of traditional uses. Throughout this year, 12 new land stewardship agreements have been signed. On the other hand, dissemination actions continue to be developed, with the implementation of two volunteer camps, with a total of 24 participants, of the 2013-2014 school campaign and the itinerancy of the exhibition in 13 locations of the mountain range. Informative materials have also been published, such as the Cantabrian capercaillie conservation manual, the land stewardship leaflet and the project’s information panels, all available on www.lifeurogallo.es. It has also participated in two congresses and technical meetings.

In addition, the European Commission has been asked for an extension until 31 December 2016, to facilitate the fulfilment of the project’s ambitious objectives.

The LIFE+ project “Urgent action programme for the conservation of the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus cantabricus) and its habitat in the Cantabrian Mountains”,  coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation and 50% co-financed through the LIFE+ programme, has the fundamental objective of halting the decline of this subspecies exclusive to the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and promoting its recovery.

All the information about the project can be consulted on the website: www.lifeurogallo.es