The LIFE Marbled Teal project, which we coordinate from the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), has organised an informative seminar in the Valencian Community, one of the priority areas of action, to publicise the project and its progress to the representatives of the main economic activities in the area and other social agents involved.

This event was attended by Mireia Mollà, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition of the Generalitat Valenciana; Elena Pita, director of the Biodiversity Foundation; and representatives of the project partners.

The conference was held in the Natural Park of El Hondo (Elche), a protected natural space and essential for the survival of the species, as it has come to host in some years between 20% and 30% of the breeding population of this species in Spain, when flooding conditions have been favourable. In addition, due to its ecological value, this area, included in the Natura 2000 Network, is recognised as a critical site in the Marbled Teal Conservation Strategy, i.e. vital areas for its survival and recovery.

THE PROJECT IN THE VALENCIAN COMMUNITY

Given its relevance for the species, the project carries out different actions in this autonomous community aimed at improving the habitat, which have been detailed during the day. Among them, the acquisition of 55 hectares of wetlands from two farms located in the western area of El Hondo stands out, of the total of 141 hectares that are expected to be acquired in the project. This action is accompanied by other measures to improve habitat management, such as the development of a reference guide for the management of the species’ habitats and actions to improve water management. In addition, through land stewardship agreements, habitat and water management will be improved on other private or public farms.

As part of the captive breeding program, 40 specimens of marbled teal bred at the La Granja center in El Saler (Valencia) have been released during the day. Since the beginning of the project, the released specimens have already reached more than 1,000 individuals, of which more than 500 have been released in wetlands in the Valencian Community. In addition, for their tracking in the environment, the released specimens are marked with rings and some of them also carry tracking transmitters, which allows their control and identification of threats.

Two acclimatization cages have also been built, one in the El Hondo Natural Park and the other in Marjal dels Moros, which aim to facilitate the adaptation of the specimens to the environment before their release.

In addition to publicizing the project, the event has aimed to involve different sectors that carry out their economic activities in the area, whose collaboration is essential for the recovery of the species. Thus, representatives of the irrigation and hunting sector, farm owners, technical staff of local administrations and ecotourism companies, among others, have been present.

IN CRITICAL SITUATION

The marbled teal is one of the seven species in critical condition in Spain. Until the mid-twentieth century it was abundant in Mediterranean coastal wetlands, especially in Doñana, but in recent decades its decline has been so drastic that this species of community interest has become critically endangered.

However, the data from the latest census, published by the marbled teal working group coordinated by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, offer encouraging results. In 2021, 105 females accompanied by 759 chicks have been counted during the breeding season, distributed mainly in Andalusia (50.4%) and the Valencian Community (38.1%), as well as in the Balearic Islands and Castilla-La Mancha, with nine and three breeding females respectively. Thus, the breeding population of marbled teal recorded in 2021 shows an increasing trend, reaching figures that had not been detected in the last 10 years.

RESEARCH, CONSERVATION AND GOVERNANCE

The LIFE Marbled Teal project aims to improve the conservation status of 3,000 hectares of wetlands to reverse the risk of extinction of the most endangered duck in Europe, in a critical situation in Spain.

The project, which is coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, involves the ministry itself, through the Segura Hydrographic Confederation and Tragsatec; the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development and the Environment and Water Agency; the Generalitat Valenciana; the Government of the Region of Murcia, as well as the organizations SEO/BirdLife and ANSE. It is supported by the LIFE Program of the European Union and the Directorate General for Water.