Line of action:

Knowledge generation and management

Status:

En ejecución

Location:

Asturias, Castilla y León, La Rioja.

Geographic scope:

España

Line of research:

Development of green infrastructure, connectivity and ecological restoration

Execution date:

2025

Duration:

01/10/2025 - 30/09/2028

Total budget:

397.644 €

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

€238,586.40 (60%)

Coordinating entity:

University of Oviedo

This project addresses the conservation of river ecosystems through the improvement of ecological connectivity and the monitoring of indicator species such as the Iberian desman, whose regression reflects the degradation of rivers.

Habitat fragmentation, caused by dams and infrastructure, limits their dispersal, reduces genetic diversity and increases the risk of extinction. By incorporating innovative tools such as environmental DNA and health analysis, sustainable management is promoted that favours aquatic biodiversity and ecological balance. The initiative is aligned with the National Green Infrastructure Strategy, the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change, the National Strategy to Combat Desertification and the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030).

The general objective of the project is to evaluate the barrier effect of different infrastructures in semi-aquatic mammal populations, with special attention to the Iberian desman, using non-invasive techniques based on faecal analysis. The study will address population fragmentation and isolation, the physiological and health status of species in relation to the conservation of their habitats, as well as the alteration of predator-prey relationships and the proliferation of invasive species. The characteristics of the dams (dimensions, extension, age and biogeographic region) and the influence of climate change under different scenarios will be considered.

The project addresses a comprehensive approach to conservation and monitoring of species at risk, by obtaining non-invasive samples and analysing their health status through the study of pathogens, necropsies and stress hormones. Sources of transmission will be invented, correlations between the hydromorphological quality of water bodies and their effects on species will be analysed, and key ecological interactions such as predator-prey relationships, the presence of invasive species and the effects of fragmentation will be studied. In addition, emerging pollutants will be evaluated, non-invasive genetic methods will be applied and distribution models will be developed under different climate scenarios.