The objective of the project is to improve the populations of endangered species in the Salburua wetlands, one of the parks that make up the green belt of the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The objective of the project is to improve the populations of endangered species in the Salburua wetlands, one of the parks that make up the green belt of the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The Salburua wetlands are a complex of lagoons located in the municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The area stands out for its transitional character between two clearly differentiated biogeographical regions (Atlantic and Mediterranean), which causes the confluence in a very small extension of biological elements belonging to both. In Salburua there are six habitats of community interest: rivers with woody vegetation of Salix eleagnos, formations of large charities, mesophilic pastures on calcareous substrates, meadows of tall grasses and reeds, oak groves and gallery forests.

Among the threatened species are insects such as the beetles Luxacanus cervus and Rosalia alpina or lepidoptera such as Coenagrion mercuriale or Euphydryas aurinea, fish such as madrilla (chondrostoma miegii) and bermejuela (chondrostoma arcasii), 5 species of amphibians, 4 reptiles, 69 birds and 14 mammals.

The planned actions consist of:

• Improvement of the populations of endangered species and the conservation status of their habitats, such as the construction of shelters, the placement of nest boxes, the restoration of wetlands or the creation of artificial nesting islands.
• Actions to combat invasive species of exotic fauna, such as carp (Cyprinus carpio) or gambusia (gambusia holbrokii), American red crab (Procambarus clarkii) and Florida pond turtle (Trachemys scripta). Specific actions include the shelling of invasive fish species by means of electric fishing and trapping.
• Dissemination and awareness-raising actions through talks and information panels, as well as a campaign to distribute bells for domestic cats to reduce the rate of predation caused by these animals.