The University of Vigo has completed a project with the aim of achieving greater knowledge, protection and improvement of the habitat, thus avoiding the extinction of the Galician Cabalo, a native breed of horse. The achievement has made it possible to sign commitment agreements for its conservation.

The University of Vigo has completed the project ‘Study and Conservation of the Galician Mountain Horse through Land Stewardship Agreements’. An initiative that has been supported by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition in the framework of its 2017 call for grants.

Due to the danger of extinction of the Cabaldo Galego, a native breed of horse, the objective has been to expand the study area and to know the differences between the populations of the species in the North and South of Galicia; the application of new technologies for wild animal censuses, through unmanned aerial vehicles; and to evaluate the mitigating role of the species on forest fires to create a Land Stewardship entity for the Horse.

Thanks to the actions carried out by the beneficiary entity, the plan has contributed to improving the level of knowledge of the Galician Horse of the Mountain. In total, more than 1,500 specimens have been identified in three natural areas of 20,000 hectares, of which 647 are purebred. In addition, it has been possible to formalise an entity and two land stewardship agreements; contributing to a commitment, of the agents involved in the environment, for the protection and improvement of the coexistence of equids.

The results of the project have been disseminated through four audiovisual pieces broadcast around 17,000 times, to disseminate the need for protection of this species.