Aiming the direct improvement of the conservation status of the species and habitats targeted. Their impact is monitored and evaluated during the project.


Corridors of Iberian lynx habitat within olive yards
Creation of artificial dens for the Iberian lynx
Promotion of wild rabbit populations by habitat management
Construction and rehabilitation of artificial nests for Black Vulture
Feeding stations for Black Vulture
Veterinary support of feeding stations for Black Vulture
Preventing species’ disturbance


Corridors of Iberian lynx habitat within olive yards

At the Moura/Barrancos Site, throughout the last decades, the intensive olive groves have expanded their area, replacing more traditional farming practices, causing habitat loss and fragmentation where once was a historical area of Iberian lynx occurrence and where high densities of wild rabbit still exist. These intensive olive groves are characterized by a monotonous landscape with reduced biodiversity, when compared to traditional olive groves that sustain a great diversity of species, namely birds, insects and plants. Therefore, this action aims to create a network of ecological corridors within the extensive olive groves of intensive exploitation, reducing the barrier effect and establishing the connection between scrublands of small or medium extension and contributing to the restoration of a habitat with a great value for this species – the Mediterranean scrubland.
It will be the first time that a network of ecological corridors will be established aiming the conservation of threatened species of fauna and flora in the South of Portugal.


Creation of artificial dens for the Iberian lynx

To increase the availability of suitable places for reproduction and promote the medium-term establishment of breeding individuals in some areas of the project, artificial dens will be implemented at estates / hunting areas where the presence of the Iberian lynx is ecologically viable and well accepted by the landowners / game managers of those areas. Ideally, the artificial dens will be created from old and hollow trees of an adequate size or, in exceptional occasions, more complex artificial structures will be built. It will be the first time that this kind of action will be implemented in Portugal.


Promotion of wild rabbit populations by habitat management

The Southeast of Portugal is one of the driest and hottest regions of the country, with a low annual precipitation. Consequently, water and food availability (namely herbaceous plants) for wild rabbit significantly decreases during summer, affecting its survival rate. Furthermore, soil characteristics are usually inadequate for the construction of burrows and the shelters available are scarce. Therefore, and particularly in areas where the density of wild rabbit is low, the fomentation of shelter, food and water turns out to be very important to the increase of its populations.
This way, to increase the populations of wild rabbit in the project’s area, several measures of habitat management will be implemented, such as, for example, the implementation of electrified fences around pastures for wild rabbit (to prevent herbivory by wild and domestic ungulates), fertilization of fields to improve the quality of pastures, creation of ‘beetle banks’ in the margins of cultivated fields and establishment of fences around already existent shelters, to promote wild rabbits’ reproduction and survival. Additionally, local managers will be encouraged to apply to funding / projects that aim the enhancement of populations of wild rabbit and its habitat. Whenever possible, this action will be coordinated with measures implemented in the scope of other projects in each area of intervention.
With these measures, the suitability of habitat for wild rabbit and other small prey species will be benefited, increasing its populations to an adequate level for the presence of the Iberian lynx and Black Vulture, and contributing to the medium term enrichment of hunting in the intervened areas.


Construction and rehabilitation of artificial nests for Black Vulture

This action foresees the rehabilitation and construction of artificial nests for Black Vulture, along a network of areas selected according to the species’ needs, creating conditions for its settling in the estates / hunting areas with which management agreements will be established. The limiting factors for the establishment and reproduction of Black Vulture in Portugal, such as disturbance in critical periods of its breeding cycle, the inexistence of adequate places for the construction of nests and the scarcity of food resources, will be mitigated by the implementation of specific actions predicted in this project and with the cooperation of landowners / managers.


Feeding stations for Black Vulture

This action aims to create a network of feeding stations for Black Vulture in private estates (estate feeding stations), which will receive carcasses of domestic livestock only from the estates where they are located at and carcasses of big-game (such as red deer or wild boar) from the hunting zone(s) in which they are included or nearby hunting zones. This network of estate feeding stations, the first of the kind in Portugal, will be implemented in the SPA’s of Mourão/Moura/Barrancos and Guadiana Valley.
Additionally, at least one feeding station will be implemented in Mourão/Moura/Barrancos SPA and another in the Guadiana Valley SPA that can receive carcasses from different exploitations or origins. Therefore, these feeding stations will receive carcasses from several estates, hunting zones and/or several origins from the region where they will be located and will provide a superior amount of food, more regularly, when compared with the network of estate feeding stations, thus functioning as its adjunct. The location and replenishment of these feeding stations (SPA scale) will take in account the estate feeding stations network.
By providing additional food for Black Vulture, these feeding stations will allow the settling of this species in these two regions – the first step to the recovery of the breeding population of Black Vulture in the Southeast of Portugal. This network will also provide additional food for the breeding individuals of the Spanish population that exists near the border with Portugal (and that uses Portuguese territories as feeding areas) and that will eventually constitute the origin of the natural colonization of the Southeast of Portugal by this species.
The construction of feeding stations will have in account every regulations and national and European legislation and will be done with the proper legal permits from the national veterinary and nature conservation authorities.


Veterinary support of feeding stations for Black Vulture

This action will allow the veterinary and sanitary control of the carcasses placed in the feeding stations, ensuring that the stations do not pose any danger to public health and dodging the existence of carcasses of animals carrying infectious diseases, as well as high concentrations of drugs identified as hazardous for vultures.


Preventing species’ disturbance

One of the main threats to the settling of populations of Iberian lynx and Black Vulture, among other species, is the disturbance caused by human activities which, in most cases, can be made compatible with nature conservation if properly planned and implemented. This action seeks to prevent these situations of disturbance, especially in critical periods such as the breeding epoch. A timely detection and the discussion with landowners, managers and implicated entities, of realistic and viable alternatives conciliatory of human activities with the conservation of these species, will enable the control of ‘unpredictable’ factors that can pose a constraint to the success of the conservation actions implemented in the project.