12 December 2025
LIFE SOS Pygargus project partners meet to discuss first-year results and priorities for 2026
Teams from the project's partner entities gathered at the 2nd General Meeting in Castro Verde. Photo: Palombar
The 2nd General Meeting took place in Castro Verde and brought together more than 50 experts and collaborating entities
The 2nd General Meeting of the LIFE SOS Pygargus project took place between 3 and 6 December in Castro Verde (Portugal) and brought together the project partners, as well as other collaborating entities which, through multisectoral work, are joining forces to save the Montagu’s harrier from extinction in the Iberian Peninsula.
Liga para a Protecção da Natureza (LPN) and the Castro Verde Municipal Council (CMCV) hosted the meeting, which took place at the Municipal Forum in this Alentejo town and brought together 46 representatives from the various project partners (joined virtually by 12 others). During the meeting, an update was given on the results achieved by the project in 2025 and the development of the various actions to date, and priorities for 2026 were also defined.
Welcome session by the Castro Verde Municipal Council. Photo: Palombar
Project develops app and will launch the “Friends of the Montagu’s harrier” Network in early 2026
The meeting also included thematic sessions dedicated to cereal variety trials, project communication, conservation and monitoring of the species, including the presentation of the new application (app) that is being developed to record project data and optimise joint work. The results of the 2025 “Save the Montagu's harrier” campaign were also presented, habitat management techniques in scrubland were discussed, financial management was discussed, and the regulation and management method of the “Friends of the Montagu's harrier” Network, to be launched in early 2026, were presented.
The meeting included joint working sessions and thematic sessions. Photos: Palombar
Particular emphasis was also placed on more technical issues, such as tagging and tracking of individuals, the use of drones and the installation of fences to protect nests, among others, seeking to use these resources and tools in accordance with the best scientific knowledge, experience and taking into account the specific characteristics of the different territories.
This meeting was also broadcast online, with 12 participants joining via this channel, including technicians from various partners and representatives of observer entities, such as the Fundación del Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León (FPNCYL), which, despite not being part of the consortium, collaborates with the project.
In addition to all the work carried out, it was also possible to promote networking and socialising during coffee breaks, dinners, lunch at the Vale Gonçalinho Environmental Education Centre (CEAVG/LPN) and during the visit to Campo Branco guided by LPN.
Lunch at the Vale Gonçalinho Environmental Education Centre (CEAVG/LPN). Photo: Palombar
This meeting was another milestone that demonstrates how this Iberian project brings together conservationists, farmers, scientists and public and private entities in an unprecedented effort to save this migratory bird in the Iberian Peninsula from imminent extinction.
About the project
LIFE SOS Pygargus – Urgent conservation actions for Montagu’s harrier populations in Portugal and Spain is an Iberian project co-funded at 75% by the European Union’s LIFE Programme. It also receives co-funding from Viridia – Conservation in Action, Lightsource bp, the Portuguese Environmental Fund, and the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
It is implemented by a consortium that includes Palombar – Nature and Rural Heritage Conservation (coordinating entity), BIOPOLIS-CIBIO Association, AEPGA – Association for the Study and Protection of Donkeys, ANPOC – National Association of Protein, Oilseed and Cereal Producers, CCDR-N – North Regional Coordination and Development Commission, EDIA – Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company SA, ICNF – Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, INIAV – National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research, LPN – Nature Protection League, MC Shared Services SA, Modelo Continente Hipermercados SA, SPEA – Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, UTAD – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vita Nativa – Environmental Conservation, AMUS – Action for Wild World, the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Sustainable Development of the Regional Government of Extremadura, GREFA – Group for the Rehabilitation of Native Fauna and its Habitat, and the University of Murcia.