26 July 2024
LIFE SOS Pygargus project will bring together conservationists, scientists and farmers to save the Montagu's harrier from extinction
Male Montagu's harrier. Photo: Palombar.
On the occasion of World Nature Conservation Day, celebrated on 28 July, we announce the approval of LIFE SOS Pygargus, a cross-border project that will bring together conservationists, scientists, farmers and public and private entities in Portugal and Spain with the aim of saving the Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) from extinction in Portugal and in the border area between the two countries. The project has been approved by the European Union (EU) LIFE Programme and has a total budget of almost €11 million, 75% of which (€8 million) is funded by the EU. The Montagu’s harrier is a bird that nests on the ground in open areas. According to the first national census of the species carried out in 2022-2023, its population has been in sharp decline over the last 15 years and is currently at risk of disappearing. The project will start in September this year and will be implemented between 2024 and 2030.
The project is coordinated by Palombar and has 17 partners.
LIFE SOS Pygargus is coordinated by the environmental non-governmental organisation Palombar - Conservação da Natureza e do Património Rural (Nature and Rural Heritage Conservation) and has 17 partners, 13 of which are Portuguese and four Spanish: BIOPOLIS-CIBIO Association, AEPGA - Associação para o Estudo e Proteção do Gado Asinino, ANPOC - Associação Nacional de Produtores de Proteaginosas, Oleaginosas e Cereais, CCDR-N - Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Norte, EDIA - Empresa de Desenvolvimento e Infraestruturas do Alqueva SA, ICNF - Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, INIAV - Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, LPN - Liga para a Protecção da Natureza, MC Shared Services SA, Modelo Continente Hipermercados SA, SPEA - Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves, UTAD - Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vita Nativa - Conservação do Ambiente, AMUS - Acción por el Mundo Salvaje, Consejeria de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Desarrollo Sostenible - Junta de Extremadura, GREFA - Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat and the University of Murcia.
The population of this species is in sharp decline and at risk of disappearing
The Montagu's harrier, classified as "Endangered" in Portugal and "Vulnerable" in Spain, is a migratory bird of prey that spends autumn/winter in sub-Saharan Africa and spring/summer in Europe and Western Asia, with the Iberian Peninsula home to a large part of its western population. The sharp decline in the population of this bird of prey is mainly the result of changes in agricultural practices and predation. In Portugal, the significant reduction in grain production areas due to the expansion of cattle production has resulted in a loss of suitable habitat for the species. The Montagu's harrier is therefore forced to breed in forage crops, where early cutting, in the middle of the breeding season, unintentionally destroys the nests built on the ground. As this species is highly dependent on agricultural areas for its survival, farmers play a key role in its conservation.
The main objectives of the project
The main objectives of the project over the next six years are: to improve the conservation status of the Montagu's harrier in Portugal and cross-border populations; to adapt agricultural practices to the species' breeding cycle, promoting the use of cereal and forage varieties that are more compatible with its ecological needs; to significantly reduce mortality and nest destruction, with a target of a 75% reduction in mortality and a 50% increase in the breeding population; and to promote public awareness of the importance of harrier conservation, as well as to foster cooperation between Portugal and Spain for the cross-border conservation of this bird.
The implementation area includes 49 Special Protection Areas of the Natura 2000 Network
The project will be implemented in 49 Special Protection Areas of the Natura 2000 Network, and adjacent areas, in Portugal (23) and Spain (18 in Extremadura, three in Galicia, four in Castile and León and one in Madrid), which are home to most of the Portuguese and cross-border Montagu's harrier populations. These areas are essential for the survival and expansion of the species and for ensuring the connectivity of the Natura 2000 Network.
Unprecedented cross-border effort to conserve the species
The LIFE SOS Pygargus project will protect one of the most endangered terrestrial species in Iberian fauna, which plays a key role in ecosystems, ensuring their proper functioning and benefiting rural communities, particularly farmers, through the feeding of insects and small rodents. It brings together conservationists, researchers, farmers, public and private entities and Iberian companies in an unprecedented cross-border effort to conserve this iconic bird of prey.
The project is coordinated by Palombar and has 17 partners.
LIFE SOS Pygargus is coordinated by the environmental non-governmental organisation Palombar - Conservação da Natureza e do Património Rural (Nature and Rural Heritage Conservation) and has 17 partners, 13 of which are Portuguese and four Spanish: BIOPOLIS-CIBIO Association, AEPGA - Associação para o Estudo e Proteção do Gado Asinino, ANPOC - Associação Nacional de Produtores de Proteaginosas, Oleaginosas e Cereais, CCDR-N - Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Norte, EDIA - Empresa de Desenvolvimento e Infraestruturas do Alqueva SA, ICNF - Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, INIAV - Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, LPN - Liga para a Protecção da Natureza, MC Shared Services SA, Modelo Continente Hipermercados SA, SPEA - Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves, UTAD - Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vita Nativa - Conservação do Ambiente, AMUS - Acción por el Mundo Salvaje, Consejeria de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Desarrollo Sostenible - Junta de Extremadura, GREFA - Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat and the University of Murcia.
The population of this species is in sharp decline and at risk of disappearing
The Montagu's harrier, classified as "Endangered" in Portugal and "Vulnerable" in Spain, is a migratory bird of prey that spends autumn/winter in sub-Saharan Africa and spring/summer in Europe and Western Asia, with the Iberian Peninsula home to a large part of its western population. The sharp decline in the population of this bird of prey is mainly the result of changes in agricultural practices and predation. In Portugal, the significant reduction in grain production areas due to the expansion of cattle production has resulted in a loss of suitable habitat for the species. The Montagu's harrier is therefore forced to breed in forage crops, where early cutting, in the middle of the breeding season, unintentionally destroys the nests built on the ground. As this species is highly dependent on agricultural areas for its survival, farmers play a key role in its conservation.
The main objectives of the project
The main objectives of the project over the next six years are: to improve the conservation status of the Montagu's harrier in Portugal and cross-border populations; to adapt agricultural practices to the species' breeding cycle, promoting the use of cereal and forage varieties that are more compatible with its ecological needs; to significantly reduce mortality and nest destruction, with a target of a 75% reduction in mortality and a 50% increase in the breeding population; and to promote public awareness of the importance of harrier conservation, as well as to foster cooperation between Portugal and Spain for the cross-border conservation of this bird.
The implementation area includes 49 Special Protection Areas of the Natura 2000 Network
The project will be implemented in 49 Special Protection Areas of the Natura 2000 Network, and adjacent areas, in Portugal (23) and Spain (18 in Extremadura, three in Galicia, four in Castile and León and one in Madrid), which are home to most of the Portuguese and cross-border Montagu's harrier populations. These areas are essential for the survival and expansion of the species and for ensuring the connectivity of the Natura 2000 Network.
Unprecedented cross-border effort to conserve the species
The LIFE SOS Pygargus project will protect one of the most endangered terrestrial species in Iberian fauna, which plays a key role in ecosystems, ensuring their proper functioning and benefiting rural communities, particularly farmers, through the feeding of insects and small rodents. It brings together conservationists, researchers, farmers, public and private entities and Iberian companies in an unprecedented cross-border effort to conserve this iconic bird of prey.