Shepherds view of large carnivore recovery in the Pyrenees, Spain

The studied farms are small family businesses, and so, in more than half of the cases, their continuity is not guaranteed. Livestock management is typical of a mountain system, in which the animals graze throughout the year in cultivated fields, sown meadows, forests near the farms, and mountain pastures during the three summer months. The herds always have the constant surveillance of a shepherd. Farmers consider the current infrastructure present in mountain grasslands insufficient to facilitate the management and care of their herd. Their activity conflicts with various species of wildlife, such as the wild boar, Sus scrofa, roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, or griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, and large carnivores such as the brown bear, Ursus arctos, or the grey wolf Canis lupus, despite all of them taking preventive measures to defend their herds from predators. The most widely used prevention measures are the presence of mastiff dogs, Canis lupus familiaris, next to the herds and the use of electric fencing to lock up livestock at night. Farmers reject the presence of bears and wolves in their area, considering it a real threat to the continuity of their economic activity, which presents a high degree of vulnerability

Wild boar battues reduce crop damages in a protected area

Agricultural damages caused by wild boar Sus scrofa have given farmers a negative impression of protected areas and their management. To mitigate those damages and the social conflicts that they create, hunting battues involving experienced local hunters were used as a lethal population control method in a protected Iberian wetland. In the Ebro Sotos and Galachos Nature Reserve, Spain, between 1994 and 2011, 259 wild boars were culled during 476 battues. On average, battues involved six hunters and ten dogs, and culling efficiency (number of animals killed per animals seen during battues) was 39 %. The number of battues per year and the area of crop damages caused by wild boar were significantly negatively correlated, demonstrating battue efficiency to decrease damages. Moreover, intermittent population control through culling led to a substantial increase in the wild boar population, with an increase in crop damages. This underlines the importance of constant control. The numbers of hunters and dogs and the number of wild boar seen during battues were strongly correlated. To minimize the conflicts between farmers and the management of protected areas, we suggest that the inexpensive, volunteer-based population control program could be enhanced by incorporating stalking and mobile electric fences

Los macro y mesomamíferos como indicadores ecológicos del estado de conservación del Parque Natural del Señorío de Bertiz

Los resultados del seguimiento de la comunidad de meso y macromamíferos pueden ser utilizados como indicador del estado de conservación de los Espacios Naturales (ENP). La combinación de metodologías que implica su estudio, aplicadas fuera y dentro del perímetro del ENP o a lo largo del tiempo, permite valorar el papel que juega el ENP en la conservación de estas especies. En el caso del Parque Natural Señorío de Bertiz, los resultados indican que se trata de un espacio con un elevado nivel de conservación en el que la sucesión ecológica ha permitido incrementar su madurez y complejidad.El trabajo es parte de un proyecto financiado por el Gobierno de Navarra titulado "Inventario y criterios de gestión de los mamíferos en el Parque Natural Señorío de Bertiz"

Rehabilitación sostenible del patrimonio industrial: Azucarera Labradora en Calatayud

Este trabajo describe la situación pasada y actual de la Azucarera Labradora de Calatayud, para posteriormente ofrecer un proyecto de rehabilitación sostenible. El objetivo del trabajo es presentar un plan con el que se pueda seguir disfrutando del patrimonio industrial que ofrece el edificio de la azucarera, creando en él una residencia de mayores y alojamiento turístico destinado a turistas senior.<br /

Estimación de la abundancia de la cabra montés en un hábitat forestal de montaña de gran superficie

The aim of the study was to estimate the distribution and density of Iberian wild goat Capra pyrenaica in Castellón province, Spain. We asked the rangers of the Environmental Agency of Valencia to estimate the distribution of the species within the province using a 2.5 x 2.5 km2 grid and identified 130 vantage points for fixedpoint surveys throughout the area. Survey was undertaken in two periods (June and July, post-partum period, and November and December, during the rut). The animals were counted from those fixed points during 3 hours observation periods in the morning or evening, and, to calculate the population density, we used the Distance Sampling (DS) procedure. We counted 1,157 goats at 77% of the vantage points in the post-partum period and 1,994 at 82% of the vantage points during the rut. During the rut, the population density was 11.7 goats km-2 (95% CI = 8.9-15.4). Fifteen per cent of the males were >10 years old, the sex ratio was near unity (0.98 males per female), the productivity of the population was 0.75 kids per female, and the estimated minimum population size was 24,030 individuals. In the rugged, mountainous forests, the DS produced reasonable results, which supports the use of this procedure to estimate populations of Iberian wild goats in such environments where the visibility is restricted.El objetivo del estudio fue estimar la distribución y densidad de la cabra montés en la provincial de Castellón, España. Pedimos a los agentes medioambientales del Departamento de Medio Ambiente de la Generalitat de Valencia que estimaran su distribución utilizando cuadrículas de 2,5 x 2,5 km2 e identificaran 130 puntos de observación fijos con buena visibilidad en toda el área. El seguimiento se hizo en dos periodos: junio y julio, tras los partos y noviembre-diciembre, durante el celo. El conteo se realizó tras el amanecer o antes del atardecer durante periodos de 3 horas y para calcular la densidad utilizamos el procedimiento Distance Sampling (DS). Detectamos 1.157 cabras en el 77% de los puntos fijos tras los partos y 1.994 en el 82% de los puntos durante el celo. En el celo la densidad fue de 11,7 cabras km-2 (ICM 95% = 8,9-15,4). El 15% de los machos resultó ser mayor de 10 años, la proporción de sexos en la edad adulta de 0,98 machos por hembra, la productividad 0,75 cabritos por hembra adulta y el tamaño mínimo poblacional de 24.030 individuos. En terrenos forestales rugosos, el procedimiento del DS produce resultados razonables que apoyan su uso para estimar tamaños poblacionales de cabras monteses en estos ambientes de visibilidad reducida

Monitoring and management of Pyrenean chamois in Aragon

8 páginasPeer reviewe

A low altitude forest dwelling Pyrenean chamois population increases the potential habitat of this subspecies

Aim of the study: To demonstrate if a population of Pyrenean chamois Rupicapra p. pyrenaica can live at low altitudes all year long. This could enlarge dramatically its potential habitat.&#x0D; Area of study: A hunting ground in Sobrarbe County, Pyrenees, Spain, in 2022.&#x0D; Material and methods. We interviewed local hunters to find out when the presence of the subspecies in the area dates back. We performed block counts from April to December in the target area for calculating the size of the population.&#x0D; Main results: There was a presence of at least 15 years of the subspecies living at 600 m asl. The population was at least 18 animals, reproduces, and shows a normal demographic structure of kids, yearlings, adult females, and adult males.&#x0D; Research highlights: Low-altitude chamois populations living in forests could be a result of important ecological changes in high mountain pastures producing migrations to newly suitable areas as low-altitude forests. The potential habitat of the subspecies should be broadened

Characterization of the Metabolic Profile of Olive Tissues (Roots, Stems and Leaves): Relationship with Cultivars’ Resistance/Susceptibility to the Soil Fungus Verticillium dahliae

Verticillium wilt of olive (VWO) is one of the most widespread and devastating olive diseases in the world. Harnessing host resistance to the causative agent is considered one of the most important measures within an integrated control strategy of the disease. Aiming to understand the mechanisms underlying olive resistance to VWO, the metabolic profiles of olive leaves, stems and roots from 10 different cultivars with varying levels of susceptibility to this disease were investigated by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The distribution of 56 metabolites among the three olive tissues was quantitatively assessed and the possible relationship between the tissues’ metabolic profiles and resistance to VWO was evaluated by applying unsupervised and supervised multivariate analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to explore the data, and separate clustering of highly resistant and extremely susceptible cultivars was observed. Moreover, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were built to differentiate samples of highly resistant, intermediate susceptible/resistant, and extremely susceptible cultivars. Root models showed the lowest classification capability, but metabolites from leaf and stem were able to satisfactorily discriminate samples according to the level of susceptibility. Some typical compositional patterns of highly resistant and extremely susceptible cultivars were described, and some potential resistance/susceptibility metabolic markers were pointed out.FEDER/Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades (Proyecto P20_00263)FEDER/Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Economía y Conocimiento (Proyecto B-AGR-416-UGR18)Grant RYC2021-032996-I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR” (L.O.-G.)Grant FPU19/00700 from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (I.S.-G.

Challenges for recovery of large carnivores in humanized countries: attitudes and knowledge of sheep farmers towards brown bear in Western Pyrenees, Spain

During 2017, we studied knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes towards brown bears by extensive mountain sheep farmers in the Western Pyrenees, using a structured questionnaire, specifically, whether the scarce bear presence, or the administrative region, was influential. Livestock raising practices are mainly family properties and have suffered a strong decline in the last decades. Despite its low abundance (only 2 bear individuals during the study period in the area), there was a generalized negative attitude towards the presence of bears. Farmers considered bear presence as incompatible with sheep mountain herding. One third of them have experienced bear damages, although this was not the main difficulty for the viability of farming practices. They were able to change husbandry practices after wildlife and dog’s damages, increasing vigilance, hiring shepherds, and using livestock guarding dogs, whose work is perceived as satisfactory. Farmers considered that information available about bear and compensation systems for damages was insufficient, and should be improved