A Management Model for Improve the Governance of Protected Areas since an Institutional Perspective and an Empirical Case in a Spanish Natural Park

This paper propose a management model for improve the governance of protected areas from an institutional perspective. The good governance in protected areas is based in seven principles: Legitimacy, Inclusiveness, Accountability, Performance, Equity, Connectivity and Institutional sustainability. This proposal is based on an overview of work at the institutional framework level and incorporates factors that affect to the efficiency of governance and improve it. A collaborative multi-criteria method is proposed to improve the good governance and ensure the Institutional Sustainability dimension, by integrating the stakeholder preferences in decision making. This model allows for obtain priorities on the management objectives of the stakeholders in a protected area and identify equivalences with IUCN protection categories using a multi-criteria outranking technique. It also presents an application in the Albufera Natural Park in Valencia, a strongly man-modified wetland located in Eastern Spain. This holistic approach allows ensure the incorporation of elements associated with the institutional sustainability that are not sufficiently represented in the governance in protected areas and to lay the theoretical basis for improve the governance for the global network of protected areas. The application of the model in the Albufera Natural Park has identified the V-Protected Lanscape / Seascape IUCN category as the equivalent international protection category. The results obtained by the park staff and other stakeholders have no major discrepancies. This suggests that this protection category seems well adapted to the social context of this protected area, moreover, the V protection category usually fits well to ecosystems strongly modified by human activities as is the case of the Albufera of Valencia. This model achieves improve two subdimensions of the Institutional Sustainability in the governance of protected areas: the Institutional Resilience, with a flexible integration of the preferences of the stakeholders and the Institutional Robustness, including the priorities of the stakeholders in the decision making of the protected areas

Diet of the Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus nesting in natural habitat in eastern Spain

We describe the diet of theMontagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) population breeding in inland Castellón province (eastern Spain), which exhibits among the highest breeding productivity of European populations of this species.We assessed diet using pellets collected at nests at the end of the breeding season. We recorded the minimum number of items in every pellet for six prey classes (lizards, passerines, small mammals, coleopterans, orthopterans and other insects).We also analyzed between-year relationships in diet diversity and breeding output at the nest level. The most frequently eaten prey were insects, particularly large orthopterans of the family Acrididae. Passerines were also abundant in the diet and contributedmore than 50% of the consumed biomass.We found no significant between-year relationship in breeding output and diet diversity at the nest level. Further studies on prey availability in different habitat types would be needed in order to understand how land-use changes affect the Montagu's Harrier population.We are indebted to Aeropuerto de Castellón for supporting and funding the project on the ecology of Montagu’s Harrier in Castellón. Special thanks are due to Servicio de Biodiversidad from Conselleria de Medio Ambiente, Agua, Urbanismo y Vivienda (Generalitat Valenciana) for permissions to carry out the present study.Peer Reviewe

Gestión del carrizo a través de la ganadería en el Parque Natural del Marjal de Pego Oliva, Alicante-Valencia (España)

Póster enviado a las I Jornadas sobre biodiversidad y los carrizales de los humedales del sur de Alicante, Crevillente (Alicante), 23–25 Febrero 2005Se ha demostrado que la presencia de ganadería extensiva en áreas protegidas mejora la biodiversidad, pero se ha de mantener los sistemas de explotación tradicionales que controlan las cargas ganaderas y la rotación dentro del territorio. En el Parque Natural del Marjal de Pego-Oliva, se ha considerado de máximo interés la utilización de la ganadería para la gestión y control del carrizal. El objetivo es la creación de una situación de equilibrio entre zonas de carrizal-eneal denso, juncales y pastizal-juncal junto con zonas de aguas libres con vegetación subacuática de praderas de macrófitos bien conservadas. Esto es la situación de máxima riqueza natural que puede presentar un ecosistema tipo restinga-albufera como el Parque Natural del Marjal de Pego-Oliva. La excesiva colonización por parte del carrizal (Phragmites australis), especialmente por su agresividad de la mayor superficie semisumergida y emergida, tiende a simplificar el ecosistema por reducción de nichos ecológicos, con una importante merma de la riqueza biológica (especies vegetales y fauna). Para ello se realizó un estudio por parte de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia en que estimó una carga ganadera de 0.43 vacas-tipo/Ha para el carrizal y de 0.50 vacas-tipo/Ha para el pastizal, resultando un total para la superficie pastal desde el marjal de 130 vacas-tipo en el carrizal y 70 en el pastizal. Posteriormente se aplicó un factor de corrección por los animales jóvenes existentes que en estos rebaños supone casi 2 animales por vaca-tipo. Por tanto la capacidad se elevaba a 260 en el carrizal y 140 en el pastizal. En este trabajo se muestran los resultados obtenidos en el manejo del ganado bajo estas premisas en el Parque Natural del Marjal de Pego-Oliva.Parque Natural del Marjal de Pego Oliva, Conselleria de Territori i Habitatge, Estación Biológica Terra Natura (Fundación Terra Natura-CIBIO, Universidad de Alicante)

A new view of territoriality in large eagles: the territory pre-exists regardless of their occupants

Knowledge of vertebrate territoriality and spatial use is a topic of great interest in the study of animal behaviour and conservation biology. Investigating the plasticity of territory boundaries, the shape of territories and how territories can be modified depending on their owners is important to deepen our knowledge of the behaviour of territorial species. We analysed the variation and tested the similarity of the distribution area of individuals from the same territory between 2015 and 2021, using data from 51 Bonelli's eagles (Aquila fasciata) from 22 different territories, tagged with GPS/GSM transmitters in eastern Spain. We calculated the percentage of overlap between the territories of the same individual in different years using the 95% kernel density estimator. We also analysed the changes in territory size and shape following the replacement of territory owners either by a single individual or by the whole pair. Our results show that territories retain the same shape and extent regardless of the occupying members, and that their boundaries change little over time. Identifying and maintaining large eagle territories, regardless of their owners, is therefore key to ensuring the long-term recovery of these threatened species.This work was supported by Red Electrica de España, Iberdrola Foundation, ACCIONA Eolica de Levante, LafargeHolcim and the Wildlife Service of the Valencian Community regional government (Generalitat Valenciana, Spain)

Home-Range Size and Space Use of Territorial Bonelli’s Eagles (Aquila fasciata) Tracked by High-Resolution GPS/GSM Telemetry

High-resolution GPS/GSM dataloggers provide spatial information of the highest quality, which outperform previous tracking methods, such as Argos telemetry or conventional VHF ground-tracking. As a result, this has improved our knowledge of home-range behavior and spatial ecology of many species, including large raptors. In this paper, we use high-resolution GPS/GSM dataloggers to assess the home-range size and the role of sex, season (breeding or non-breeding season), and breeding status (reproductive or non-reproductive individuals) on the space use of Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata). To this end, 51 territorial individuals (25 females and 26 males) were equipped with GPS/GSM transmitters and were tracked over 7 years (2015–2021) in eastern Spain. Overall, we recorded 4,791,080 fixes that were analyzed through kernel density methods (50%, 75%, and 95% fixed kernels). The average individual home-range size according to the 95%, 75%, and 50% kernels was 54.84 ± 20.78 km2, 24.30 ± 10.18 km2, and 11.17 ± 4.90 km2, respectively. Overall, the home-range size of individuals occupying the same territory was similar, mainly due to the cooperative hunting behavior exhibited by the species. We did not find interannual differences in the home-range size (95% fixed kernel) of the majority of individuals, showing a strong territorial fidelity of the breeding pairs. In general, females’ home-range size was slightly smaller than males’ size due to the decrease in activity in the breeding season as a result of laying, incubation, and chick attendance at nests. No seasonal variation in the 95% kernel was found, but it was found in the 75% and 50% kernels. In regard to the breeding status, higher home-range size was recorded in the non-reproductive individuals. Moreover, we found a low neighbor overlap among the territories (4.18% ± 3.06%), which evidences a high level of intraspecific competition in the Bonelli’s eagle. Finally, this study highlights the advantages of the use of accurate telemetry information to improve our understanding of the spatial ecology of the endangered Bonelli’s eagle, which ultimately will serve to better inform management actions for its conservation.This work was supported by Red Eléctrica de España, ACCIONA Eólica de Levante, LafargeHolcim and the Wildlife Service of the Valencian Community regional government (Conselleria d’Agricultura, Desenvolupament Rural, Emergència Climàtica i Transició Ecològica, Generalitat Valenciana, Spain)

Protected areas do not fulfil the wintering habitat needs of the trans-Saharan migratory Montagu’s harrier

Populations of migratory birds can be affected by events happening at both breeding and wintering grounds. The Sahel is a vast region holding a large number of wintering trans-Saharan migratory European birds, and current land-use changes there may represent a threat for these species. We used satellite tracking data from the migratory Montagu's harrier to evaluate habitat use of the species during the wintering season, and whether the current network of protected areas is effective to provide their habitat needs during that season. We also developed an ecological niche model for the species in Western-Central Sahel to check if the most suitable sites are included within current protected areas. Tracked harriers occupied a large region encompassing a total of eight countries. The most preferred habitats during winter were croplands and some natural vegetation habitats, especially grasslands. Protected areas only covered a small proportion of the overall wintering grounds of tracked harriers and the most suitable areas for the species in Western-Central Sahel. Increasing the extent of preferred natural habitats within protected areas should benefit the conservation of this and probably other insect-eating raptors. However, substantial increases in extent and number of protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa are very unlike to occur. Conservation actions in the region should therefore be mostly focused on improving land use planning and management outside protected areas, specially enhancing agricultural practices to make biodiversity conservation compatible with poverty alleviation. These can be chiefly targeted at an area of <20,000km 2 of very suitable habitat for these species.We are indebted to Aeropuerto de Castellón for support and funding of the project on satellite tracking of Montagu’s harriers. We are grateful to Servicio de Biodiversidad of the Conselleria de Infraestructuras, Territorio y Medio Ambiente (Generalitat Valenciana) to give the permissions to conduct this study, as well as for its collaboration in the fieldwork. R.L. has a postdoctoral grant (Reference 10/12-C) co-funded by Consejería de Educación y Ciencia (Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha) and the European Social Fund.Peer Reviewe

Population size, breeding performance and territory quality of Bonelli's Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus in eastern Spain

Capsule. A five-year monitoring study is described of overall population stability and differential reproductive success in relation to habitat heterogeneity. Aims. To assess the effect of the altitude and orientation on laying date and breeding performance, and analyse the effect of territory quality as a likely factor that could be regulating the population. Methods. We monitored a population of 28–33 pairs, from 2002 to 2006, counting a total of 131 breeding attempts. Results. Territories located at lower altitude showed higher mean fecundity than those located at higher altitude. The mean laying date was February 18 ± 16 days. Laying date was positively correlated with nest altitude, the coastal pairs laying earlier than those in mountainous regions. Pairs located at lower altitudes showed higher mean fecundity than those located at higher altitudes. There was no preference in mean orientation either in breeding performance or in relationship to nest altitude. We did not find a difference in breeding performance between territories classed as being at high density and those classed as being at low density. Conclusion. The population has remained stable since the first national census was conducted 17 years ago. Our results could be explained in the light of the Habitat Heterogeneity Hypothesis. We suggest a differential reproductive success in relation to habitat heterogeneity.The Conselleria de Territori i Habitatge of the Generalitat Valenciana provided financial support to complete the monitoring of the 2005 breeding season (project N/REF. 28/BD/05)

Individual repeatability in timing and spatial flexibility of migration routes of trans-Saharan migratory raptors.

Satellite-tracking technology has allowed scientists to make a quantum leap in the field of migration ecology. Nowadays, the basic description of migratory routes of many species of birds has been reported. However, the investigation of bird migration at individual level (i.e. repeatability in migratory routes and timing) still remains seldom explored. Here, we investigated repeated migratory trips of a trans-Saharan endangered migratory raptor, the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, tracked by GPS satellite telemetry. We compared between- and within-individual variation in migratory routes and timing in order to assess the degree of repeatability (or conversely, the flexibility) in migration. To this end, we analysed a dataset of 48 trips (23 springs and 25 autumns) recorded for six adult birds during 2007-2013. Our results showed consistent migration timing at the individual level, both in spring and autumn. Interestingly, there was a high degree of flexibility in the routes followed by the same individual in different years, probably due to variations in meteorological conditions. Contrary to expectations of a faster migration in spring than in autumn owing to a time-minimization strategy for breeding, birds spent less time in autumn migration (13 ± 2 days, range = 9-18 d) than in spring migration (19 ± 3 days, range = 13-26 d), which can be explained by differences in environmental conditions en route. Egyptian vultures showed a consistent clockwise loop migration through western Africa, following more easterly routes in autumn than in spring. Finally, our results provide supporting evidence of low phenotypic plasticity in timing of migration (i.e. strong endogenous control of migration) and high flexibility in routes

Habitat use by juvenile Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos in Spain

Dispersing juvenile Golden Eagles are habitat generalists that do not regularly use temporary settlements.Conselleria de Territori i Habitatge of the Generalitat Valenciana and the Spanish Ministerio de Medio Ambiente. P. López-López is supported by an FPU grant of the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (reference AP2005-0874)

Summer pre-breeding movements of Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae revealed by satellite telemetry: implications for conservation

Recent advances in bird tracking technologies are revealing that migratory birds use temporal staging sites other than breeding and wintering areas, and these areas deserve conservation efforts. Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae is a long-distance migratory raptor that breeds colonially on islands and is considered a priority species for conservation. Anecdotal observations indicate that during the pre-breeding period, Eleonora’s Falcons stay in inland areas far away from the colonies, but, to date there are no detailed data concerning the connectivity between these areas and breeding colonies. Using satellite telemetry, we analysed data from four summering events belonging to three individuals breeding in two colonies in the Western Mediterranean (Spain). All of them made inland movements in areas up to c.400 km distant from the respective breeding colonies, visiting several habitats, from forests to arable lands, probably taking advantage of high densities of insects. Perturbations occurring in these areas could threaten Eleonora’s Falcons with serious consequences at the population level. We suggest that conservation measures implemented at breeding and wintering grounds may not suffice and that temporary staging areas should be identified at a larger scale and deserve protection as well.Terra Natura Foundation and the “Servicio de Biodiversidad” (Generalitat Valenciana). U. Mellone is supported by an FPU grant of the Spanish Ministry of Education (reference AP2008-0947). R. Limiñana has a postdoctoral grant (reference 10/12-C) co-funded by “Consejería de Educación y Ciencia” (JCCM) and the European Social Fund. P. López-López is supported by a “Juan de la Cierva” postdoctoral grant of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (reference JCI–2011–09588)