MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications

Contribuição para o conhecimento da estrutura do gene da POMC na dourada (Sparus aurata)

O presente estudo teve como objectivo a determinação da estrutura do gene da POMC da dourada e a comparação com o gene de outros cordados. Foi extraído DNA genómico, a partir do qual foi amplificado o gene da POMC por PCR. O DNA amplificado foi sequenciado após clonagem no vector pGEM TEasy. Procedeu-se ao alinhamento conjuntamente com as sequências constantes no GenBank, e posterior análise pelos métodos de Maximum-Parsimony, Neighbor Joining com Bootstrap e análise baesiana. A estrutura prevista para o gene da dourada foi parcialmente confirmada em laboratório pela sequenciação de parte do gene e de um dos seus intrões, comprovando-se assim a existência de pelo menos dois genes da POMC nesta espécie. A sequenciação em três outros teleósteos da maioria da região correspondente ao exão 3 do Homem, veio confirmar a inexistência de v-MSH neste taxum. Foram definidos conjuntos de cDNA co-ortólogos para as sequências de acantopterígíos

Turbine shutdown as an essential tool to prevent soaring bird fatalities at the Gulf of Suez

Climate change caused by high emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere demands for worldwide reduction in fossil fuel energy production and increased use of wind energy as a clean alternative. However, there is a potential conflict between wildlife conservation and wind energy production. Bird mortalities may be high at windfarms installed along migratory flyways and bottlenecks, where a large number of species and large proportions of their global populations congregate during migration. The Rift Valley/Red Sea (RV-RS) flyway is the second most important flyway in the world for soaring birds, connecting the species’ breeding grounds in Eurasia and the wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa. Soaring birds depend on thermals for migration and thus congregate in large numbers at straits and land bridges to avoid long crosses over sea. The Gabel el Zayt in Egypt, classified as an important bird area is an integral part of the RV-RS flyway. It is located on the shores of the Red Sea, south of the Gulf of Suez land bridge, and its geographical configuration funnels the migratory birds through a narrow land strip framed by the Red Sea mountains and the coastline. Wind regimens in Gabel el Zayt are among the best for wind energy production and large windfarms are already operating in the area. To mitigate soaring bird mortalities at the 240 MW Gabel el Zayt windfarm, STRIX conducted radar assisted wind turbine shutdowns during spring migration from 2016 to 2020. STRIX also established a monitoring program to quantify the number of soaring birds migrating daily, further assess the international importance of the site, and evaluate the risk of mortality due to collisions. Fieldwork was conducted daily from early morning to late afternoon at vantage points located at the perimeter and centre of the windfarm. Observers followed all movements of birds within and outside the windfarm and recorded, among other data, time of observation, species, number of individuals, flight height and flight direction. Meteorological data was recorded hourly. Daily estimates of the number of migratory birds were produced by excluding movements recorded by more than one vantage point. STRIX’s monitoring of soaring birds in the Gabel el Zayt windfarm is to date the most comprehensive study in the region covering the entire spring migration. Forty soaring bird species were recorded between 2016 and 2020, including seven globally threatened and two near threatened species. The total number of soaring birds per year averaged 309,041 individuals and was highest in 2016 with 397,076 recorded soaring birds. Results also show that the site is of international importance for the conservation of 18 species, with numbers recorded per year surpassing 1% of the estimated flyway population. Noteworthy, numbers recorded for seven species surpassed 10% of the flyway population. Furthermore, the application of migrant collision risk Band models to evaluate the species’ vulnerability to mortality by collision, indicates that expected mortalities are not negligible for a large array of species, thus highlighting the importance of conducting radar assisted shutdown operations at windfarms in the region. CWW2022 4 - 8 April 2022 Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands Poster Presentations 96 Theme: 5. Wind and wildlife interaction in practice Turbine shutdown as an essential tool to prevent soaring bird mortality at the Gulf of Suez Alexandre Leitão, Pedro Moreira, Nadine Pires, Nuno C. Vieira, Filipe Canário, Miguel Repas Correspondence author: Alexandre Leitão, STRIX Email: [email protected] presentations and posters are typically about preliminary findings and are usually followed up by a detailed paper. This poster is based only on its abstract and may offer limited information. Please contact us for the detailed project brief, which may offer additional information that you can utilize for your research. This project was commissioned to STRIX by the developers of the Gabel el Zeyt Wind Farm NREA, supported by KfW, EIB and EU

Radar estimates for model parameters of collision risk around wind turbines in the chilean patagonia

SPECIES-SPECIFIC RESPONSES OF ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY PROJECTS Oral presentation Abstract code: MIBE5P26TE6MFKZSJ RADAR ESTIMATES FOR MODEL PARAMETERS OF COLLISION RISK AROUND WIND TURBINES IN THE CHILEAN PATAGONIA Miguel Repas-Goncalves1, Pedro Cardia1, Nuno Cidraes-Vieira1, Cristofer de la Rivera 2, Julio Duran2, 1STRIX, 4450-286 Matosinhos, Portugal, 2Foco Ambiental SpA, Santiago, Chile [email protected] Transitioning our energy economy away from fossil fuel dependence towards one based on renewable and alternative forms of energy requires novel solutions for energy storage, in which the role of hydrogen has promising potential. Very large wind power projects are an increasingly used as source of renewable energy to feed the energy intensive plants for producing green hydrogen and derived fuels, such as green ammonia. But there are concerns of their potential effects on wildlife, particularly on birds. As part of the Total Eren H2 Magallanes Complex, the 10000 MW H2M wind farm is the world’s largest onshore wind power project covering 73.785 ha of Chilean Patagonian grasslands and is included in the IBA (Important Bird Area) of Estancia San Gregorio and in the EBA (Endemic Bird Area) 062 – Southern Patagonia, in the Magellan region of southern Chile, home to the main breeding grounds for the Ruddy-headed Goose Chloephaga rubidiceps, a species classified as Endangered. To address this issue, a comprehensive quantitative radar study was devised to assess the bird collision risk of the Phase 1 (5 GW) of H2M wind power project with focus on the species Ruddy-headed Goose and to design appropriate mitigation actions. The study was conducted over a 12 months period and will provide a detailed understanding of how these species interact with wind turbines. A dual setup comprising of a X-band Birdtrack radar operating in scanning/surveillance and counting modes (horizontal and vertical radar operation, respectively) was used to measure the flight patterns of birds in the study area. This technological approach focused on acquiring empirical and high resolution data for collision risk modelling, including in situ system calibration with bird observers. The use of Birdtrack radar system aimd to increase the accuracy and reliability of the data collected, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of the behavioural responses of the target species. To calculate species specific risk of collision metrics the model parameters were obtained from x-band radar measured empirical data such as flight height, flight speed, flight direction, mean traffic rates and population densities at two vertical mode ranges (0,4 km and 1,5km) and on horizontal mode range (4,5 km). The methodology used to estimate the collision risks and analyse behavioural responses will provide important insights into species-specific responses and behaviour of the target species at the wind farm to inform appropriate mitigation actions. Key words: Radar, Collision Risk Model, Wind turbine, Endangerd species, Ruddy-headed GooseConference presentations and posters are typically about preliminary findings and are usually followed up by a detailed paper. This poster is based only on its abstract and may offer limited information. Please contact us for the detailed project brief, which may offer additional information that you can utilize for your research. This project was commissioned by TotalEnergies to Foco Ambiental in partnership with STRIX

Contrasting trends in two Black-tailed Godwit populations:a review of causes and recommendations

In recent decades, the West European population of Black-tailed Godwits, Limosa limosa limosa, has declined in size at a quite alarming rate, while the Icelandic population, L. l. islandica, has undergone a rapid increase in population size. These two populations have been the subject of a great deal of research, much of which has been focused on understanding the causes and consequences of the contrasting population trends. In 2007, a workshop was held during the annual conference of the International Wader Study Group at La Rochelle, France, with the aims of identifying the likely causes of the population changes and providing recommendations for future actions to improve the conservation of both populations. The available evidence strongly suggests that changes in productivity as a consequence of agricultural intensification are the most likely driver of the decline in L. l. limosa, although the concentration of much of the population in just a few sites in winter and spring is likely to exacerbate their vulnerability to future habitat changes. Agricultural and climatic changes are implicated in the expansion of L. l. islandica, and the availability of both intertidal mudflats and wet grasslands as foraging habitats appears to be very important across much of the winter range of this population. A series of recommendations for actions to conserve both populations are provided, including improving agricultural land management and protecting key passage and winter sites and habitats

Contrasting trends in two Black-tailed Godwit populations: a review of causes and recommendations

In recent decades, the West European population of Black-tailed Godwits, Limosa limosa limosa, has declined in size at a quite alarming rate, while the Icelandic population, L. l. islandica, has undergone a rapid increase in population size. These two populations have been the subject of a great deal of research, much of which has been focused on understanding the causes and consequences of the contrasting population trends. In 2007, a workshop was held during the annual conference of the International Wader Study Group at La Rochelle, France, with the aims of identifying the likely causes of the population changes and providing recommendations for future actions to improve the conservation of both populations. The available evidence strongly suggests that changes in productivity as a consequence of agricultural intensification are the most likely driver of the decline in L. l. limosa, although the concentration of much of the population in just a few sites in winter and spring is likely to exacerbate their vulnerability to future habitat changes. Agricultural and climatic changes are implicated in the expansion of L. l. islandica, and the availability of both intertidal mudflats and wet grasslands as foraging habitats appears to be very important across much of the winter range of this population. A series of recommendations for actions to conserve both populations are provided, including improving agricultural land management and protecting key passage and winter sites and habitats