Life Lutreola Spain project to strengthen the populations of the European vison

2015/06/11 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ekologia
• Ingurumena

XIX. Although until the 19th century it spread throughout Europe, at present the area of ??the vison has been reduced to 10% and is only found in areas such as the Basque Country, La Rioja, Burgos and Aragon, the Danube delta (Romania and Ukraine) and probably in areas of France and Russia. Most of these areas or places are within the Natura 2000 Protected Places Network.

According to the latest studies, in Spain there are a maximum of 500 individuals. Most of the population is concentrated on the Mediterranean side, specifically in the Ebro basin; the rest is distributed in small groups in the Cantabrian basins of the Basque Country. The European Habitats Directive considers the European vison as a priority species and establishes the need for strict protection and protected areas.

With this vision, the Life Lutreola Spain project has been launched, together with the LIFE+ programme of the European Union, with three main objectives. On the one hand, the elimination of American vison groups in the areas of distribution of the European vison, since, in addition to the destruction of habitat and human influence, this invasive species constitutes the greatest current threat of the European vison.

On the other hand, those responsible for the project want to increase the viability of European vison populations. To do this, “initiatives to strengthen the population” will be carried out, including “reintroduction projects”, said the environmental technician of the Bizkaia Provincial Council, Nestor Zabala. Finally, it aims to create an effective monitoring network to evaluate the status of both species.

The project will be developed in the period 2014-2018 and has the participation of the following entities: Tragsatec; Diputaciones Forales de Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa y Araba; Ayuntamiento de Vitoria; Gobierno de La Rioja, Valencia y Aragón; Parque Senda Viva de Navarra and Asociación del Visón Europeo.