PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The population and distribution of Bonelli's eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus) had declined steeply in Europe in recent years, owing principally to direct attacks on the bird, electrocution, disturbances during the breeding season, habitat deterioration and reduction in food resources. The decline of the population in Spain, where three quarters of the European population was concentrated, had been particularly alarming over the previous two decades. The situation of the species in the six special protection areas (SPA) of Burgos province was no better: ten of the 17 pairs known to be in these areas in 1989 had disappeared by 2000. At the launch of the project, the population at the northern limit of its Spanish distribution comprised only seven pairs, representing 1% of the European population.
OBJECTIVES
The project aimed to improve the productivity of the species and to reduce its mortality by dealing with some of the major threats identified in the area (electric cables, scarcity of food resources and hunting practices, among others). At the same time, the project hoped to expand knowledge of the species and convince the local population of the need for its conservation. To that end, the project would take measures to render harmless the electric cables that have been identified as dangerous. The project was also to improve the existing equipment for monitoring the birds and deliver relevant training to all staff from the regional government that were involved in species conservation. Measures to restore rabbit populations were also be implemented, since this the rabbit is the major prey of the eagle. In addition, the project was to launch a series of awareness-raising campaigns targetted specifically at schools and a range of regional stakeholders such as hunters, farmers, stockbreeders and tourist organisations. All these actions will be incorporated in a conservation plan for Bonelli's eagle in Castile-Leon, the approval of which under the project will guarantee its long-term implementation.
RESULTS
The project achieved its main objectives. However, as the main threats to conservation of Bonelli´s Eagle still persist, maintenance of the actions launched by the project in the future will be of the crucial importance for the recovery of the species. A single new natural disaster could be calamitous for the species. Important advances were achieved in dealing with dangerous electrical lines, in particular by close collaboration with the electric company. Additionally, the project demonstrated the importance of assuring a good source of food for the eagles, especially during breeding. It should be noted that radio tracking of young individuals could not be done as had been planned, since the previous breeding seasons had not been successful. Adult individuals were marked instead. The GPS tracking campaign delivered very interesting results regarding the movement and distribution of the species and its relations with other populations of the bird. The state of the species is still critical in the region targetted by the project, and this project is just one step in the long process of the recovery of Bonelli´s Eagle. The conservation efforts of this project were performed in concert with similar activities being carred out by other LIFE projects in Spain and in other EU Member States where Bonelli's eagle is found.The project achieved its main objectives. However, as the main threats to conservation of Bonelli´s Eagle still persist, maintenance of the actions launched by the project in the future will be of the crucial importance for the recovery of the species. A single new natural disaster could be calamitous for the species. Important advances were achieved in dealing with dangerous electrical lines, in particular by close collaboration with the electric company. Additionally, the project demonstrated the importance of assuring a good source of food for the eagles, especially during breeding. It should be noted that radio tracking of young individuals could not be done as had been planned, since the previous breeding seasons had not been successful. Adult individuals were marked instead. The GPS tracking campaign delivered very interesting results regarding the movement and distribution of the species and its relations with other populations of the bird. The state of the species is still critical in the region targetted by the project, and this project is just one step in the long process of the recovery of Bonelli´s Eagle. The conservation efforts of this project were performed in concert with similar activities being carred out by other LIFE projects in Spain and in other EU Member States where Bonelli's eagle is found.
