PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The “Pico da Vara /Ribeira do Guilherme” Natura 2000 site is a major hotspot for biodiversity within the EU and the Macaronesia biogeographical region. It is home to one of Europe’s most endangered birds - the Azores bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina). Listed as a priority species for conservation in the EU Birds Directive, it is severely threatened by the growth of invasive alien plant species (IAS), which are destroying the native forests, heaths and shrubs, including the priority, Habitats Directive-listed, Macaronesian laurel forests – which provide a vital food source. The control of IAS, particularly on islands, is one of the priorities of biodiversity conservation in the EU.
The conservation of the Azores bullfinch was the target of a previous LIFE Nature project at this site, “PRIOLO” (LIFE03 NAT/P/000013). Selected as a ‘Best of the Best’ LIFE project, it resulted in new techniques of IAS control, habitat restoration and the improvement of economic benefits to local communities. However, some significant gaps still need to be filled in order to complete this work and secure the site’s priority species and valuable habitats.
OBJECTIVES
The Life Terras do Priolo project’s main objective was to implement sustainable management measures for the conservation of the priority Azores bullfinch and the preservation of rare and endangered habitats. Specific project aims were to:
- Improve habitat quality and access to food sources throughout the year for the targeted bird species;
- Connect recovered areas of priority laurel forest, by recovering sensitive and sloping areas between the habitats;
- Assure the long term stability of bird populations and reduce of impact of alien predators;
- Raise awareness among stakeholders and local people and involve them in the conservation of the site;
- Promote coordinated management of the site – including developing sustainable public use and increased revenues for local people and for the São Miguel Island nature park, through the promotion of sustainable tourism.
RESULTS
The Terras do Priolo project implemented sustainable management measures crucial for the conservation of the endangered Azores bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina), known locally in Portuguese as the priolo, and the conservation of priority habitats of laurel forest in Natura 2000 sites on the island of São Miguel (Azores, Portugal) where the species is endemic. At project end, a stable Azores bullfinch population of around 1 000 individuals was being maintained.
The project team improved the quality of laurel forest habitat to ensure year-round food resources for the Azores bullfinch population, and connected recovered areas to create a continuous area of habitat. They restored priority habitats in an altitudinal gradient between 300 and 800 m, to account for seasonal feeding (bullfinches feed in higher areas during the summer), including areas impacted by landslides. A total of 26 ha of laurel (Laurissilva Mésica) forest were restored, of which 8 ha were pure stands of the tree Pittosporum undulatum. The team restored a total of 6 ha along a 500 m water course adjacent to the altitudinal gradient, controlling invasive species and using a set of natural engineering techniques to recover the river's ecological status. To create a protective ring against the entry of new invasive species in recovered areas, the project team restored 56 ha of altitude Laurissilva forest, transplanting a total of 277 000 specimens of native species that were mainly raised in project nurseries.
To ensure the long-term stability of the Azores bullfinch population, the project team reduced the impact of invasive non-native predators and established a long-term monitoring system. Rodents were identified as one of the main threats, so the project team tested different methodologies while conducting a rodent control action to reduce rodent densities in the main bullfinch breading areas.
The project team raised awareness among stakeholders and the local population of the Natura 2000 network, involving them in conservation activities in the Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme SPA. These included 279 activities for the general public, with 15 761 participants; 464 school activities involving 14 390 students, and 7 training courses for teachers. Awareness was also raised among about 14 600 visitors to the SPA, through the Priolo Environmental Centre.
Project outcomes will result in a more effective long-term management of laurel forests in Natura 2000 sites. The project team drafted the Management Plan proposal for the Pico da Vara/Ribeira do Guilherme SPA. They mapped vegetation, as a basis for an invasion species risk map; produced a Strategy to combat Invasive Flora in the Lands of Priolo; and developed an early detection system for invasive species based on citizen science. These tools also fed into the Management Plan for the Natural Park of Ilha de São Miguel.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).
