Environmental Inventory: also producing and publishing information to conserve biodiversity

The environmental inventory for wildlife impact studies of renewable energy projects produces data, which are money from the developer and the work of specialists, qualified personnel, and environmental consultancy. And they are wasted. They are wasted because they are not treated, they are presented raw, and also because they are not published, which is a channel for sharing them.

Thus, we also provide information to wildlife technicians to make decisions about biodiversity conservation. An example of how to use so much time in the field to produce not only raw data but also elaborate information, and not only for environmental impact studies but also for professionals: government technicians and also other environmental consulting colleagues.

We present a technical article that we published in the RCO (the Ardeola Catalan) about agrosteppe raptors and the Natura 2000 network. A study on the population of the Kestrel Kestrel (Falco Naumanni) in the ZEPA ES435 Steppe area on the right bank of the Guadarrama River. We took advantage of the census prior to the declaration of the ZEPA (Martínez ampersand Al. 2004) and the census of primillas in a cluster of photovoltaic solar energy projects. Therefore, there is an ecological and also administrative context: the ZEPA/IBAs. And also a milestone: the declaration as a Natura 2000 space. And that's what we're dealing with; the effect of the declaration as a Natura 2000 space, and the appropriateness of the ZEPAs to preserve the primillas. Although the Natura 2000 Network cushions the population decline (which is growing by 11%), the spatial coverage of the ZEPAs is insufficient to protect agrosteppe raptors (primillas and also harriers; Guixé D and Arroyo B, 2011); they do not include camping areas, not even breeding colonies (only 30% of the primilla population in ZEPA ES435).

In addition, these technical documents often support the declaration or extension of ZEPA and they also facilitate the monitoring of species for fauna technicians: as a summary and starting document. It also accredits the technical solvency, vocation and involvement of environmental consultants in the conservation of biodiversity. Environmental consulting should relate better to academia and management, and not assume the role of the usual suspect.

At Ideas MedioAmbiental, we record and also process data to produce quality information and facilitate decision-making on renewable energy projects. And, in addition, we are concerned with collaborating with government technicians and producing information (the data prepared, not raw) to conserve biodiversity.

References

Guixé D and Arroyo B. 2011. Appropriateness of Special Protection Areas for wide-ranging species: the importance of scale and protecting foraging, not just nesting habitats. Animal Conservation 14:391-399

Martinez C. 2005. Distribution, abundance, habitat requirements and conservation of steppe birds of special interest in Castilla-La Mancha. Madrid: Higher Council for Scientific Research.

Salgado I and Bustamante F. 2023. The Natura 2000 Network and agrosteppe raptors: the kestrel kestrel in the ES435 ZEPA steppe area on the right bank of the Guadarrama River. Magazine Catalana D'ornithology 39:65-70

Cover photo by Marco Ánson Ramos

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