The Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC) has completed the OAPN_CHAFARINAS_0825 survey, aimed at characterizing the marine habitats of the Chafarinas Islands, whose waters have been declared a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) within the Natura 2000 network. This first phase has focused on the deepest areas, between 60 and 10 meters deep, using the oceanographic vessel Ramón Margalef and the remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV Liropus). In September, a second survey will explore the shallowest seabeds of the archipelago using scientific diving.

The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) closed the application period for the 2025 calls for proposals under the Empleaverde+ and Pleamar programs in July, which have been highly sought after. A total of 358 applications were received, aimed at promoting training for green jobs and the sustainability of fishing, through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and the European Maritime Fund for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EMFAF), respectively.

The Tablas de Daimiel National Park, one of the last remaining examples of the riverbank ecosystem in Europe, recorded an exceptional waterbird census in 2025. Never before in the historical monitoring series had such a high diversity and abundance of breeding species been detected.

The authorities responsible for wolf management (the autonomous communities) and the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) have concluded the second coordinated national census of wolves in Spain. The total number of wolf packs across Spain is 333, a 12% increase compared to the previous census (2012-2014), which recorded 297 packs.

Ministers and representatives of the 15 signatory states of the OSPAR Convention and the European Union concluded a key meeting yesterday in Vigo to consolidate international cooperation in the protection of the marine environment. Under the Spanish presidency, the meeting served to agree on concrete measures to address some of the main threats affecting the ocean: pollution, biodiversity loss, and the effects of climate change.

The Council of Ministers approved this Tuesday, at the proposal of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), a Royal Decree declaring ten new Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), approving their corresponding management plans, and establishing conservation measures, which also apply to seven Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAs). Additionally, it proposes modifying the geographical boundaries of 12 protected areas of the Natura 2000 Network in the Mediterranean Marine Region.

The Council of Ministers approved today, at the proposal of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), the formal processing of the Preliminary Draft Law implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR) on the marketing of deforestation-free products. This regulation will ensure compliance with the European Regulation (EUDR), which aims to minimize the European Union's contribution to global deforestation and forest degradation.

The Council of Ministers approved this Tuesday, at the proposal of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), the Royal Decree approving the second-cycle marine strategies. This complies with the legal mandate established in Law 41/2010 on the protection of the marine environment and in Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for Community action in marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive).

This week, the first chicks of the Iberian reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus witherbyi) successfully bred in captivity were born at the La Granja Wildlife Recovery Center in El Saler (Valencia), marking a milestone in the conservation of this subspecies, listed as "Endangered" in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species. The birth of these chicks increases the captive population to a total of seven individuals.

The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), through the General Directorate of Biodiversity, Forests, and Desertification, has intensified its efforts to combat the spread of the exotic algae Rugulopteryx okamurae, an invasive species that is causing significant impacts on marine ecosystems and sectors such as fishing, tourism, and port activities, especially along the southern coast of the peninsula, but also in other marine waters across the country.