This past Thursday, October 5, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), the Regional Government of Castile and León, and the Government of the Principality of Asturias held an informational event in Villablino (León) on the progress and preliminary results of the capercaillie recovery project in the Cantabrian Mountains.

The Cabañeros National Park (Toledo and Ciudad Real) and the Quintos de Mora area (Toledo), managed by the Autonomous National Parks Agency (OAPN), which reports to the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), meet the necessary conditions to support populations of the Iberian lynx (lynx pardinus). This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the panel of expert scientists appointed by the LIFE Lynxconnect project, co-funded by the European Union.

After more than a month and a half of dialogue and intense negotiations, the Vice President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, and the President of the Andalusian Regional Government, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, yesterday signed a historic agreement in Almonte (Huelva) for the Doñana area of influence. This agreement, with which the Andalusian Government puts an end to the proposed law that sought to increase the irrigated area, is a step in the right direction.

The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) is launching a Statement of Interest (MDI) to identify viable projects with an impact on the territory of the Doñana Natural Area. This will identify initiatives and stakeholders interested in developing projects across various types of projects with the potential to drive innovation and industrialization:

The Autonomous Agency for National Parks (OAPN), dependent on the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), has completed the process initiated in 2022 to update the forest management plan for Mount Cabeza de Hierro, popularly known as Pinar de los Belgas, located in the municipality of Rascafría (Madrid), and concludes that it is compatible with the Law declaring the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park.

The breeding rate of the Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) recorded in Spain in 2023 decreased by 35% compared to the previous season due to the severe drought affecting the species' breeding areas, especially in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Last year, 480 chicks were recorded, approximately a third fewer than in 2022, when the number reached 740, thus halting the upward trend of recent years.

The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) is contributing €10 million to the 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, approved at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) on Biological Diversity and formalized in August 2023 at the seventh assembly of the Global Environment Facility.

The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), in collaboration with the General Secretariat for the Demographic Challenge, has announced the 2023 call for grants to boost the bioeconomy linked to the forestry sector and contribute to the ecological transition. 56 projects have been selected from among the 163 applications submitted. The initiatives selected in a call with a budget of €77 million will receive grants of between €100,000 and €2 million per project, with a maximum co-financing of 95%.

The Autonomous National Parks Agency (OAPN), which reports to the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), and SEO/BirdLife, have activated a webcam this Wednesday that will broadcast live from the permanent lagoon in the Tablas de Daimiel National Park.

The European mink population, one of the seven species declared "critical" in Spain in 2018, is estimated at 142 individuals, with a range of between 130 and 157 individuals nationwide. This is the result of a nationwide estimate coordinated by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) and involving all public administrations where this species is present, as well as expert researchers from CIBIO (Portugal) and IREC-CSIC.