Gabriel Sierra Little Bustard is one of the birds that occurs in the new SPAs Zoom In | Hi-Res

Eight new SPAs protect Portugal's birds

23-01-2008

Eight new Special Protection Areas (SPAs) have been approved by the Portuguese Government. This represents an important step for the conservation of the threatened birds of the Alentejo dry grasslands. Now it is fundamental to implement adequate agri-environmental schemes in all these new sites to promote farming practices that are compatible with wildlife.

SPEA (BirdLife in Portugal) was instrumental in this important nature conservation victory – back in June 2000 SPEA sent a formal complaint against the Portuguese Government to the European Commission (EC), for insufficient designation of SPAs (an obligation under the EU Birds Directive) for the conservation of steppe birds. Eight years later, and following a lengthy court proceeding, the Portuguese authorities decided to designate eight new SPAs (Monforte, Veiros, Vila Fernando, São Vicente, Évora, Reguengos, Cuba and Piçarras), totalling 40,349 ha. At least 60 pairs of Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni, 180 Great Bustards Otis tarda and 3,000 Little Bustards Tetrax tetrax occur in the new SPAs.

"It is urgent to guarantee adequate agri-environmental schemes to support farmers willing to protect nature in the current and future SPAs" —Domingos Leitão, Coordinator of SPEA's Rural Programme

However, SPEA is very concerned that agricultural intensification, and tourism, rail and road developments that have happened in the last few years within these areas that have now been designated may have had negative and partly irreversible impacts on the habitats of threatened species. SPEA now calls for the Portuguese administration to halt and, wherever possible, reverse, these processes, in order to safeguard the bird populations in the new SPAs.

Finally, SPEA considers that designation is only the beginning of the process – now the Portuguese authorities have to manage adequately these sites. According to Domingos Leitão, coordinator of SPEA´s Rural Programme, "it is urgent, for example, to guarantee adequate agri-environmental schemes to support farmers willing to protect nature in the current and future SPAs".