Andrew J. Green

One study suggests that conservation efforts are concentrated around a small number of charismatic species, such as elephants. However, there are undervalued species, such as fungi, plants and invertebrates, that are critical to the functioning of ecosystems. The research, published in the journal PNAS, analysed more than 14,000 conservation projects spanning a 25-year period - from 1992 to 2016. Of the nearly $2 billion allocated by the projects, 83% went to vertebrates. Plants and invertebrates each received 6.6% of the funding, while fungi and algae received less than 0.2%.

An international team of researchers has reconstructed the first European seed dispersal network based on a literature review. The data indicate that extinction threats and demographic changes in the animals that disperse them have resulted in 30% of plant species having their dispersers listed as 'high concern.' The lack of seed dispersal could hinder the recovery of declining plant populations. The authors publish their results in the journal Science. 

Species of birds common in the marshes of Doñana as the common tern, the brown pochard, the marbled teal, the marsh harrier or the black-bellied sandpiper have recorded a decline in their population for more than a decade, a trend that accelerated since 2019. This is one of the conclusions of the Report on the conservation status of waterfowl in Doñana, published today by SEO/BirdLife.

The Participation Council of Doñana has analysed this Monday in an extraordinary meeting the bill presented in the Andalusian Parliament that aims to extend the legal irrigation in the area. The Andalusian Government maintains its support for the new regulation, which will begin its parliamentary debate tomorrow, Wednesday, with the proposal to take the bill into consideration. For his part, the director of the Doñana Biological Station, Eloy Revilla, in his speech to the Council warned of the general deterioration of the lagoon system and pointed out that "the current exploitation of the aquifer is not sustainable". "Spain has been condemned by the European Court of Justice for failing to comply with its obligations under the Water Framework Directive and the Habitat Directive," he said. The Ministry for Ecological Transition has warned that it will take the law to the Constitutional Court.

British ecologist Andy Green came to Doñana three decades ago inspired by the international fame and biodiversity of these marshes, an annual meeting point for millions of migratory birds. Today he is one of the researchers from five countries "urgently" warning that groundwater extraction and strawberry crops "seriously threaten" Doñana.