LIFE CANAL DE CASTILLA BULLETIN

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The programme has a planned duration of four years and a budget of 1,593,488 euros, partially financed by the European Commission.

These wetlands have been deteriorating for decades as a result of drainage, dumping and other harmful human interventions.

1 LIFE CANAL DE CASTILLA BULLETIN Quarterly Newsletter on the Life-Nature Project: Wetland Restoration and Management: Canal de Castilla Special Protection Area Editorial nº1 May 2007 Life CANAL DE CASTILLA Content Canal de Castilla Life Project participants News Canal de Castilla ponds Agenda Content p.2 p.3 p.4 p.5 p.8 The Canal de Castilla LIFE-Nature programme kicked off on October 1, The programme has a planned duration of four years and a budget of 1,593,488 euros, partially financed by the European Commission. The programme will make it possible to restore, manage and conserve more than thirty singular wetlands associated with the Canal of Castile. These wetlands have been deteriorating for decades as a result of drainage, dumping and other harmful human interventions. The Canal de Castilla LIFE programme foresees a series of actions ranging from water restoration, wildlife studies, raising the awareness of the local community and encouraging their participation, and others. These actions are designed to recover the wetlands and enhance their value as part of Spain's ecological heritage. This bulletin will report periodically on the progress of our interventions and on the results achieved within the framework of this LIFE programme. It will also act as a communication tool between the different organisations and agents involved in conserving and managing the natural wealth of these wetlands. Fernando Jubete Tazo Co-ordinator, Canal de Castilla LIFE Programme Fundación Global Nature Page 1 of 8

Canal de Castilla LIFE, a project for managing the ponds of the Canal de Castilla LIFE The LIFE Programme is a financial instrument created by the European Union in 1992 to apply, update and develop

It is designed as a means for seeking solutions to environmental problems arising in Europe.

2 Canal de Castilla LIFE, a project for managing the ponds of the Canal de Castilla LIFE The LIFE Programme is a financial instrument created by the European Union in 1992 to apply, update and develop Community policy and regulations in conservation and environmental protection matters. It is a tool for integrating environmental concerns into other policies of the European Union. It is designed as a means for seeking solutions to environmental problems arising in Europe. The Life programme is divided into three areas with specific objectives: Nature & Biodiversity, Environment & Governance and Third Countries. LIFE- Nature programmes support the Natura 2000 Network created as an outcome of the application of two Community directives: the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) and the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). These directives target the conservation in situ of species of flora and fauna and the most notable habitats of the European Union. On April 25, 2006, the habitats' committee of the European Commission approved the LIFE-Nature project denominated " Wetland Restoration and Management: Canal de Castilla Special Protection Area. Valdemorco Pond PROJECT The project has a duration of four years, from October 2006 to September 2010, and involves an investment of 1,593,448 euros, 40% of which is provided by the European Union. The primary aim of the project is to guarantee the restoration, conservation and management of more than thirty wetlands lying along the Canal of Castile. These wetlands are valuable natural areas that harbour habitats and species of Community interest. Most of the wetlands are part of the Natura 2000 Network, having been designated as Special Protection Areas (SPA) for birds or proposed as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). ACTIONS The Canal of Castile wetlands have deteriorated under the weight of human activities. To improve the ecological conditions of the wetlands, the project is targeting five main actions: A. Preparation of a management and operation plan for the special protection area: Canal de Castilla Wetlands. Measures will be established to facilitate the management and conservation of the different habitats and plant and animal species found here. B. Purchase of land adjacent to the La Venta pond, the largest Canal of Castile wetland, which will be managed in accordance with different conservation criteria. C. Habitat management consisting of hydrologic restoration works and management of helophytic vegetation to improve the habitat of various high-priority species. D. Awareness raising among the local community and dissemination of results to enhance knowledge of the value and importance of wetlands locally and among the social agents involved. E. Monitoring studies and inventory of the main vertebrate animal communities considered highpriority for conservation, such as the bittern (Botaurus stellaris) and the marsh harrier (Circus aeroginosus). Page 2 of 8

3 Presentation of LIFE Project participants Castile-Leon Natural Heritage Foundation A. Beneficiary The Castile-Leon Natural Heritage Foundation, as part of the Regional Fundacion Global Nature Fundación Global Nature is the programme beneficiary and the technical and financial project coordinator. This organisation has worked for nature conservation in Spain for more than 12 years. Its mission statement and projects can be found at its web site: The Palencia office of the foundation has developed various projects focusing on the conservation and recovery of wetlands and their flora and fauna. B. Partners Duero River Hydrographic Confederation The Duero River Hydrographic Confederation is the administrative body responsible for the waterways and water resources of the Duero River basin. It belongs to the Ministry of the Environment and has its own web site: Executive of Castile-Leon, is responsible for restoring, reinforcing, promoting and integrally managing the natural heritage of Castile and Leon, in addition to making the natural wealth of the protected areas of Castile and Leon known. Information: C. Financial partners Provincial Council of Palencia Web site of the Provincial Council of Palencia: Unilever Web site of Unilever Spain: Natura Europe's nature for you This site is part of the European Natura 2000 Network. It has been designated because it hosts some of Europe's most threatened species and habitats. All 27 countries of the EU are working together through the Natura 2000 network to safeguard Europe's rich and diverse natural heritage for the benefit of all'. Page 3 of 8

The ceremony was attended by regional and local authorities, including the President of the Duero River Hydrographic Confederation, Councillor of the Regional Office of the Environment and President

Other dignitaries at the ceremony were the Territorial Delegate and Mayor of Becerril de Campos.

4 NEWS Official presentation of the Project and Logo On November 6, 2007 the official presentation was held in Becerril de Campos of the LIFE-Nature Project "Wetland Restoration and Management: Canal de Castilla Special Protection Area." At this ceremony, the project and its areas of activity were made known to the public. The ceremony was attended by regional and local authorities, including the President of the Duero River Hydrographic Confederation, Councillor of the Regional Office of the Environment and President of the Provincial Council of Palencia as representatives of three of the Project's partners and collaborators. Other dignitaries at the ceremony were the Territorial Delegate and Mayor of Becerril de Campos. The event served to underline the importance of the project as a stellar component of the environmental management and conservation of the Canal of Castile. The emblem of the Canal de Castilla Life project was also unveiled during the ceremony. The emblem chosen is the bittern (Botaurus stellaris), a highpriority species benefiting from the project, on a background of the European flag. Monitoring work Since October 2006, the wetlands of the Canal of Castile have welcomed a new neighbour, Gregorio Para Muñiz. Gregorio is the new warden of the wetlands and riparian groves of the Canal. As such, he is responsible for carrying out the wetland monitoring and management work of the project. He will also attend to visitors to the ponds and ensure. "Monitoring Committee" The Monitoring Committee was constituted at the end of Their job is to keep all the organisations and social agents presently or potentially involved in the project informed. The first meeting of the Monitoring Committee was held in Fuentes de Nava (Palencia) on December 21, Thirty-seven people were convened, including members of the 19 town councils that are affected by the project. The LIFE project and all the activities involved were presented to the group. Project web site Monitoring work The official web page of the "Canal de Castilla" Life Project can now be found on the Internet at Interested readers can find extensive information on the project and ponds of the canal. Visitors are invited to check out the news section for the latest reports on the development and progress of the project. lanava@fundacionglobalnature.org Please feel free to contact the technical managers of the project at this . Life CANAL DE CASTILLA Page 4 of 8

Canal de Castilla ponds; an oasis of life in Tierra de Campos The ponds The Canal of Castile was historically one of the most emblematic and ambitious engineering works ever carried out in Spain.

It took almost a century to complete the 207- kilometre canal, from 1753, when work began in Calahorra de Ribas, to 1849, when it concluded in Medina de Rioseco.

5 Canal de Castilla ponds; an oasis of life in Tierra de Campos The ponds The Canal of Castile was historically one of the most emblematic and ambitious engineering works ever carried out in Spain. The original purpose for its construction was to enhance the social and economic development of Castilla La Vieja, at the time a depressed area. It took almost a century to complete the 207- kilometre canal, from 1753, when work began in Calahorra de Ribas, to 1849, when it concluded in Medina de Rioseco. The canal is shaped like an upside down Y and passes through 36 municipalities in the provinces of Burgos, Palencia and Valladolid. It has three branches: the north branch, Campos branch and south branch. As time passed, a series of wetlands of high ecological value formed along the banks of the Canal of Castile and it became an island of biodiversity in the monotonous landscape of Tierra de Campos. Singular origin The wetland areas along the Canal arose directly from the construction of the waterway. The ponds appeared as a result of water filtering from the Canal or because the flow of water from small dry bed streams and irrigation canals was blocked by the canal bank. Water accumulated in areas where an impermeable substrate kept it from seeping it into the soil. Page 5 of 8

Some species have been catalogued as of national interest due to their rarity or endangered status in Spain, e.g., Nitella mucronata and Hippuris vulgaris.

6 Biodiversity The ecological wealth of these ponds lies in the diversity of their aquatic vegetation and vertebrate species. More than 200 plant species have been inventoried, among which the submerged plant species, including genera like Chara, Potamogeton and Nitella, are of particular interest. Some species have been catalogued as of national interest due to their rarity or endangered status in Spain, e.g., Nitella mucronata and Hippuris vulgaris. With regard to vertebrate fauna, the Canal of Castile wetlands are especially important for the conservation of marsh birds. Two species considered high-priority by the Ornis Committee are the bittern (Botaurus stellaris), which nests in some ponds, and the aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola), a regular migratory species that visits the wetlands of the Canal of Castile during its postnuptial passage. Thousands of birds rest and feed in these wetlands during long migratory journeys. Bittern More than 200 species of plants have been inventoried and the submerged plant species are of special interest The mammals include a variety of mustelid species, such as the otter (Lutra lutra), European polecat (Mustela putorius), stoat (Mustela erminea) and American mink (Mustela vison). The American mink is an invasive exotic species that threatens aquatic ecosystems and their biodiversity. Rodents include the southern water vole (Arvicola sapidus), a species that is now in frank regression due to habitat loss and disturbances. In the areas of unbroken water of the ponds, fish communities are represented by Iberian endemisms, such as the Duero nase Mares-tail (Chondrostoma duriense) and Iberian roach (Chondrostoma arcasii). Page 6 of 8

Protection Thanks to the importance of these wetlands as areas of environmental and landscape importance, most of them have been designated as Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPA) and Special

Two types of habitats found in these wetland systems are of Community interest: 3150 - Natural eutrophic lakes with Magnopotamion or Hydrocharition type vegetation and 6420 - Mediterranean tall humid

7 Protection Thanks to the importance of these wetlands as areas of environmental and landscape importance, most of them have been designated as Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPA) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) under the auspices of the Bird and Habitat directives of the European Community. Two types of habitats found in these wetland systems are of Community interest: Natural eutrophic lakes with Magnopotamion or Hydrocharition type vegetation and Mediterranean tall humid herb grasslands of Molinion-Holoschoenion. Despite this degree of protection, many wetlands have disappeared as a result of human actions such as drainage for crops or tree farms. Other threats to the conservation of these singular ecosystems are sedimentation and pollution, uncontrolled burning of marsh vegetation, illegal hunting and fishing and the introduction of exotic species. Himantopus himantopus LIFE-Canal de Castilla The recovery of the Canal of Castile and wetland areas associated with the waterway are among the conservation and management goals of Fundación Global Nature. The importance of the wetlands to the foundation is demonstrated by the work it has done to conserve the canal, which was recognised by the European Union when it awarded the foundation this Life-Nature Project for recovery of the wetlands associated with the Canal of Castile. Page 7 of 8

AGENDA Bittern Workshop On June 22-24, 2007, workshops on habitat management to favour the presence of the bittern as a reproductive species will be held in Fuentes de Nava (Palencia).

Guidelines for habitat management and operation will be offered based on experience obtained in similar projects.

8 AGENDA Bittern Workshop On June 22-24, 2007, workshops on habitat management to favour the presence of the bittern as a reproductive species will be held in Fuentes de Nava (Palencia). These sessions will be conducted by European experts in the management of helophytic vegetation who work with the bittern. Guidelines for habitat management and operation will be offered based on experience obtained in similar projects. Life Canal de Castilla Bulletin nº1 May de 2007 Ringing campaign On July 15, 2007 the first scientific banding campaign will begin in the La Venta pond of Valdemudo. This campaign will continue for three months until October 17th. It is estimated that banding work will involve more than 5,000 bird captures and it should provide many opportunities for learning about the biology of the species that rest and feed in the wetland during postnuptial migration. Banding work will be carried out with the assistance of European and Spanish volunteers. Information anillamiento@fundacionglobalnature.org The Life-Canal de Castilla Bulletin is part of the awareness raising and information dissemination actions of Project LIFE06 NAT/ "Wetland restoration and management: Canal de Castilla Special Protection Area." Fundación Global Nature is the project beneficiary and the Duero River Hydrographic Confederation, Castile- Leon Natural Heritage Foundation and Provincial Council of Palencia participate as partners and co-financers. The European Commission provides 40% of project cofinancing. Publication and preparation: Fundación Global Nature Design and layout: Ignacio Rodríguez and Javier García Photography: Fundación Global Nature and Miguel Rouco Free Distribution 2007 Fundación Global Nature INFORMATION Contact address: Corro Postigo 1, Fuentes de Nava Palencia, Spain Tel: Fax: lanava@fundacionglobalnature.org Page 8 of 8

LIFE CANAL DE CASTILLA BULLETIN

Life Canal de Castilla Bulletin nº8 september of 2010 LIFE CANAL DE CASTILLA BULLETIN Regular Newsletter of the LIFE- Nature project: Wetland Restoration and Management: Canal de Castilla Special Protection