Tag Archive for: nature

Rabbits

Recognition of the Iberian rabbit as a ‘distinct species’ prevents its extinction

International research from Portugal and the UK say the European rabbit is in fact two species split two million years ago, the Iberian one now being in decline.
Until recently, scientists took it for granted that only a single species of rabbit lived on the Iberian Peninsula.
A study – ‘When taxonomy lags behind evolution’- published in Biological Conservation now calls that into question.

According to the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO) of the University of Porto, it is in fact a case of two species with separate evolutionary histories: the Iberian rabbit (Oryctolagus algirus) and European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

The former occurs naturally in Portugal and south-western Spain, while the latter dominates the eastern part of the Peninsula and is the source of the populations introduced in Europe, Oceania and the Americas, where it often behaves as an invasive species.


The two animals diverged roughly two million years ago, when they became isolated in different refuges during the Quaternary glaciation: one in the Ebro Valley, the other in the Gulf of Cádiz. Since then they have barely interbred to any significant extent, despite looking very similar at first glance.

The differences are not confined to genetics. There are profound biological differences. The Iberian rabbit is smaller, with darker fur, smaller litters with lower population densities  and earlier sexual maturity than the European species. They also differ in their gut microbiome and the parasites they harbour.
The authors point to precedents: giraffes long grouped as a single species until genomics revealed that there are in fact four.

While the European rabbit populations remain stable – or are even increasing to the point of causing agricultural damage – the Iberian rabbit is in marked decline in Portugal and western Spain and meets the criteria ’endangered species.’ The problem is not just statistic. Game restocking usually releases European rabbits – which are more abundant and prolific – into areas where only the Iberian species previously lived. That can accelerate its replacement through competition.  

The issue goes well beyond the animal itself.
Rabbits are prey for the Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle, so its conservation status shapes that of much Mediterranean wildlife.

‘It is no longer possible to manage rabbit populations in the Iberian Peninsula as if they constituted a single biological entity. Recognising these two species is fundamental to developing appropriate and tailor-made conservation measures and preventing a single evolutionary lineage from continuing its decline’, emphasis Nuno Ferrand, director at CIBIO and one of the authors of the study.

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Conservation

Portugal fined for environmental failings

Portugal has been fined 10 million euro’s by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failing to comply with the Habitats Directive (adopted in 1992), that aims to protect over a thousand species, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and plants. It also has been ordered to pay a compulsory fine of 41,250 euro’s a day until it complies with a previous court order from 2019.

The daily fine corresponds to a penalty of 750 euros for each of the sites, that the court stated had ‘still not be been protected’ despite the Portuguese Government having been ordered seven years ago to comply with EU laws. The fine will be reduced once a site is brought into compliance.

The court said in a statement that ‘these are particularly serious breaches of EU environmental law, in which Portugal has persisted’, whereas ‘its territory hosts rich biodiversity – including 99 habitat types and 335 species covered by the Habitats Directive .´

The European Commission has battled for years to try to force Portugal to conserve and protect habitats and species in areas that should have been designated for conservation under the EU Habitats Directive, that established Natura 2000– the world’s largest ecological network .


Under EU law, sites of community importance include Peneda-Geres – Portugal’s only National park – the natural park Lithoral Norte and the Minho and Lima rivers. Also included are Valongo, home to rare fern species and an important site for the golden-striped salamander, the Serra D’Arga mountain and Corno do Bico, a protected landscape.

The Government was ordered by court to comply with the EU Habitats Directive  in a case brought by the European Commission in 2019 after allegations it had failed to designate sites of community importance as special areas of conservation (SAC).

Under the directive, countries had to designate sac sites that needed protection within six years, with accompanying measures to protect rare habitats and species. In 2019 the court found that Portugal had failed to fulfil its obligations to designate 61 areas under the Atlantic and Mediterranean biodiversity classification.

Although a spokesman of the government declared that ‘’very little remains to be done for the work to be completed and to fully comply with the obligations arising from the Habitats Directive’, environmental NGO ZERO (Association for a Sustainable Terrestrial System) criticised the government for not taking the implementation of environmental projects seriously.

Enjoy your week          Aproveite a semana               (pic Sapo/Ptres)






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Elephants

‘We cared for her for over 13 years, and she will be hugely missed, but we could not see her living alone any longer’ – Antwerp’s zoo director.

Kariba, a female elephant from the zoo in Antwerp, Belgium will be the first resident to arrive at a new large-scale sanctuary being created on land located in the Alentejo – i.e. in the municipalities of Vila Viçosa and Alandroal.

‘We expect Kariba to arrive early next year,’ revealed Kate Moore, the managing director of the non-profit organization Pangae.
The elephant came from Zimbabwe to Europe, where she lived the last 40 years in various zoos, but will end up living her final years in the sanctuary

Regarding the budget, the director said that – over approximately 10 years – the organization expects to invest 15 million euros.

Pangea was set up to solve a practical problem. Over 600 elephants are living in captivity across Europe. Most EU states have banned the use of elephants in circuses and zoos, yet without sanctuary space, they are hard to implement. Lack of alternatives means that the animals languish alone or in unsuitable conditions for years on end.

‘Elephants are deeply intelligent, sentient and social. Their needs are complex, and when not met, they suffer,’ emphasizes the director.
‘Our mission is to provide lifelong sanctuary with both specialist care and a space to live with dignity and autonomy in the most natural surroundings possible.’  

Miguel Repas, the organization’s technical consultant, explains that the reserve will provide the animals with ‘tranquillity, peace and freedom,’ and therefore will not be open to the public. However, programs for schools are planned, and a so-called ‘discovery centre’ will be created, offering experiences and interactions with elephants

Remembering that the sanctuary’s future guests ‘have never had contact with nature’, the biologist stressed, and that the animals will ‘have to relearn how to live in the wild and socialize’ with other elephants.
The sanctuary will have stables to house the elephants, a central support services area and fences capable to withstand a load of 60 tons.

The two mayors from Vila Viçosa and Alandroal welcome the initiative and the opportunities it brings.‘This is a project the Alentejo can be proud of. Pangea benefits not only elephants but our communities too: new jobs, business for local suppliers and visitors to the region.’

With an estate of 1,000 acres, this will be the first large-scale reserve in Europe for elephants that lived in captivity, with a capacity for up to 30 animals.


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Orcas

Orcas sinking boats: annoyed or just playing?

Orcas are known for two things: being very intelligent and being very ruthless.
Last month, new incidents with orcas led to the sinking of a sailing boat just off Costa de Caparica (Lisbon) and damaging boats in Cascais Bay. It is the third boat sinking after confrontations with orcas

The first boat to sink in Portuguese waters was a sailing boat of a French family off the coast near Sines in 2022. Later that same year, another boat involving orcas sank off the coast of Viana do Castelo (Northern Portugal).

Violent interactions with killer whales on the Portuguese coast started around the time of Covid. In September 2021, a sailing boat off the coast of Faro and two more boats between Lagos and Sagres (Algarve) were heavily damaged. And only very recently, five crewmembers had to be rescued from the sea after their vessel lost its rudder following an orca attack off Peniche (Leiria district).

It looks like encounters between sailboats and orcas are becoming increasingly frequent. Since the beginning of this year, about 60 interactions have been recorded, six of them in the last two weeks of September.

This particular group of Iberian orcas is labelled ‘the killer whales of the Strait of Gibraltar’, although they regularly travel along the Atlantic coast, up to the Bay of Biscay (France), and back again. It is a group largely made up of juveniles hitting the hull and the rudder, which usually continues for around twenty minutes.

Although known as killer whales, orcas are not whales. The species Orcinus orca is part of the dolphin family and can measure up to eight metres. This behaviour of ramming vessels probably started with individual orcas, but seems to have spread through social learning.

The Orcinus orca subpopulation – not reaching half a hundred animals – was in 2019 classified as Critically Endangered on the ICNF  (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of threatened species.

The reason for the ‘disruptive behaviour’ of the orcas is unclear. According to ICNF biologist Élio Vicente orcas see the ‘rudders as toys. It’s a mobile, it makes noise, and it attracks curiosity. It is not a negative behaviour from their point of view.’ Researcher Rui Rosa emphasises that the people on board never seem to be targeted. ‘The risk around orcas is more of a navigation concern than a direct danger to human life.’

The recurrence of these episodes is already generating economic impact. Fernando Sá, owner of a nautical school in the Lisbon area – explains that he has stopped authorizing tours to the Tagus river mouth for fear of new incidents.
‘The orcas might look at it as a joke, for the people on board it is not.’   


Enjoy the week                     Aproveite a semana      (pic Lusa/Público)




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