Founded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
2022 - 2024
Objective: Understand the extent and causes of individual specialization and its implications at ecological, evolutionary and conservation levels.
To understand how individual specialization in different dimensions of the trophic and spatial ecology relates to major ecological and environmental factors
To understand how individual specialization changes across spatial and temporal scales
To understand how marine habitat and resource predictability modulates individual consistency and specialization
How individual specialization relates to fitness
Objective: Improve our knowledge of the bycatch impacts of different types of industrial fisheries and fishing gear on seabirds and marine turtles and of the most sensitive areas, build capacity on monitoring and research in West Africa and make all information and data available through databases.
Establish bycatch databases in at least 4 countries of the project and deliver data from the observer programme to the databases.
Support and supervise 2 ongoing PhD students undertaking EAF/ bycatch research and 6-8 MSc students to complete courses with EAF/ bycatch research components, with strategic input of 1 to 2 post-doctorate positions.
Ongoing research programme to assess the overlap between seabird and turtle bycatch and fisheries distributions (mostly based on existing seabird/turtle tracking data and VMS/AIS vessel data and data from the observer programme); and publish fisheries, seabird and turtle distribution maps including their overlap, maps and bycatch rates.
Investigate the origin of turtles and seabirds caught by fishing vessels in West African waters.
Investigate mechanisms of co-occurrences between fishing boats and seabirds.
Objectives:
Identify the main foraging areas of Puffinus yelkouan and their activity patterns along the Mediterranean and evaluate the potential overlap among different colonies/populations.
Define foraging habitat characteristics of Puffinus yelkouan, and explore the suitability of environmental variables as early predictors of the seabird distribution.
Assess and characterize the spatiotemporal overlap and interactions between Puffinus yelkouan, and the different types of fisheries operating from nearby harbours.
Evaluate the suitability of the current MPA network along the Mediterranean, through the spatial overlap among seabirds, fisheries and already-protected areas.
Funded by MAVA Foundation and Coordinated by BirdLife International
2019-2021
Objective: Improve the knowledge and promote the conservation of Cape Verde seabirds.
Identify the main breeding areas for Cape Verde seabirds.
Monitoring the phenology and reproductive success of Cape Verde seabirds.
Identify and control the main threats both in the breeding areas and in the sea.
Determine the size and population trend of the different species of seabirds.
Knowing the foraging strategies and identify the most important feeding areas for seabirds during the breeding season.
Knowing the migration and the areas used outside the reproductive period.
Determination of the trophic ecology of each species through the analysis of regurgitated and stable isotopes and genetic analysis.
Training of biologists, protected area technicians and NGOs in research and monitoring techniques.
Raise awareness of the Cape Verdean population for the conservation of seabirds.
Preparation of an action and management plan for each seabird species of Cape Verde.
Funded by Fundación Biodiversidad from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographical Challenge
2020 - 2021
Objective: improve the management of RAMPE and fishing activities, by studying the distribution of the Audouin's gull and its interactions with fisheries
Determine the overlap of the distribution of Audouin's gull with the RAMPE.
Characterize the interactions between seagulls and fishing vessels inside and outside RAMPE.
Determine differential sensitivity to interactions and bycatch in relation to the age of seagulls.
Enhance the current RAMPE for the conservation of marine biodiversity in general and of seabirds in particular.
Objective: RAMPE evaluation to improve fisheries and aquaculture management and conservation of pelagic and coastal birds in the Canary Islands and Spanish Levantine Coast.
Identify the main feeding areas of seabirds in the Canary Islands and the Spanish Levantine Coast.
Analyze spatial consistency over the years and assess the possible suitability of a dynamic approach in the definition of RAMPE.
Determine the type and degree of interaction of seabirds with fish farms and the fishing fleet in the Canary Islands and the Spanish Levantine Coast.
Management proposals that improve the suitability of RAMPE as a conservation tool for pelagic and coastal birds in the Canary Islands and the Spanish Levantine Coast.
Enhancement of RAMPE between fishermen and fish farmers.
Funded by National Programme for Research Aimed at the Challenges of Society. Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad
2017 - 2019
Funded by Actions of Networks of Excellence, Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad
2017 - 2019
Funded by MAVA Foundation and Coordinated by BirdLife International
2017 - 2019
Objective: Improve the knowledge and promote the conservation of Cape Verde seabirds.
Identify the main breeding areas for Cape Verde seabirds.
Monitoring the phenology and reproductive success of Cape Verde seabirds.
Identify and control the main threats both in the breeding areas and in the sea.
Determine the size and population trend of the different species of seabirds.
Knowing the foraging strategies and identify the most important feeding areas for seabirds during the breeding season.
Knowing the migration and the areas used outside the reproductive period.
Determination of the trophic ecology of each species through the analysis of regurgitated and stable isotopes and genetic analysis.
Training of biologists, protected area technicians and NGOs in research and monitoring techniques.
Raise awareness of the Cape Verdean population for the conservation of seabirds.
Preparation of an action and management plan for each seabird species of Cape Verde.
Objectives: A global analysis of the spatial overlap between seabirds, their marine habitat, their interactions with fishing vessels, and the fishing activities of each fleet, along the Spanish east coast in general, and very particularly with the current RAMPE.
Identify the main feeding areas of seabirds in the Spanish Levantine coast and their spatial consistency over the years.
Characterize the habitat of pelagic birds, and explore the suitability of specific environmental variables as early predictors of their distribution.
To determine the type and degree of interaction between pelagic birds and the fishing fleet of the Spanish Levantine coast, and to identify the factors that modulate.
Enhancement of RAMPE and management proposals that improve the suitability of the network as a conservation tool for pelagic birds.
Conclusions:
The results show that the movements of birds can change remarkably throughout the different phases of the period reproductive. This implies that the exposure of birds to different threats.
The bathymetry and the distance to the breeding colony are the most influential variables when defining the feeding areas of these species.
The trawl fleet overlap was relevant for most species which requires a high degree of utilization of fishing discards by all these birds. Also, the high degree of overlap between the surface longline fleet and Calonectris borealis and C. diomedea, mainly due to the associated risk of accidental capture.
The high degree of overlap between these birds, certain fisheries and the current RAMPE has been verified. Specific areas have also been evidenced that are not currently included in the RAMPE.
Funded by National Parks Autonomus Agency, Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente
2015 - 2018
Funded by National Programme for Fostering Excellence in Scientific and Technical Research. Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad
2014 - 2016
Funded by Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)
2013 - 2014
Marie Curie Career Integration Grant, Research Executive Agency, European Commission
2013 - 2017
Funded by National Program of Biodiversity, Natural Science and Global Change (Biodiversity). Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.
2010-2012