Spanish Ornithological Society leads Life Agrostepas Ibericas effort for steppe birds
The Spanish Ornithological Society, known as SEO/BirdLife, oversees a forward-looking program to improve farming practices that safeguard steppe birds across Natura 2000 sites in Extremadura, Aragon, and Alentejo in Portugal. The initiative centers on protecting species tied to agricultural landscapes and maintaining their populations in these regions through practical conservation actions.
The LIFE Agroestepas Ibéricas program allocates a total budget of 3 million euros. It covers thirteen Natura 2000 sites: six in Extremadura, four in Aragon, and three in Alentejo. The plan outlines clear measures to align farming with the needs of threatened birds and explores practical ways for landowners to participate in conservation success, ensuring farms contribute to a healthier ecosystem while remaining productive.
Target species include small bustards and their larger relatives, along with Montagu’s harrier. The project sits within a broader recognition of these birds, reinforced when one species was named Bird of the Year 2023 by the NGO community. The strategy unfolds over the next five years, testing barter-style models that reward farmers while enhancing survival and reproductive success for the most endangered birds linked to farmland ecosystems.
Marcelino Cardalliaguet, SEO/BirdLife representative in Extremadura, described the initiative as ambitious and vital for slowing the decline of the most threatened agricultural birds. The approach aims to build a strong alliance among public administrations, farmers, and conservation groups, ensuring that conservation goals reflect local realities and practical farming needs.
ASAJA, a partner supported by the European Commission, will foster networks of communication with farmers and ranchers within ZEPA zones where the program operates. The objective is to design aid models that protect birds on working farms with direct farmer participation. The approach will be replicated in Aragon and in Portugal, with SPEA and LPN as beneficiary partners and with support from the Portuguese government via the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, ICNF.
Lingering declines in populations
The NGO highlights three species as particularly threatened in agricultural steppes: the bustard, the great bustard, and Montagu’s harrier. All have shown notable downward trends over roughly the past decade and a half. The little bustard has fallen by about 47.6 percent in eleven years, with Extremadura bearing a 64 percent drop between 2005 and 2016, earning an endangered status in that community. In Portugal, national censuses indicate a 49 percent decrease between 2003 and 2016. Across Spain, bustard populations have declined by more than 30 percent from 2005 to 2019, with the sharpest losses in Extremadura and a concerning status in Aragon for the species as a whole.
Montagu’s Harrier has also suffered considerable declines, with Spain recording an average population loss around 23 percent from 2006 to 2017 and Extremadura experiencing about 41 percent decline in the same period. In Portugal, the most recent national census shows the species has lost roughly 80 percent of its population over the last fifteen years. The project therefore concentrates its efforts on protecting this species in Portugal while addressing needs across the other regions.
Promising farming practices
The initiative promotes practical farming practices on cooperating farms and supports the revival of old grain varieties. These strategies suit local climate conditions characterized by low rainfall and high temperatures, enabling farmers to grow crops with higher market value, greater resilience, and reduced reliance on chemical inputs. Advanced techniques include drone imagery and thermal cameras to monitor fields from safe altitudes, enabling precise, wildlife-friendly management of landscapes.
Ana Carricondo, coordinator of SEO/BirdLife conservation programs, emphasizes the need to combine efforts and align interests across farming and conservation. The aim is to ensure robust protection for agricultural habitats while respecting the realities of productive sectors and the people who manage them.
The project is led by SEO/BirdLife and is funded through the European Union LIFE Naturaleza program together with ASAJA as beneficiary partners. It involves regional and national collaborators including Junta de Extremadura through the Directors of Sustainability and Agriculture, Extremadura’s Research Center CICYTEX, and international partners such as the University of Porto’s CIBIO, the SPEA association, and LPN. The collaboration also includes support from the Portuguese government via ICNF and related agencies.
Official program notes indicate continued efforts across EU and national networks to integrate conservation with farming realities, demonstrating a model for future farm-based biodiversity initiatives.