Reconnect to Nature
Birds do more than sing
2020 - 2021
Reconnect to Nature
Controlling pests, recycling nutrients, cleaning habitats, increasing agricultural productivity, promoting forest growth: raising awareness of these and other fundamental ecosystem services provided by birdlife with the aim of informing about their importance and vital role, and alerting people to the problems that have caused the decline of several bird species associated to agricultural ecosystems, is the main objective of the project 'Reconnect to Nature - birds do more than sing' of the environmental non-governmental organisation Palombar - Nature and Rural Heritage Conservation .
This project also aims to empower citizens, offering tools that enable them to intervene in a sustainable manner in the natural capital present in this region, through recreational-educational-informative materials and training activities. The purpose is to change behaviour and promote community involvement, fostering active, participative and informed citizenship, in favour of environmental sustainability.
Additionally, the project aims to bring society closer to science, through the transmission of scientific knowledge in a simple and practical way, involving different stakeholders with important roles in biodiversity conservation, as well as promoting greater interconnection between land managers and nature conservation agents, ensuring greater cooperation and articulation for the benefit of biodiversity.
Project focuses on two groups of birdlife
The project focuses on two groups of birdlife: passerines and birds of prey. In the case of passerines, it will address the services they provide to ecosystems associated with gardens, orchards and forests; and, with regard to birds of prey, the actions will focus on diurnal species linked to the habitat of cereal fields, with the Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) as the flagship species, and nocturnal species associated with farms, with the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) as the highlight species.
During this project, diversified materials will be produced for different digital platforms and printed media. The target audience is the general population, the school community and farmers in particular. Videos, posters, kits and educational content for teachers to address the themes of the project in school contexts, awareness sessions, informal talks and a webinar are some of the materials and actions that integrate this project.
Among other measures, actions aimed at identifying and monitoring the nesting sites of the Montagu's harrier to promote its protection and reproductive success will also be implemented in the intervention area, in close collaboration with local farmers, with the aim of creating a network of landowners "Friends of the Montagu's Harrier".
The project will also promote the monitoring of Barn Owl nests and reveal, through live video images and multimedia content, the behaviour of this species in the nest and alert to the importance of conserving and protecting it.
Raising awareness and educating in bird conservation, through an educational relationship of proximity and cooperation, is the key to ensuring a sustainable future at local, regional and global level, and to preserving the mutually beneficial relationship between man and nature.
Birds found in agricultural habitats are in decline: urgent action is needed to conserve them
Bird biodiversity in Europe is undergoing an unprecedented decline. Recent studies warn that 39% of a total of 170 common bird species are currently experiencing a sharp decline in population, especially those found in agricultural habitats. In Portugal, the situation is especially dramatic for species that we are used to seeing in our daily lives, common species that are, in fact, no longer common. This is the case of the goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), and the turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), the latter with an 80% population decline in the last 15 years.
The decline in wild bird populations leads to a worrying decrease in their services to ecosystems, affecting their balance and maintenance, and generating harmful consequences for habitats, biodiversity, communities, and their well-being.
The main factors responsible for this loss of biodiversity are human activities based on unsustainable agricultural practices, the homogenization and consequent degradation of the agro-forestry-pastoral mosaic, the use of agrochemicals, and direct impacts on the reproductive success of various species, such as the destruction of nests.
In the Trás-os-Montes region, agriculture plays a key role at the social, environmental, and economic levels and contributes significantly to the preservation of the landscape. It is therefore essential to implement environmentally friendly measures in the region that promote the sustainable management of natural resources, ensuring the preservation of biodiversity on the one hand and the socioeconomic viability of rural areas, where the primary sector is crucial, on the other.
Natural services for ecosystems tend to increase and maintain their balance with increased biodiversity, which is a key component of multifunctional ecosystems. It is therefore urgent to promote community awareness of the potential of birds and their ecological functions in ecosystems, with the aim of ensuring the continuity of harmonious and sustainable interaction between human activities, habitats, and biodiversity, which promotes mutual benefits essential to ensuring the survival and well-being of all forms of life.
Coordination Palombar
Area of intervention Intermunicipal Community of Terras de Trás-os-Montes (CIM-TTM)
Funding Environmental Fund - Ministry of the Environment and Climate Action
This project also aims to empower citizens, offering tools that enable them to intervene in a sustainable manner in the natural capital present in this region, through recreational-educational-informative materials and training activities. The purpose is to change behaviour and promote community involvement, fostering active, participative and informed citizenship, in favour of environmental sustainability.
Additionally, the project aims to bring society closer to science, through the transmission of scientific knowledge in a simple and practical way, involving different stakeholders with important roles in biodiversity conservation, as well as promoting greater interconnection between land managers and nature conservation agents, ensuring greater cooperation and articulation for the benefit of biodiversity.
Project focuses on two groups of birdlife
The project focuses on two groups of birdlife: passerines and birds of prey. In the case of passerines, it will address the services they provide to ecosystems associated with gardens, orchards and forests; and, with regard to birds of prey, the actions will focus on diurnal species linked to the habitat of cereal fields, with the Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) as the flagship species, and nocturnal species associated with farms, with the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) as the highlight species.
During this project, diversified materials will be produced for different digital platforms and printed media. The target audience is the general population, the school community and farmers in particular. Videos, posters, kits and educational content for teachers to address the themes of the project in school contexts, awareness sessions, informal talks and a webinar are some of the materials and actions that integrate this project.
Among other measures, actions aimed at identifying and monitoring the nesting sites of the Montagu's harrier to promote its protection and reproductive success will also be implemented in the intervention area, in close collaboration with local farmers, with the aim of creating a network of landowners "Friends of the Montagu's Harrier".
The project will also promote the monitoring of Barn Owl nests and reveal, through live video images and multimedia content, the behaviour of this species in the nest and alert to the importance of conserving and protecting it.
Raising awareness and educating in bird conservation, through an educational relationship of proximity and cooperation, is the key to ensuring a sustainable future at local, regional and global level, and to preserving the mutually beneficial relationship between man and nature.
Birds found in agricultural habitats are in decline: urgent action is needed to conserve them
Bird biodiversity in Europe is undergoing an unprecedented decline. Recent studies warn that 39% of a total of 170 common bird species are currently experiencing a sharp decline in population, especially those found in agricultural habitats. In Portugal, the situation is especially dramatic for species that we are used to seeing in our daily lives, common species that are, in fact, no longer common. This is the case of the goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), and the turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), the latter with an 80% population decline in the last 15 years.
The decline in wild bird populations leads to a worrying decrease in their services to ecosystems, affecting their balance and maintenance, and generating harmful consequences for habitats, biodiversity, communities, and their well-being.
The main factors responsible for this loss of biodiversity are human activities based on unsustainable agricultural practices, the homogenization and consequent degradation of the agro-forestry-pastoral mosaic, the use of agrochemicals, and direct impacts on the reproductive success of various species, such as the destruction of nests.
In the Trás-os-Montes region, agriculture plays a key role at the social, environmental, and economic levels and contributes significantly to the preservation of the landscape. It is therefore essential to implement environmentally friendly measures in the region that promote the sustainable management of natural resources, ensuring the preservation of biodiversity on the one hand and the socioeconomic viability of rural areas, where the primary sector is crucial, on the other.
Natural services for ecosystems tend to increase and maintain their balance with increased biodiversity, which is a key component of multifunctional ecosystems. It is therefore urgent to promote community awareness of the potential of birds and their ecological functions in ecosystems, with the aim of ensuring the continuity of harmonious and sustainable interaction between human activities, habitats, and biodiversity, which promotes mutual benefits essential to ensuring the survival and well-being of all forms of life.
Coordination Palombar
Area of intervention Intermunicipal Community of Terras de Trás-os-Montes (CIM-TTM)
Funding Environmental Fund - Ministry of the Environment and Climate Action