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Threat to Iberian Imperial Eagle
ONE of Spain’s most iconic birds of prey, the Iberian Imperial Eagle is at risk of ex tinction due to the water shortage.
Also known as the Spanish Imperial Ea gle, its survival could be at risk due to a lack of water in the protected Doñana area in Andalucia, according to a news source on Wednesday, July 26.
The large raptor is exclusive to the Iberian Peninsula and on ly lives and breeds in Spanish and Por tuguese territory. But SEO/BirdLife has warned that the water shortage Doñana is currently undergoing is bringing one of the national park’s most iconic threatened birds of prey, the Iberian Imperial Eagle, closer to extinc tion. In the 1960s the species was listed as ‘critically endangered,’ with only 30 pairs remaining, all located in Spain.
However, thanks to conservation efforts over the years its population in the peninsula as a whole revealed that there were 821 pairs found in Spain and 20 in Portugal in 2021 and 2022.
The conservation of this bird of prey has historically been one of the priority objectives in the conservation of Doñana’s wildlife, although data from the latest breeding census in 2023 has pointed to a situation of decline.
Of the eight territories occupied in 2023, seven pairs have started breeding, but four of them have failed completely, and of the six chicks born this year, three have died in the nest for various reasons, meaning that only three Iberian Imperial Eagle chicks have fledged this year in Doñana.
Head of the SEO/BirdLife Technical Office in Doñana, Carlos Davila, said: “Doñana is suffering an unprecedented biodiversity crisis associated with the scarcity of rainfall and, above all, the overexploitation of its water resources, and scientific data are constantly alerting us to the urgency and seriousness of the situation.”
Calls for help with gluten-free
A PETITION has been launched that calls on the Spanish government to help out with the price of glutenfree products, which are considerably higher than standard ones.
People who suffer from Coeliac disease can only eat products without gluten, but to do so they have to pay more for basic foodstuffs such as bread, writes Change.org.
Change.org is an internet platform that allows users to create and sign petitions in order to raise awareness and influence decisionmakers.
Xavier Villegas from Barcelona has highlighted an issue which perhaps people who do not suffer from Coeliac disease are not aware of. In an appeal to the Spanish govern ment, the statement reads: ‘We are calling on the political forces in the Spanish Congress of Deputies to include an amendment in the State Budget to ensure that glutenfree products are taxed at 4 per cent VAT.
Gluten-free products cost more than standard ones.
‘At present, these products are considerably more expensive, and we do not receive any kind of rebate or subsidy. We need financial support to address this excessive cost overrun, similar to what is offered in other European countries.
‘Help us to ensure that products essential to our diet are available to everyone affected by coeliac conditionyour signature can make a difference in defending the rights of people with coeliac condition!’
So far the petition has gathered over 2,700 signatures, with a little more help this can they hope to get to 5,000 and more, in order to present a compelling case.
