Access to Doñana ICTS: Requirements to carry out research in the Doñana Protected Area

Research is one of the priority objectives for the declaration of Doñana National Park as established by the Doñana Law (Law 91/1978, of 28 of December), and the Director of the Doñana Biological Station is responsible for the coordination of the research programmes to be developed in the area. The principal criteria used for the selection of research projects for approval are: their scientific importance, their possible use for the conservation and management of the park, the difficulty of carrying them out elsewhere outside the National Park and the possible impact of the research on the natural environment.

You can apply for access at any moment but check the date of the next meeting of the ICTS Doñana Access Commission for Research below. This Commission evaluates all research projects proposed for Doñana ICTS.The project must be executed under the responsibility of a scientist with a position in a renowned institution.

If your project has already been approved you can directly request acces to ICTS-RBD (application to make reservations)

Comittee access decisions can be found here (in Spanish).

IMPORTANT: SEND YOUR APPLICATION FOR PROJECTS TO BE STARTED DURING THE FIRST SEMESTER BEFORE 15 OCTOBER (of the preceeding year) AND THOSE TO BE STARTED IN THE SECOND SEMESTER BEFORE 15 MAY (of the current year). THANK YOU

 



Required documentation to apply for access at ICTS Doñana

1. Application form for Request to conduct a research activity in Doñana Natural Area (available in docx)

2- Copy of the approval of the financer of the project.

3- Research proposal (original proposal or an executive summary including 1.- Introduction and justification 2.- Specific aims 3.- Potential contributions of the project to nature conservation 4.- Material and methods 5.- Precise study area 6.- Potential impact of project on the environment 7.- Study period 8.- Participants (number and identification) 9.- Budget and financial support 10.- Bibliographic references; total length 2-3 pages)

This documentary must be send well in advance (2 month before the planned study period) by e mail to coordinacion@ebd.csic.es. Contact: Oficina de Coordinación de la Investigación Estación Biológica de Doñana; phone: +.34.95 4232340

Processing of research permits:

Once the research proposal is approved by the evaluation committee, the Coordination of Research service applies for an annual permit by the local environmental authorities of the Area. An additional permission of the central environmental authorities is necessary in case the project includes sampling or handling of protected species. When the permits are processed they are sent to the scientist in charge. The processing of the second permit can take 2-3 months.

If field work is carried out within the Doñana Biological Reserve (area within the Doñana Natural Area), in addition to the above mentioned permits it is necessary to notify each day this reserve is entered through a web application. The same procedure has to be used to apply for accommodation at this Reserve (free for researchers working on authorized projects in the Doñana area). More information about access permission to the Reserves is available at "ACCESS PERMITS TO RESERVE"

First visit to the field:

The first field visit will be carried out together with a technician of the Doñana Biological Station in which the following details will be decided:

• The locations and areas where field work will be carried out.

• The conditions under which access is to be granted

• The location of any fixed objects (e.g. sampling equipment) and the use of moving equipment

• The labelling and inventory of all such objects and equipment

• The logistic support provided for the development of such research

Monitoring research results:

For on-going projects, researchers must submit two reports a year: the annual results and the objectives for the following year, as well as a final report once the project is finished. Researchers who have worked in Doñana are also expected to forward any technical or scientific result of their work in Doñana (reports, papers, dissertations, etc.) which are included in the database of bibliography about the Doñana Natural Area.