Press releases

A study led by the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) and the University of A Coruña analyzes the factors that shape Iberian wolf movement. High human population, settlements and roads are the main factors limiting their movements. Vegetation acts as a buffer, providing refuge from these negative effects.

Ferreiro Arias, I., Martínez Rueda, I., García, E. J., Palacios Sánchez, V., Sazatornil, V., Rodríguez, A., López-Bao, J. V., & Llaneza, L. (2026). Human disturbance, prey availability and refuge cover shape wolf movements in anthropized landscapes. Behavioral Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arag037

The new website allows anyone to explore, compare, and download historical data on the abundance and distribution of waterbirds in the Guadalquivir marshes. The data can be used for scientific, management, or outreach purposes, facilitating population trend analyses and improving understanding of changes in Europe’s largest wetland.

The framework expands the assessment of invasive species impacts beyond native population loss, incorporating how invasions alter ecosystem functioning. The new model, developed with the participation of researchers from the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), can classify up to 19 different types of impact linked to a specific invasion event.


Reference: Laís Carneiro, Daniel Pincheira-Donoso, Boris Leroy, Sandro Bertolino, Morelia Camacho-Cervantes, Ross N Cuthbert, Alok Bang, Jane A Catford, Josie South, Steven J Cooke, Elena Angulo, Franck Courchamp. (2026). Expanding invasive species impact assessments to the ecosystem level with EEICAT. PLOS Biology. In press.

A chance encounter on social media between a researcher from the Doñana Biological Station and a researcher from the University of Murcia led to the discovery of the document confirming the introduction of Italian crayfish into Spain. In 1588, Antonio Ugnano, servant of Grand Duke Fernando transported crayfish, which are mistakenly considered native today, from Tuscany to Madrid. Collaboration between the natural sciences and the humanities is essential to describe what nature was like in the past

Clavero, M., Sempera Marín, A. (2025) Effective cooperation between ecologists and historians for conservation: documenting a 16th century crayfish introduction. Biological Conservation https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111405

Rampant price rises are bringing the species nearer to its final demise, according to a study from the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC). The scientific team highlights the urgent need of a fisheries closure and a commercialization ban for Anguilla species to avoid extinctions

Clavero M, Blanco-Garrido F, Díaz E, Hermoso V (2025) The eel market extinction vortex. Conservation Letters DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13122

The expansion of linear infrastructure, such as roads, railways and power lines, is accelerating, posing a potential threat to biodiversity, especially in regions of high ecological value. An international scientific team, with the participation of the Doñana Biological Station, advocates for the inclusion of populations abundance in environmental impact assessments. They propose comparing conditions before and after construction for a more realistic evaluation.

Rafael Barrientos, Fernando Ascensão, Lenore Fahnig, Fernanda Zimmermann Teixeira, Marcello D’Amico. Population abundance should be an Essential Biodiversity Variable in infrastructure impact assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 115: 108021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2025.108021

Several European countries have recently withdrawn from international treaties and opened the door to the use of explosive weapons, despite their serious humanitarian and ecological impacts. The risks of explosion persist long after conflicts have ended, affecting both humans and other living beings inhabiting an area.

Katarzyna Nowak, Jacopo Cerri, Svitlana Kudrenko, Alexander Kopatz, Izabela Stachowicz, Nuria Selva, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Ilpo Kojola, Nikica Šprem. Weaponizing Europe’s borders imperils wildlife. Science, Doi: 10.1126/science.adz1318

The study, co-led by the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC identifies ecological thresholds to promote biodiversity while maintaining the profitability of olive cultivation

García-Navas, V., Tarifa, R., Salido, T., González-Robles, A., López-Orta, A., Valera, F. & Rey, P.J. (2025) Threshold responses of birds to agricultural intensification in Mediterranean olive groves. Ecological Applications, 35: https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.70057

 This female loggerhead turtle, equipped with a transmitter to track via satellite her movements in the western Mediterranean, laid two clutches of eggs on the Spanish coast within a thirteen-day interval

Rising temperatures and lower oxygen levels in water are causing aquatic insects to become smaller and experience increased mortality. Aquatic insects play a vital role in ecosystems. The combined effects of declining insect numbers and shrinking body sizes could lead to significant disruptions in aquatic ecosystems..

Baranov, V. Losana-García, J., Pascual, J., Fernández Bermejo, S. & Hamerlik, L., Impact of temperature and hypoxia on the size and survival of aquatic insects. Ecological entomology, early view online. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13469