José Antonio
Donázar
My scientific career has integrated multidisciplinary approaches (ecological and demographic modelling, molecular ecology, population genetics, immunology, toxicology and insular biogeography) to address population ecology and the conservation of vertebrates, primarily long-lived birds, in Mediterranean, Euro-Siberian, arid, steppe, coastal and island ecosystems of Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. My research analyses the selective pressures and demographic processes (productivity, dispersal, survival and conspecific attraction) that regulate the spatial and temporal dynamics of populations, providing scientific insights into global threats such as the impact of non-natural mortality (poisoning and energy infrastructure), the effects of toxic pollutants and the influence of agricultural and pastoral policies.
My commitment to knowledge transfer to society takes the form of direct collaborations with public administrations (at national, regional and local levels), NGOs and managers of protected areas, with a view to applying this evidence to improve conservation plans, identify emerging threats and assess the impact of wind farms and electricity grids. A key milestone is the incorporation of my research into European, national and regional regulatory reforms concerning the management of livestock carcasses for the conservation of threatened scavenger birds, thereby consolidating an applied science that underpins management decisions, regional strategies and environmental regulations in Spain and internationally.
