Press releases

Several European countries have recently withdrawn from international treaties and opened the door to the use of explosive weapons, despite their serious humanitarian and ecological impacts.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

A combination of late rainfall, high river and sea levels, and the influence of the Montaña del Río dike has slowed the drainage of Doñana’s marshes, which remain significantly flooded at 47% of their capacity. This prolonged inundation will benefit waterbird breeding and vegetation regeneration but also presents challenges, such as the spread of invasive species and cyanobacteria. Despite this season’s rains, temporary ponds remain at risk due to aquifer overexploitation, highlighting the urgent need for long-term conservation efforts.

We feel a responsibility to speak out,” declares the scientists of the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC) in a statement, as they witness daily the alarming and accelerating loss of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation in Doñana and across many regions of the world.

On the occasion of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Seville from 30 June to 3 July, the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC has issued an urgent appeal to global political and economic leaders to prioritise biodiversity loss and the climate crisis at the highest levels of decision-making.

Extensive evidence indicates that crayfish were introduced to Spain from Italy in the 16th century, although some authors argue that genetic findings contradict this origin story. A research team from the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC now shows that genetic patterns actually reinforce conclusions drawn from other types of evidence, ruling out the idea that the crayfish is native to Spain.


Clavero, M., Bedmar, S., & Oficialdegui, F. J. (2025). How (not) to use genetic data to assess nativeness and the case of the Italian Crayfish in Iberia. http://hdl.handle.net/10261/393044

A new study shows a common pattern in the distribution of species globally. The discovery will help to understand life on Earth -including how ecosystems respond to global environmental changes

REFERENCE: Bernardo-Madrid R, González-Suárez M, Rueda M, Revilla E, Rosvall M, Carrete M, et al. A general rule on the organization of biodiversity on Earth’s biogeographical regions. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02724-5

Understanding trophic relationships is key to predicting species range shifts and protecting ecosystems. Researchers analyzed over three million localizations from approximately 3,000 bears, representing 14 European and Turkish populations

REFERENCE: P.M. Lucas et al.. (2025) Trophic interactions are key to understanding the effects of global change on the distribution and functional role of the brown bear. Global Change Biology DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70252

The role of the microbiota may determine the ability of mosquitoes to transmit disease. Bacteria from the families Burkholderiaceae and Erwiniaceae were predominantly identified. On the other hand, bacteria of the genus Wolbachia, which block virus replication in other mosquito species, were rare.

Marta Garrigós, Mario Garrido, María José Ruiz-López, María José García-López, Jesús Veiga, Sergio Magallanes, Ramón Soriguer, Isabel Moreno Indias, Jordi Figuerola, Josué Martínez-de la Puente. Microbiota composition of Culex perexiguus mosquitoes during the West Nile virus outbreak in southern Spain. PLos One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314001