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

This is the conclusion of a study co-led by the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) after analyzing Google Earth images of more than 1,300 ponds between 2000 and 2022. The study identifies climatic factors and intensive agriculture as the main causes of the degradation of these habitats of great ecological value.
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Arnanz, C., & Florencio, M. (2026). Temporary ponds in peninsular Spain: insights for the conservation of a threatened habitat under global change. Journal of Environmental Management, 404, 129433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129433

Birds are the most diverse group, with 417 species in the Doñana Biosphere Reserve, followed by fish with 182 species
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Jacinto Román, Alberto M. Arias, José L. Arroyo, Giulia Bastianelli, Javier Calzada, Miguel Clavero, M. Dolores Cobo, Carmen Díaz-Paniagua, Carlos Ibañez, Javier Juste, Antonio Martínez, Jesús Nogueras, Leónidas de los Reyes, Eloy Revilla, Rubén Rodríguez, Eduardo José Rodríguez-Rodríguez, José L. del Valle, Guyonne F. E. Janss, Zulima Tablado, Marcello D’Amico, Laetitia M. Navarro. Updated checklist of the vertebrate fauna of the Doñana Biosphere Reserve, Spain. ZooKeys (2026). https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1269.166028

With participation from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the study shows that similar plant populations can evolve in very different ways in response to climate change.

A study led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) reveals a worrying increase in pangolins and other protected vertebrates in urban markets and rural areas destined for human consumption. Threatened species are reaching higher prices, a factor that could further intensify the pressure on their populations.
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José L. Tella, Íñigo Palacios-Martínez, Pedro Romero-Vidal, Guillermo Blanco, Javier Juste. Wildlife consumption is widespread across Equatorial Guinea and hunted species are more threatened now than 35 years ago. Biological Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111775

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