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Press releases

  • 23 June 2025
    ‘AlienArte’: an innovative project blending science, art, and environmental awareness to tackle biodiversity loss
    The project, born from the collaboration between the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) and the Matisse School of Art in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, uses dance, theater, music, and poetry as tools for raising awareness. The Casa de la Ciencia in Seville, a CSIC outreach center, will play an active role in implementing the initiative
  • 21 June 2025
    The Wels catfish thrives in the lower Guadalquivir and poses a threat to Doñana
    A research team from the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC has detected three juvenile individuals of this invasive species, indicating it has successfully established and is reproducing. The researchers recommend implementing an early detection system and preparing a rapid response plan for the likely arrival of the species in Doñana

  • 18 June 2025
    Doñana’s bee-eaters now prefer nesting along roadsides due to increasing livestock pressure
    In the past, bee-eaters in Doñana nested in natural substrates along the vera, the transitional zone between marshland and Mediterranean scrub. Over the past two decades, they’ve increasingly moved their nesting sites to the edges of roads and tracks. A new study by the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC suggests that this shift may be linked to rising livestock pressure


    Román J., Blas J., Bastianelli G., Suárez-Couselo M.A., Revilla E., D'Amico M. (2025). Colonizers on the road: European bee-eaters shift nest-site selection to roadside habitats. Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.70125
  • 04 June 2025
    Climate change and species interactions are reshaping brown bear distribution across Europe
    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
  • 04 June 2025
    One rule helps explain how life on Earth is organized—from ocean depths to open savannahs
    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
  • 26 May 2025
    The overall economic cost of invasive species could be up to 1,600 times higher than previously estimated
    The costs could have reached 35 billion dollars per year over the last 60 years, a figure comparable to the global economic impact of extreme events associated with climate change. The international study, which combines estimated national costs and data on the global distribution of these species, was carried out with the participation of the Doñana Biological Station - CSIC


    Ismael Soto, Pierre Courtois, Arman Pili, Enrico Tordoni, Eléna Manfrini, Elena Angulo, Céline Bellard, Elizabeta Briski, Miloš Buřič, Ross N. Cuthbert, Antonín Kouba, Melina Kourantidou, Rafael L. Macêdo, Boris Leroy, Phillip J. Haubrock, Franck Courchamp & Brian Leung. Using species ranges and macroeconomic data to fill the gap in costs of biological invasions. Nature Ecology and Evolution. Nature Ecology & https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02697-5
  • 20 May 2025
    Wild bees: The overlooked pillars of life
    May 20 marks World Bee Day, aimed at raising awareness about the importance of bees and other pollinators for biodiversity, food security, and the environment. A research team at the Doñana Biological Station focuses on understanding how global change impacts the structure and composition of ecological communities, especially those made up of plants and pollinators.

  • 15 May 2025
    Researcher Montserrat Vilà receives the Robert H. Whittaker Award from the Ecological Society of America (ESA)
    Montserrat Vilà, an expert in Ecology and the impacts of invasive alien species is a Professor of Research at the Spanish National Research Council at the Estación Biológica de Doñana and an Associated Professor of the University of Seville. The award recognizes the scientific contributions of a researcher who is not a U.S. citizen and is not currently residing in the United States.
  • 08 May 2025
    The CSIC brings together researchers and regional stakeholders in Jaca to highlight the potential of science in nature restoration
    "Environmental experts from across the country—including researchers from the Doñana Biological Station—gathered yesterday as part of the ‘CICERÓN Itineraries’ to present initiatives aimed at managing and restoring biodiversity." The event, held at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC) in the Aragonese city of Jaca, provided a forum for dialogue between researchers, policymakers, and society to address ecosystem conservation challenges through scientific knowledge.
  • 05 March 2025
    New study reveals the microbiota composition of Culex perexiguus mosquito, the main West Nile Virus
    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