Nature News
Keep up to date here with the latest news about nature and the environment in Spain; and read tips and advice about walking in this country
The importance of the wolf
Following the backdoor manoeuvre by rightwing parties in Parliament last month to allow wolves to be hunted in Spain, environmentalists have published a simple graphic to illustrate the importance of this native animal to the biodiversity of the areas it inhabits....
Campaign to save critically endangered Iberian orcas
The 2025 #SaveTheIberianOrca campaign has been launched. The associations WeWhale and Sea Shepherd France say 'the urgency couldn’t be clearer'. They state that only 35 to 40 Iberian orcas remain; while the Iberian Orca Protection and Conservation association estimate...
Facing up to the threat of forest fires
"Seeing our countryside go up in flames has really marked the people of Montanejos." These were the words of the town mayor Miguel Sandalinas after fire destroyed large swathes of the pine forest in this walkers' paradise in Castellón province in 2023. Regular hikers...
No butts
Hundreds of cigarette butts are dumped each day on almost every busy Mediterranean beach in Spain during the increasingly long tourist season. This equates to hundreds of thousands of polluting remnants discarded by thoughtless smokers. During eight months of the...
Discover the secrets of the lagoons
Free guided tours are being offered at La Mata-Torrevieja natural park. Described by Torrevieja tourism department as eco-tourism routes, four different walks are being operated in the protected area. 'Expert guides' will be on hand to give participants the benefit of...
Tiny bear cub rescued
A three-month-old Iberian brown bear cub has been rescued in Asturias after it became separated from its mother and two siblings. The regional department for the environment reported that the youngster had first been spotted last Wednesday wandering on its own. Forest...
Bears on the up in the Pyrenees
The brown bear population in the Pyrenees continues to grow. A total of 96 individuals were counted in 2024, which is six more than in the previous year, according to Spain's brown bear foundation (Fundación Oso Pardo - FOP). The FOP reported that 22 cubs were born...
Saving Europe’s most endangered duck
Murcia region is taking part in the EU LIFE programme to safeguard the future of the marbled teal. According to regional environment councillor, Juan María Vázquez, it is the species of duck which is most in danger of extinction in Europe. A total of 30 marbled teals...
Lynxes return to northern Spain
Two more Iberian lynxes bred in captivity are being released in a rural area of northern Spain.The young male and female, named Villano and Viñegra, are set to join two others freed earlier this year at El Cerrato in Castilla y León region. It is the first area chosen...
Backdoor manoeuvre to allow wolves to be hunted in Spain
Rightwing parties in Parliament have conspired to allow wolves to be hunted once more in Spain.An unholy alliance, made up of the Partido Popular (PP), far-right Vox and nationalists from the Basque Country (PNV) and Cataluña (Junts), introduced an amendment to...
Stopping plastic pollution; it’s down to us
Ecologist association ANSE has highlighted the 'enormous risk' that plastic waste in the sea poses to birds, cetaceans, fish and turtles.They have been carrying out a campaign as part of the LIBERA project to fight against the dumping of rubbish in the oceans. Plastic...
Unlocking the secrets of the ice caves
Scientists have been carrying out investigations in mountain caves that contain ice all year round, found in high mountain areas of the Pyrenees and Cantabrian mountains. Ana Moreno, Miguel Bartolomé, Reyes Giménez, María Leunda and Ánchel Belmonte-Ribas reported that...