Habitat turtle habitat improvement project and restoration of the Camparra area

CALENDAR:

START: MARCH 2021

FINAL: OCTOBER 2021

GOALS:

• Habitat improvement to protect pond turtle populations in the municipality of Riudarenes.
  
  
• Continue the work carried out by the Emys Foundation, carrying out a standardized monitoring of the metapopulation of Emys orbicularis.
• Habitat improvement through species management.
• Recovery of the different facilities in the Camparra area.

BUDGET:

• TOTAL BUDGET OF THE PROJECT: 9393,78€

FINANCERS:

• • DIPUTACIÓ DE GIRONA
  • AJUNTAMENT DE RIUDARENES

COLLABORATORS:

• • AJUNTAMENT DE RIUDARENES
  • DEPARTAMENT D’ACCIÓ CLIMÀTICA, ALIMENTACIÓ I AGENDA RURAL
  • AGRUAMENT ESCOLTA I GUIA SANT MIQUEL

SUMMARY:

The current Estany de La Camparra is located on what is known in historical times as Estany de Riudarenes, which, from the 17th century, dried up to be considered a source of disease and to have land for pastures. However, this space was also lost because it was transformed into a municipal landfill and the high-speed train line and a power line that passed through the middle of the lagoon were built.

This place, however, is of great importance as an ecological connector, as it is located between the Vallcanera stream, the Esplet stream and the Sils canal, which is why, thanks to a grant awarded by the Girona Provincial Council, the Emys Foundation has carried out a project to improve this habitat, which consists of three specific objectives: (i) to continue monitoring the pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), (ii) to eliminate the exotic species and (iii) to recover the facilities in the Camparra area to allow the enjoyment of nature while protecting its biodiversity. To achieve these goals, work has been done on eight lines of action, which consist of the placement of phototrapping cameras, the restoration of walkways and the installation of stakes, rope and bushes to delimit the path, the removal of the damaged heather screen, the sinking of the canals, the revegetation with helophytes to create heterogeneity of environments, the repair of nest boxes and the renewal of the billboards.

RESULTS

• Monitoring of ponds with a historical presence of pond turtle (Emys orbicularis).
• Withdrawal of exotic wildlife from the Camparra wetlands, including the Red-eared Turtle (Trachemys scripta) and the American River Crab (Procambarus clarkii)
• Improvement of the equipment of the Bell:
• Restoration of wooden walkways, changing the slats, applying epoxy resin to cover holes and protecting them with linseed oil.
• Installation of stakes, rope and shrubs (wild rose (Rosa canina), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and elder (Sambucus nigra) to delimit access to the floodplain.
• Removal of the heather screen.
• Study of the fauna that visits the space for future conservation actions using phototrapping cameras.
• Irrigation recovery so that rainwater drains into ponds.
• Revegetation with helophytes, including yellow lily (Iris pseudacorus), rushes (Juncus articulatus) and willow (Lythrum salicaria).
• Nest box repair.
• Renewal of billboards.

With the support and collaboration of: