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Project in the Osor stream for the conservation of the native river crab in Sant Hilari Sacalm

CALENDAR:

START: JUNE 2021

FINAL: OCTOBER 2021

 

GOALS:

Improving the ecological quality of the habitats associated with the watercourse.

  • Recovery of native crab habitat.
  • Monitoring of the native crab population and wildlife associated with gorges.
  • Regulating Habitat Pressures.

 

BUDGET:

TOTALBUDGET OF THE PROJECT:  13.633€

 

FINANCERS:

  • DIPUTACIÓ DE GIRONA
  • AJUNTAMENT DE SANT HILARI SACALM

 

COLABORATORS:

  • AJUNTAMENT DE SANT HILARI SACALM
  • DEPARTAMENT D’ACCIÓ CLIMÀTICA

 

SUMMARY:

According to a study carried out in 2019, the presence of specimens of native crayfish (Austropotambius pallipes), a species listed as IN DANGER by the catalog of endangered fauna 2020, in the Osor stream and in some of its tributary streams. However, these populations are very fragmented due to the lack of deep enough gorges, the presence of invasive species, the overcrowding of the area and the degradation of the riparian forest.

Thus, thanks to a grant awarded by the Girona Provincial Council, the Emys Foundation has carried out a project to conserve and improve the Osor stream for the conservation of this species, which consists of three specific objectives: (I) the recovery of the native crab habitat, (II) the monitoring of its population and the fauna associated with the gorges and (III) the regulation of the pressures associated with the habitat. To achieve these objectives, work has been done in three lines of action, which consist of the recovery of a gorge in the Font del Gavatx stream manually, sinking it and creating microhabitats with stones and logs, monitoring using phototrapping cameras to observe the fauna associated with the 7 gorges of the Font del Gavatx stream, sherman traps for micromammals and a night search of the crab, the clearing of the sediment retention dam by means of a backhoe, the removal of waste in the Osor stream and the dissemination of its natural values.

 

RESULTS:

  • Recovery of a gorge by the native river crab.
  • Study of the native crab population and fauna associated with gorges.
  • Clearing of the sediment retention dam.
  • Disposal of rubbish and waste in a total of 145 bags of 336m3 each.
  • Installation of a sign on the importance of the riparian forest and a second sign on the Carbonari route.
  • Informative talk to the local population to explain the project and the results.

With the support and collaboration of:

Ajuntament Sant Hilari Riera d'Osor