STORK’S MONITORING PROJECT AT JORNAL DA NOITE – SIC

In an interview originally broadcasted on June 18, 2016, REN (Redes Energéticas Nacionais) Biodiversity Chair Coordinator Francisco Moreira explained that the main objective of this project is to learn more about the stork’s movement ecology, their migratory paths, which kind of nesting structures they prefer, and the occurrence of power lines along migratory routes. For this purpose, the team of researchers is involved in tracking juvenile storks with GPS locators and registering all their movements.

Another feature of this project is the attempt to understand what are the main mortality causes of this species, and comparing the breeding success of animals that prefer to do their nests on electrical poles compared to “conventional” spots like trees, chimneys or other higher vantage points.This project results from a collaboration between CIBIO-InBIO, the University of East Anglia (UK), and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and is partly financed by REN Biodiversity Chair.

So far, the researchers have already tracked 26 juveniles and want to track 50 animals until the end of the year. According to Francisco Parada, Head of Quality, Environment and Safety Department at REN, this project will bring together all the data already collected by REN and the scientific knowledge gathered by CIBIO, consolidating all the information available on this area of expertise. The outcomes of this project should pave the way to minimize the impact of the national electrical network on biodiversity.

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“Cegonhas seguidas por GPS”| Jornal da Noite - SIC | June 18, 2016 (Information available in Portuguese)