Background

LIFE Ricotí “Conservation of the Dupont’s lark and its habitat in Soria (Spain) (2016-2021). LIFE15 NAT/ES/000802 It was the first LIFE project focused exclusively on the conservation of the Dupont’s lark. It was developed entirely in the SPAs Altos de Barahona and Páramo de Layna in the province of Soria. Its objectives were related to the conservation and improvement of the populations of the Dupont’s lark, the increase of habitat availability, the evaluation of the relationship between habitat quality and population viability, the definition of criteria for habitat management and the improvement of the level of perception and social valuation of the species. Among its results, the following stand out:

• The restoration of 329 ha of habitat
• The inclusion of 3,060 ha of high quality habitat in a land stewardship program,
• The definition of management measures for the conservation of the species and its habitat in Castilla y León, approved in the Management Guidelines of the ZEPA Altos de Barahona and Páramo de Layna.
• The implementation of an ornithological tourism program in the project area.

It was coordinated by the Terrestrial Ecology Group of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (TEG UAM) and the partners were the Junta de Castilla y León, the Diputación Provincial de Soria, the mancomunidad de obras y Servicios de Corpes, the Fundación Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León, AEPMA S.L., ARTESA S.L. and Innomaker S.L.