Proyecto ArcosLife

Categoría: Blog

  • Hurry up! If you want to get one of these t-shirt, participate on 21th of May and join us to contribute to eradicate Invasive Exotic Plants in Verdicio (Gozón, Asturias)

    Hurry up! If you want to get one of these t-shirt, participate on 21th of May and join us to contribute to eradicate Invasive Exotic Plants in Verdicio (Gozón, Asturias)

    CG_lAXaWQAA8Ez-

    You are just in time to get one of these t-shirts. On 21 May we are celebrating European Natura 2000 Day with a volunteer day in Verdicio to remove invasive species. All participants can take one of these t-shirts home. Start thinking of which one you like best.

    You can sign up on this website and fill out this registration form. Don’t forget to add your name and ID number so you will be covered by our insurance policy.

     Remember to participate in our photography contest. Make the most of this weekend! Go to the beach and take photos of plants there. Send them to us on our Facebook page or share them on Twitter (our handle is @infoArcosLife) with the hashtag #Nat2000DayArcos

    We contacted COGERSA and, on the 21st, they installed some dumpsters so we can throw out the rubbish we collect from the beach. COGERSA is providing us with material: gloves and vests, so you do not have to bring any material from home. 

    Like us on Facebook  or follow us on Twitter.

    We will send more information next week.

    Thank you for participating!

  • LIFE+ARCOS celebrates Natura 2000 day in Cantabria

    LIFE+ARCOS celebrates Natura 2000 day in Cantabria

    natura-200da_arcos

    As we have commented  before, this year Life+ARCOS is marking the occasion of the European Natura 2000 Day by organising various activities on different dune systems along the Cantabrian coast.

    In Cantabria, Life+ARCOS will be present in the following events:

    1. 10th and 12th May, guided activity (led by instructors from the Natural Park Interpretation Centre, Cantabrian Rural Development Network) involving explanations and a mini planting session in the Berria dunes (Santoña) with pupils from the Argoños and Santoña primary schools. There may be more centres involved.
    2. 12th May, NACAR activity (Nature and Prison) on the Berria dunes (Santoña), removing Arctotheca calendulaand picking up waste. Directorate General of the Environment from the Government of Cantabria (Lourdes González).
    3. 19th May, informative conference in the Santoña, Victoria and Joyel Marshes Natural Park Interpretation Centre (Santoña) about the LIFE ARCOS Project. Specialists from the Directorate General of the Environment from the Government of Cantabria (Jesús Varas and Lourdes González).
    4. 20th May, activity to remove invasive plants in collaboration with associations for people with disabilities AMICA (confirmed), SERCA and AMPROS (the latter two pending confirmation). Next to the Brusco hill (Berria dunes, Santoña) in an area that was worked on in 2015.

    We hope to see you there!

  • Sign up now! On 21st May 2016, we are celebrating the European Natura 2000 day by removing invasive exotic species from the dunes in Verdicio, Asturias

    Sign up now! On 21st May 2016, we are celebrating the European Natura 2000 day by removing invasive exotic species from the dunes in Verdicio, Asturias

    Last minute note

    [box type=»warning»] WE HAVE CLOSED THE REGISTRATION FORM[/box] [box type=»info»]

    THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING. WE WILL CONTINUE TO ORGANISE MORE EVENTS TO CONSERVE THE CANTABRIAN DUNES. STAY TUNED[/box]

    A2-VERDICIO

    On Saturday 21st May 2016 the Life+ARCOS team invites you to join us to carry out volunteering action to remove some invasive exotic species on the Verdicio Beach (Luanco, Asturias), a protected space that is included within the Cabo Busto-Luanco Special Area of Conservation (SAC ES1200055), and therefore is part of the Network of Protected Spaces included in the Natura 2000 Network.

    If you do not live in Asturias, Life+ARCOS is also holding other activities on the same day in Cantabria and in the Basque Country. Stay tuned to our website where we will post more information shortly.

    What will we be doing?

    The idea is to be able to spend a Saturday in a natural protected space, and to help improve its state of conservation, with the assistance of citizen participation. Various members of the Life+ARCOS team will be present in Verdicio, T. E. Díaz, Álvaro Bueno, Nacho Felpete, Elena Fernández and other people. We will talk about the space and will give you instructions on how to remove some particularly problematic invasive species that are tricky to remove manually.

    How long will it last?

    The plan is for everyone interested in participating to already be in Verdicio by 11:00 am. Our intention is to close the day by around 3 pm, so that participants can either stay to eat or return home with no problem.

    Schedule: 11:00 to 15:00

    How can I take part?

    Fill out this registration form so you will be covered by the insurance that we take out with the University of Oviedo. It is essential for us to have the names of participants and their national identity document. In Verdicio we will ask you to sign a participation sheet to make sure our list coincides.

    Use the form fields to give any additional information such as if you can share a car to reach the location, for example, or if you will be accompanied by children, and above all: an e-mail address or telephone number so we can contact you.

    Contact us with any queries on the following contact page. We will be delighted to help.

    Over the coming days we will publish more information with more details.

    TAKE PART!

    The Life+ARCOS team

  • Action plans from Barayo, Verdicio and Vega Beach are discussed with personnel from the Service for Protected sites and Biodiversity from the Principality of Asturias

    Action plans from Barayo, Verdicio and Vega Beach are discussed with personnel from the Service for Protected sites and Biodiversity from the Principality of Asturias

    Foto_reunion_Principado
    Meeting with Susana García, Aurelio Antuña and Álvaro Bueno (from left to right). Victor Vázquez and J.I. Felpete were also at the meeting

    The Life+ARCOS team from the University of Oviedo  met up today, 5th May 2016, with experts from the Department of Rural Development and Natural Resources of the Principality of Asturias, with the aim of revealing the action plans that have been drawn up for the Asturian enclaves of Barayo, Verdicio and Vega.

    The meeting was attended by the following representatives from the Directorate General of Natural Resources (Protected Spaces and Biodiversity Service): Victor Vázquez, Aurelio Antuña and Susana García. Attendees from the University of Oviedo-Atlantic Botanical Garden were Alvaro Bueno and J.Ignacio Alonso.

    The main actions to be performed were revealed, the action calendar was revised and the state of permits and request processes were revised in order to go ahead with the volunteering day to mark the European Natura 2000 Day.

  • Oria visits Berria (Santoña, Cantabria) to be informed about the progress of the restoration activities developed on this site

    Oria visits Berria (Santoña, Cantabria) to be informed about the progress of the restoration activities developed on this site

    Councillor Oria during the visit

     

    Information published by the press cabinet of the Government of Cantabria
    “Oria visits the Berria dune system to see the restoration activities being carried out”

    Date of press publication:20/03/2016

    Go to the publication link

  • Life+ARCOS continues with its follow-up actions for sand inputs on Vega Beach (Ribadesella, Asturias)

    Life+ARCOS continues with its follow-up actions for sand inputs on Vega Beach (Ribadesella, Asturias)

    IMG_0885
    Close-up of the wooden stakes and the enclosure marking off the space where the study is being carried out

    The Life+ARCOS team has set up a follow-up system for sand input on the Vega beach (Ribadesella, Asturias).

    By positioning graduated wooden stakes in the dune, the aim is to estimate the quantity of sand inputs that occur in this enclave. The Institute of Natural Resources and Land Planning of the University of Oviedo is carrying out this part of the follow-up, led by Jorque Marquínez and Rosana Menéndez.

    After setting up an identical measurement system on the Verdicio beach, and yesterday on the Vega beach, all that remains is to install this system on the Barayo beach to complete the three Asturian dune systems where this study is being carried out.

    IMG_0887

    Measurement system installation works

    IMG_0888
    Final appearance of the marked off study area with tape on the graduated wooden stakes
  • Life+ARCOS starts to analyse sand inputs on the Asturian dunes

    Life+ARCOS starts to analyse sand inputs on the Asturian dunes

    For the state of conservation of the Cantabrian dunes to be assessed correctly, first we must find out if its current dynamic contributes to the formation of embryonic dunes.

    With this target in mind, the Institute of Natural Resources and Territorial Planning team (INDUROT) from the University of Oviedo, led by Jorque Marquínez (director of INDUROT) and Rosana Menéndez (lecturer assigned to the project), has begun to undertake studies on the Verdicio beach in Gozón (Asturias), which will be followed by similar procedures on the dunes on the Barayo and Vega beaches.

    Follow-up of the sand variation on the dune

    After the winter storms, follow-up works have begun to return the sand to some of the beach-dune systems that are the focus of action within the Life+ARCOS project. The wind, the type and amount of sand, as well as a lack of heavy storms, are key factors that have repercussions on the speed of dune recovery.

    In this respect, follow-up has been initiated on some of these variables, including the amount of sand input using monitoring by staking the study site. The results of this measurement will provide information so that balances or imbalances in the system can be identified and measures can be taken accordingly. For this reason, it is crucial to avoid any human interference in the study area that could alter the results of the analysis.

    If you visit any of these three beaches and you come across the staked follow-up area, please avoid walking inside the enclosure so that the measurements we get are as precise as possible.

    Clavando_estacas

    Elena Fernández fitting the sand-input follow-up system on the Verdicio beach dune system

    Vista_aerea_loc
    Definitive location of the sand-input measurement elements
    Preparacion_listones
    Snapshot of the elaboration process of the measurement stakes
    numeracion_cartelas
    Numerical allocation of each of the stakes for follow-up
    Detalle_etiquetas
    Signs warning beach visitors of the scientific use of the measurement stakes to avoid them being removed

  • #Nat2000DayArcos – ARCOS photo competition to mark the European Natura 2000 Day

    natura-200day

    21st May European Natura 2000 Day

    Help us discover and protect our NATURAL HERITAGE

    TAKE PART!

    COMPETITION RULES

    1. Take a photo of a plant on any of the dunes in the Autonomous Communities where work is being carried out within the Life+ARCOS project (Asturias, Cantabria or the Basque Country)
    2. Upload your dune plant photos using the #natura2000day hashtag 
    3. We will only enter your photos into the competition if they include our twitter account @infoarcolife

    PRIZES

    • The best photos will be awarded with the following books:
      • Paisaje Vegetal del noroeste ibérico. El litoral y orquídeas silvestres del territorio (Plant life in North-West Spain. The Coast and Wild Orchids from the Region): book by the co-authors Tomás E. Díaz and J.A. Fernández Prieto and the magnificent photographic illustration by Antonio Vazquez.
      • Manual de restauración de dunas costeras (Coastal Dune Restoration Manual): by co-author Carlos Ley, from the Ecología Litoral company, beneficiary partner of the Life+ ARCOS Project
    El paisaje vegetal de noroeste Ibérico: el litoral y orquídeas silvestres del territorio
    Manual de restauración de dunas costeras

     

     

  • European Natura 2000 Day, the countdown begins.

    European Natura 2000 Day, the countdown begins.

    natura-200day

    At ARCOS+LIFE we want to celebrate the European Natura 2000 Day, which is held on 21st May across Europe.

    We are already organising some activities and would love you to take part in them to celebrate this day with us. Keep an eye on our facebook page and our twitter account to receive the latest news. In Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country, where LIFE+ARCOS is participating in the conservation of dune ecosystems, we will hold invasive species removal campaigns and talks on the chosen dunes, allowing us to gauge a deeper understanding of the way these fragile ecosystems work, and to witness the problem of invasive exotic species first hand.

    We are also going to open a photo competition that will award the best images of dune species, with prizes of books and t-shirts. We will publish the competition rules on our facebook page.

    In the meantime, you are welcome to take part in the campaign promoted by the http://www.natura2000day.eu/ page, by sending a photo with the symbol of a butterfly made with your hands, as this video explains.

    You can publish your photos using the #natura2000day hashtag, or upload them onto the website http://www.natura2000day.eu/sube-tu-foto/. If you use Twitter, include the #arcoslifeproject hashtag or @InfoArcoslife so we can follow you.

    We hope to see you there!