The “Wetlands and Waterbirds” project, developed by the Center for Environmental and Sea Studies (CESAM), of the University of Aveiro, with the support of Bondalti, entered a new phase, monitoring the behavior of birds in the breeding areas of their migratory routes.
The objective of this initiative is to study the ecology of shorebirds, which choose as their habitat coastal wetlands, usually estuaries and lagoons, including in the Aveiro region, and which are known for their vast migrations.
Six of these birds were equipped with small tags (GPS locators) attached to their backs, provided by Bondalti. After staying in Portugal in the months of October and November, they undertook a journey of thousands of kilometers to high latitudes, now finding themselves in places as different as the Netherlands, Russia and Iceland.
The team of researchers from the University of Aveiro followed one of these species, the right-billed sandpiper (with the scientific name Limosa limosa) to its breeding grounds in Iceland, in order to quantify its breeding success.
The installed tags make it possible to establish the connections that involve different habitats, countries and cultures and to understand how migratory connectivity can influence the conservation of these species that depend on various locations to complete their annual and life cycle.
The data collected will be integrated into a doctoral thesis and the subsequent preparation of scientific articles.
This is the third consecutive year that Bondalti has supported the “Wetlands and Waterbirds” project, as part of its Social and Corporate Responsibility program with the surrounding community, which over the years has included a strong component in the domain of biodiversity.
