WHAT IS LIFE DIVAQUA?

LIFE DIVAQUA is an environmental conservation project funded by the LIFE programme of the European Commission. The actions under the DIVAQUA project have been proposed to maintain and improve, as appropriate, the conservation status of habitats and species of Community interest (those described in annexes I, II and IV of the Directive Habitats; 92/43 / EEC) that appear in the continental aquatic ecosystems of the DIVAQUA area (basins that drain the Picos de Europa National Park; Northern Spain).

Part of these actions have been focused on restoring and improving the ecological and functional processes (ecological connectivity, hydrological regime, sediment transport, etc.) that occur in the aquatic ecosystems of the Natura 2000 network sites within the DIVAQUA area.

OBJECTIVES

1

Restoring numerous aquatic species and habitats to favorable conservation status.

2

Reduce human pressure on biological diversity, thus improving the conservation status of aquatic habitats and species, and increasing ecosystem services.

3

Promote the sustainability of productive, educational, cultural and tourist activities, by minimizing their effects on aquatic ecosystems and improving the conservation of biodiversity.

4

Developing new tools and approaches to improve the characterization, monitoring, evaluation and management of species and habitats.

ACTUATION AREA

Connectivity

Restoration of riberbanks

Restoration of habitats

Physico-chemical analysis of water and environmental DNA

ACTIONS

1

Characterization of aquatic habitats through analysis of water quality, remote sensing techniques to inventory lentic bodies of water, hydraulic infrastructures and characterize the riparian habitat. All this should allow the definition of environmental flow regimes for the rivers in these basins and the development of guidelines for conservation.

2

Increased knowledge about the distribution of species of Community interest (Annexes I, II and IV of the Habitat Directive), pathogenic species and invasive species in the DIVAQUA area through environmental DNA analysis.

3

Improvement of the structure and functionality of the riparian forest in the Duje and Cares rivers and in mountain springs, as well as reducing the effects of channeling and bypass channels.

4

Improvement of the conservation status of lentic water bodies, through the restoration of mountain lakes and lagoons, springs and drinking mountain cattle water-troughs.

5

Improvement of the connectivity of the fluvial ecosystem through the permeabilization of dams in the Sella and Deva-Cares basins, improvement of the fish scales of Poncebos location and the Urdón river.

6

Creation of new tools and approaches to improve the monitoring, evaluation and management of the different habitats and species of Community interest included in the DIVAQUA area.

7

Increasing participation of the local population, stakeholders and other agents in the conservation of aquatic habitats, species and ecosystem services obtained from aquatic resources through the implementation of a specific participation programme.

8

Establishment of a network of managers, technicians and scientists to improve the management of mountain aquatic ecosystems, optimizing future actions on biodiversity and ecosystem conservation and establishing collaborations with other national and international networks.