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ARCHIVED - Solar megapark threatens protected imperial eagle in Spain
The species was once on the brink of extinction and is found only in Spain
The recovery of the imperial eagle, a species native to Spain which is currently classified as vulnerable, has once again come under threat by plans to build a large solar power park between Madrid and Toledo in an area where the eagle, along with several other endangered bird species, are known to nest.
According to environmental group SEO/BirdLife, this is yet another example of large-scale renewable projects being implemented in areas that have been clearly identified for their high environmental sensitivity.
The solar megapark will be divided into three projects and will occupy some 472 hectares of land in total, along with a 37-kilometre-long power line. The group has called on the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge to block the development, which risks the decimation of a species that was on the brink of extinction until recently. As well as the eagle, colonies of red kite, bustards and kestrels, all of whose populations are in decline, make this area their home.
The environmental NGO has been advocating for a system that marries renewable responsibility and the natural heritage of Spain for years, and has now called for a system to be implemented that requires all autonomous communities to draw up maps of areas of environmental significance. This land would then be permanently classed as an exclusion zone for any kind of development.
The Iberian imperial eagle is not found anywhere else on Earth, and the species is being painstakingly recovered through careful conservation. In the 1960s, it was classified as critically endangered when only 30 breeding pairs remained in Spain. While the situation is gradually improving, the delicate species faces many challenges such as power lines, hunting and the loss of their preferred habitats due to human development.
Image: SEO / BirdLife
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