A presentation took place in the Centro Cultural de Mazarrón last week of the Life project to protect the natural habitat of the marbled teal, an endangered species with decreasing population numbers throughout Europe.

A small species of duck, the marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) nests mainly in two areas in Spain: the wetlands of southern Alicante and the Guadalquivir marshes in Andalusia, and up until the middle of the 20th century there were thousands of breeding pairs. Now, mainly due to the deterioration of the wetlands and illegal hunting, the species is heading for extinction, with the number of breeding pairs fluctuating between 25 and 120 from year to year.

The LIFE Cerceta pardilla project, which the regional authorities of Andalusia, Valencia and Murcia, SEO/Birdlife, and ANSE nature association are all involved in, has been created to try and reverse the damage, and sites in the Region of Murcia are among those which have been selected as the 13 most important in this country. The lake of las Moreras in Mazarrón is one of them, having been a breeding ground between 2007 and 2009, and Mayor Gaspar Miras reiterates the Town Hall’s willingness to collaborate in the project.

Those present at the event in Mazarrón included Pedro García the leader of ANSE, and following the speeches the assembled dignitaries paid a visit to the wetlands of Las Moreras.