NEWS
DECEMBER 2023
INTERPRETIVE TABLES TO BETTER KNOW THE PETRELS
Recently, Eira do Serrado and Porto da Cruz received interpretive tables from the LIFE Freiras Project. These provide information about the endemic seabirds, Madeira Petrel and Desertas Petrel, and their conservation project initiatives.
With the Porto da Cruz interpretive table as a backdrop, project partner SPEA promoted an environmental education activity with 33 students from Escola EB 1,2,3/PE in Porto da Cruz. During this initiative, questions about Petrels and their threats, namely light pollution, were addressed.
DECEMBER 2023
INTERPRETIVE TABLES TO BETTER KNOW THE PETRELS
Recently, Eira do Serrado and Porto da Cruz received interpretive tables from the LIFE Freiras Project. These provide information about the endemic seabirds, Madeira Petrel and Desertas Petrel, and their conservation project initiatives.
With the Porto da Cruz interpretive table as a backdrop, project partner SPEA promoted an environmental education activity with 33 students from Escola EB 1,2,3/PE in Porto da Cruz. During this initiative, questions about Petrels and their threats, namely light pollution, were addressed.
DECEMBER 2023
INTERPRETIVE TABLES TO BETTER KNOW THE PETRELS
Recently, Eira do Serrado and Porto da Cruz received interpretive tables from the LIFE Freiras Project. These provide information about the endemic seabirds, Madeira Petrel and Desertas Petrel, and their conservation project initiatives.
With the Porto da Cruz interpretive table as a backdrop, project partner SPEA promoted an environmental education activity with 33 students from Escola EB 1,2,3/PE in Porto da Cruz. During this initiative, questions about Petrels and their threats, namely light pollution, were addressed.
DECEMBER 2023
INTERPRETIVE TABLES TO BETTER KNOW THE PETRELS
Recently, Eira do Serrado and Porto da Cruz received interpretive tables from the LIFE Freiras Project. These provide information about the endemic seabirds, Madeira Petrel and Desertas Petrel, and their conservation project initiatives.
With the Porto da Cruz interpretive table as a backdrop, project partner SPEA promoted an environmental education activity with 33 students from Escola EB 1,2,3/PE in Porto da Cruz. During this initiative, questions about Petrels and their threats, namely light pollution, were addressed.
DECEMBER 2023
INTERPRETIVE TABLES TO BETTER KNOW THE PETRELS
Recently, Eira do Serrado and Porto da Cruz received interpretive tables from the LIFE Freiras Project. These provide information about the endemic seabirds, Madeira Petrel and Desertas Petrel, and their conservation project initiatives.
With the Porto da Cruz interpretive table as a backdrop, project partner SPEA promoted an environmental education activity with 33 students from Escola EB 1,2,3/PE in Porto da Cruz. During this initiative, questions about Petrels and their threats, namely light pollution, were addressed.
DECEMBER 2023
INTERPRETIVE TABLES TO BETTER KNOW THE PETRELS
Recently, Eira do Serrado and Porto da Cruz received interpretive tables from the LIFE Freiras Project. These provide information about the endemic seabirds, Madeira Petrel and Desertas Petrel, and their conservation project initiatives.
With the Porto da Cruz interpretive table as a backdrop, project partner SPEA promoted an environmental education activity with 33 students from Escola EB 1,2,3/PE in Porto da Cruz. During this initiative, questions about Petrels and their threats, namely light pollution, were addressed.
DECEMBER 2023
INTERPRETIVE TABLES TO BETTER KNOW THE PETRELS
Recently, Eira do Serrado and Porto da Cruz received interpretive tables from the LIFE Freiras Project. These provide information about the endemic seabirds, Madeira Petrel and Desertas Petrel, and their conservation project initiatives.
With the Porto da Cruz interpretive table as a backdrop, project partner SPEA promoted an environmental education activity with 33 students from Escola EB 1,2,3/PE in Porto da Cruz. During this initiative, questions about Petrels and their threats, namely light pollution, were addressed.
NOVEMBER 2023
LIFE FREIRAS AT THE ORNITHOLOGY CONGRESS
It was between the 22nd and 26th that LIFE Freiras was present at the XI Ornithology Congress and II Jornadas da Macaronésia in Ponta Delgada - Azores, to publicize its actions and share results with researchers, biologists, ornithologists and students. This congress is the main scientific technical event on ornithology and conservation of birds and habitats at national level, in this edition also dedicated to the Macaronesian archipelagos.
Within the scope of LIFE Freiras, an oral communication was presented by partner XGT, with the title: "AI-Driven Predator Alert for the Protection of Endemic Pterodromas in the Madeira Archipelago", about the system developed for screening and organizing images from automatic cameras used to monitor nuns and their predators. A poster was also presented to publicize the Project's general actions, focusing on the use of equipment that will help the future conservation of these endemic seabirds.
OCTOBER 2023
TRAINING IN MOUNTAIN TECHNIQUES
It was during October and November that 2 training sessions in mountain techniques took place, given to the field teams involved in the conservation and monitoring work of the Madeira nun, together with the teams that will work on the contingency plan in the event of a natural disaster. in the nesting area of this seabird.
The training took place within the scope of the LIFE Freiras Project and aimed to train and recycle knowledge in mountain and rescue techniques with rope access. It was aimed at Nature Wardens, Forestry Sappers and IFCN technicians, during two days of theoretical and practical components in the middle of the mountains.
JULY 2023
LIFE NURS PROJECT ON REGIONAL TELEVISION
It was on the 28th of July, World Nature Conservation Day, that the IFCN was present on the RTP Madeira program “Summer inside” with the theme LIFE Nuns.
On a date to be announced, emphasis was given to a Nature Conservation project that is being developed in favor of the two endangered marine species, unique in the World and that only occur in our archipelago!
It was presented about the project, about the nuns and their threats and the actions that intend to minimize these threats.
Learn more about this conversation at min 22:50.
SEPTEMBER 2023
XGT PARTNER NEWS
The XIS Group joined forces and played a vital role in this project: the development of a system that recognizes the species present in the images, as well as their proper management and organization.
As a result, this system has the ability to detect potential predators, notify and act quickly against these threats.
But our commitment doesn’t end there! We are not just detecting threats and monitoring existing nests; we are venturing into unknown territory, exploring new nesting areas.
This effort has the potential to reveal a previously underestimated population count, shedding new light on the archipelago's magnificent Petrels.
Together, we are writing a brighter future for these unique inhabitants of the bird world!
AUGUST 2023
SEED COLLECTION ACTIVITY
One of the actions planned in the LIFE Freiras project is the recovery of indigenous vegetation in areas dominated by invasive species. In parallel with the control of invasive vegetation, the development of indigenous vegetation will be encouraged through seed dispersal.
In this context, an activity took place in August to collect seeds from indigenous species in the Eastern Mountain Massif, the nesting area of the Madeira nun. These seeds will later be dispersed in areas where invasive control work is taking place, and aim to create an indigenous vegetation cover that prevents the recovery of broom (Cytisus scoparius).
In this activity, which took place in Pico do Areeiro, between Ninho da Manta and Pico do Gato, around 20 volunteers and collaborators from the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation were involved and massaroco, estreleira and pyorinono seeds were collected.
JULY 2023
LIFE FREIRAS ON REGIONAL TELEVISION
It was on the 28th of July, World Nature Conservation Day, that the IFCN was present on the RTP Madeira program “Summer inside” with the theme LIFE Nuns.
On a date to be announced, emphasis was given to a Nature Conservation project that is being developed in favor of the two endangered marine species, unique in the World and that only occur in our archipelago!
It was presented about the project, about the nuns and their threats and the actions that intend to minimize these threats.
Learn more about this conversation at min 22:50.
JULY 2023
PROTOCOL FOR RECOVERY OF AREA IN THE MOUNTAIN MASS
On the 28th of July, the date on which World Nature Conservation Day is celebrated, the Strategic Cooperation Protocol for the Development of Actions for the Restoration and Management of Forest and Altitude Habitats on the Island of Madeira was signed, between the IFCN and the TRIVALOR, SGPS, SA.
This cooperation is based on carrying out environmental information and awareness activities, as well as practical intervention actions specifically at the Juncal viewpoint, such as the removal of invasive plants and the planting of native plants from Madeira, by employees of the company TRIVALOR, accompanied and guided by the technical services of the IFCN, IP-RAM.
The LIFE Freiras project relies on public, private and society involvement and support, an example being this partnership that was also established in favor of the sustainability of the endemic Madeiran nun, with an underlying concern regarding threats to its nesting habitat and to the protected area of the Eastern Mountainous Massif.
JULY 2023
AWARENESS AND TRAINING FOR TEACHERS
From the 11th to the 14th of July, the training took place - "The conservation of the Madeiran Nun (seabirds)", aimed at a group of 75 RAM teachers from three educational institutions, namely, the Levada school (Dr. Ângelo Augusto da Silva), Carmo (Maurílio Dantas) and Galeão (Dr. Eduardo Brazão de Castro), within the scope of the LIFE FREIRAS project.
This training activity, with theoretical and practical components, aimed to raise awareness and make known the petrel, their habitats, their threats, main conservation measures, the project and the Natura 2000 areas of intervention of the project.
The field trip in the Eastern Mountainous Massif was accompanied by technicians and Nature Watchers, with a visit to the Ninho da Manta Viewpoint, in order to get to know the conservation work of the Madeiran Petrel and its nesting area, the native and endemic flora existing in this place, as well as the presence of invaders, such as broom and gorse.
MAY 2023
A YEAR OF NIGHT CENSES IN MADEIRA
The SPEA Madeira team - IFCN partner in the LIFE Freiras project - carried out nocturnal censuses for a year with the aim of counting "rafts" of seabirds on the high seas, carrying out nocturnal listening of seabirds and observing vessels and the respective lighting used for identify sources of light pollution at sea.
Each census lasted 4 hours, starting one hour before sunset. They were carried out at 5 observation points from the coast in the eastern part of Madeira, also covering potential areas of entry for the Madeiran nun to their nesting sites in the Eastern Mountainous Massif.
MAY 2023
THE DESERTAS PETREL HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO REACH THEIR NESTS
In May, the first birds arrived at their nests on the Bugio plateau, in the Desertas islands. The LIFE Freiras field team was present to start monitoring this season, with the assembly of 12 automatic cameras and 6 recorders (audiomoths), cleaning of the entrance to the nests and assembly of artificial nests. Other essential works were carried out to monitor the shearwaters and gulls, birds that usually disturb and occupy the nests of the Desertas Petrel.
MAY 2023
LIFE PTERODROMAS4FUTURE - CONTROL OF INVASIVE PLANTS
One of the actions planned in the LIFE Pterodromas4future project is the control of invasive plants in Areeiro, in areas adjacent to the nesting areas of the Madeira Petrel. In this sense we started the control works of heather (Cytisus scoparius), an invasive exotic species in the project's area of intervention.
In the implementation of these control works, the project privileged the mechanical/manual control that aims to cut the entire area of the plant. The material resulting from this intervention will be left to decompose in the area, duly arranged, according to the contour lines. The control of this invasive plant is necessary to promote the regeneration of native species in the project area.
APRIL 2023
NETWORKING ACTION WITH THE LIFE VIDALIA PROJECT
LIFE VIDALIA, coordinated by the Regional Secretariat for Environmental and Climate Change - Azores Government, travelled to Madeira on the 5th and 6th of April for an action of replication of the results of its project.
It provided a technical meeting with LIFE Pterodromas4future and other projects and regional entities (LIFE DUNAS, Ecological Park of Funchal, SPEA Madeira), to share results and discuss the possibility of future joint replication in post-project LIFE VIDALIA, particularly with regard to strategies for combating invasive exotic flora species.
This meeting allowed the sharing of knowledge and experiences already acquired between projects.
MARCH 2023
PETRELS MONITORING WITH AUTOMATIC CAMERAS AND RECORDERS
Every year in March, the Madeira Petrel returns to their nests in Areeiro to reproduce and the reproduction cycle is monitored by IFCN Nature wardens and biologists. This year, this monitoring will be more closely followed with the placement of 13 automatic cameras and 9 recorders in different nesting areas.
The data collected will increase our knowledge about the phenology of these seabirds, i.e. to know more about the stages of their reproduction cycle, about their behaviour in the nest and also to understand which predators are threatening this species in its nest.
The placement of this equipment was made possible through this project, as part of one of the conservation actions, which aims to improve the monitoring protocol for future monitoring of the Madeira Petrel populations and to enable earlier action to be taken in face of threats.
MARCH 2023
OFFICIAL PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT LIFE PTERODROMAS4FUTURE
The official presentation of the project LIFE Pterodromas4future (LIFE20 NAT/PT/001277) took place on the 15th March at the Ninho da Manta viewpoint (Pico do Areeiro).
LIFE Pterodromas4fututre is a nature conservation project that began in late 2021, is funded by the European Commission through the LIFE Programme and has as general and main objective the modernization of conservation actions carried out with the endangered Petrels - seabirds endemic to the archipelago of Madeira.
The presentation of the project was attended by the Regional Secretary of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, the partners SPEA and XIS-group and the technical teams.
FEBRUARY 2023
WORKSHOP "PETRELS, MOUNTAINEER BIRDS AND NAVIGATORS" IN EB1/PE/C OF SANTANA AND EB1/PE/C OF LOUROS
The educational activities in the scope of the conservation project LIFE Freiras continues to go to schools. The educational activities under the conservation project LIFE Freiras continue to go to schools. This time, the workshop "Petrels, mountaineer birds and navigators" was held last Monday at EB1/PE/C of Santana and EB1/PE/C of Louros for pre-school children and 1st cycle students respectively.
The awareness actions that approached these two seabirds, endemic to Madeira archipelago, ended in a playful and very funny way, where the youngsters put their knowledge into practice through a game created for that purpose!
JANUARY 2023
FACE-TO-FACE EXECUTIVE MEETING OF THE LIFE PTERODROMAS4FUTURE PROJECT
It was on 4 January 2022 that the second executive meeting of the LIFE Pterodromas4future project was held.
LIFE Pterodromas4future is a nature conservation project that started at the end of 2021, is funded by the European Commission through the LIFE Programme and has as a general and main objective the modernization of conservation actions carried out with the endangered petrels - endemic seabirds of the Madeira archipelago.
This was the first face-to-face executive meeting of the project, which had as main objectives to take stock of the actions one year after the beginning of the project, plan the activities for 2023 and identify and manage possible implications in its development.
It counted with the participation of SPEA and XIS-group partners and the technical teams of the various thematic sectors of work: birds, predators, invasive plants, light pollution, recreational-sports activities, contingency plan, maps, logistics, and financial and technical management of the project.
JANUARY 2023
"PETRELS, MOUNTAINEER AND NAVIGATOR BIRDS" WORKSHOP AT EB1/PE DO CANIÇO
We continue to promote educational activities in the context of the conservation project LIFE Freiras. Thus, the workshop "Petrels, mountaineer birds and navigators" was held on the 10th, at EB1/PE of Caniço for the students of the 4th year of schooling.
The activity, with a theoretical and practical component, was developed in an environment of great curiosity, where children showed great interest in the subject. It is never too much to remember the importance of these birds, the Zinos Petrel (Pterodroma madeira) and the Desertas Petrel (Pterodroma deserta), endemic seabirds of Madeira Archipelago.
JANUARY 2023
THE MADEIRA PETREL AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINOUS MASSIF
The first meeting with the stakeholders involved in the activities that occur in the protected area of the Central Mountainous Massif took place last January 11th at the Dr. Rui Silva Freira-da- Madeira Centre.
This preparatory action (A.3) of the project LIFE Pterodromas4future, aims to update the regulation on human activities in the Eastern Mountainous Massif and create a guide to best practices.
Stakeholders involved in recreational-sports, tourism and nature interpretation activities were consulted, so that these contributions can be implemented in the regulation, increasing the improvement of the conservation status of the Zino’s Petrel and its nesting area.
DECEMBER 2022
THE MADEIRA MOUNTAINS AND THE PETRELS IN NATIONAL MAGAZINE
After one year of project, LIFE Freiras is promoted at a national level in an article published in the December INCorporate Magazine, monthly magazine of the weekly newspaper SOL.
The article is part of the celebrations of the International Mountain Day (December 11th) and divulges "The treasures of the Madeira Mountains", gives information about the Zino’s Petrel's - endemic seabirds - and their threats, and presents the objectives and actions of this nature conservation project in the Madeira archipelago.
NOVEMBER 2022
THE PETRELS GO TO SCHOOL
It was at the end of November 2022 that the Petrels went to a school in the region for the first time as part of the environmental education activities of this LIFE project.
The activity was directed to a class of 16 students of the 4th year of the 1st cycle through a children's workshop consisting of a lecture "Petrel, the mountaineer and navigator birds" and a playful activity in which they applied their new knowledge about these seabirds - the Petrels of the Madeira Archipelago.
Soon after, at the beginning of December, it was the turn of a group of ten users of the Nogueira Community Centre to receive our visit for a talk about the Petrels and this conservation project that is being developed!
NOVEMBER 2022
LIFE FREIRAS DISCLOSED IN THE X FOREST DAYS OF MACARONESIA
The LIFE FREIRAS project was present at the X Forestry Journeys of Macaronesia, which took place between 15 and 17 November 2022, on the island of São Miguel, Azores.
In this year's edition, the Journeys had the theme "The ecosystem services of the Macaronesian forest", counting with representatives from the four biogeographical regions: Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands and Cape Verde.
LIFE Freiras presented a poster to disclose the project (objectives, threats and actions), inserted in the thematic panel III of these Conferences - Desertification, forest fires and climate change.
OCTOBER 2022
THE LIFE FREIRAS PRESENT IN MOUNTAIN TRAIL RUNNING COMPETITIONS
In order to publicize the project, as part of the dissemination and awareness-raising actions, during the month of October 2022, the LIFE FREIRAS project was present in two mountain trailrunning competitions - Ultra Madeira 2022 and Ecotrail Madeira 2022.
These two races pass through the Eastern Mountainous Massif - nesting area of the Zinos Petrel, having as a supply point the Zinos Petrel Centre in Pico do Areeiro. This year, there was an average of around 500 athletes of different nationalities, in each race.
JULY 2022
FIRST MEETING OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE FOR THE BIRD STUDY GROUP TOOK PLACE
With the purpose of advising and guiding the study actions directed to the ecology and biology of the Zinos Petrel and the Rufous Petrel, the first face-to-face meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Birds Project took place in Funchal on 21 and 22 July 2022, including a visit to the project intervention area in Areeiro.
In this meeting, the scientific committee included the researchers:
Paulo Catry from MARE-Centre for Marine and Environmental Sciences, Ispa-University Institute, Mónica C. Silva from cE3c-Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon (FCUL), José Pedro Granadeiro and Francesco Ventura, both from CESAM-Centre for Environment and Sea Studies, Department of Animal Biology, FCUL.
JULY 2022
TRAINING ON SEABIRD BIOLOGY | ECOLOGY, PROSPECTION AND MONITOIRZATION PROTOCOLS
The presence of the members of the Scientific Committee for the Birds in the Region (Paulo Catry, Monica Silva, José Pedro Granadeiro and Francesco Ventura), provided the opportunity to carry out a training on Biology/Ecology of seabirds, methodologies for prospection, handling and monitoring protocols, between the 18th and 21st of July 2023.
This training took place under the Training and Awareness actions of the project to target groups and was aimed at IFCN technicians, nature guards and biologists in Madeira. It had a theoretical component in the classroom and a practical component on the Desertas islands, nesting habitat of the Zinos Petrel and area of intervention of the LIFE project.
JULY 2022
TEACHERS RECEIVE TRAINING ON THE PETRELS AND THEIR CONSERVATION
In the scope of the project's Training and Awareness actions for target groups, between the 12th and 15th of July 2022, a training addressed to 3 groups of teachers of several schools of the Region, in a total of about 80 trainees, took place.
In its theoretical component, the training addressed the Petrels of the Madeira Archipelago, their characteristics as seabirds, threats and conservation work done over time. The training culminated with a visit to the Desertas Islands Natural Reserve, where the nesting area of the Zinos Petrel is located, one of the intervention areas of the LIFE project.
FEBRUARY 2022
FIRST EXECUTIVE MEETING OF THE PROJECT LIFE PTERODROMAS4FUTURE
It was on February 3, 2022 that the first executive meeting of the project LIFE Pterodormas4future/ LIFE Freiras was held online.
This meeting aimed the executive start-up of the project, with the presentation of this and the partners - SPEA and XGT and executive teams, distributed and responsible for the various thematic sectors of work: birds, predators, invasive plants, light pollution, recreational-sports activities, contingency plan, maps, software, images, logistics, and financial and technical management of the project.
These meetings are intended to take place on a regular basis and take place within the scope of action F1, which aims to ensure the technical and financial coordination and management of the project.