The Funchal City Council (CMF) has presented a new Cory’s Shearwater in Macaronesia conservation project, in a ceremony that took place at the Reception and Interpretation Centre of the Funchal Ecological Park. The ceremony was attended by the Councilor for the Environment, Nádia Coelho, as part of the Kick-off meeting of the MAC Puffinus BestLife2030 project.
The MAC Puffinus BestLife2030 project, a conservation action for the shearwater seabird (Puffinus canariensis), an endemic subspecies of Macaronesia, was recently launched by the CMF, through the Funchal Ecological Park, in partnership with the University of Barcelona and MARE-ARDITI.
The initiative, 95% funded by the European Union, through the BESTLIFE2030 programme, has a total budget of €105,152.00 and will last for 24 months. Focusing on Madeira Island and La Palma Island, with the Funchal Ecological Park as the main stage for conservation actions in the region.
The new project continues the Puffinus LIFE4BEST (2021-2022), also promoted by CMF in partnership with SPEA, which had a budget of €40,000.
In this context, the councilor for the Environment, Nádia Coelho, underlined the CMF’s continuous commitment to the conservation area of the species: “The preservation of Cory’s Shearwater is a priority for the municipality. With this new project, we expand our commitment to biodiversity, with a current budget of €105,000, in continuity with the work developed at the Puffinus LIFE4BEST.”
The councilwoman reaffirms “the municipality’s leading role in protecting Cory’s Shearwater, consolidating the work of preserving biodiversity in Macaronesia and reinforcing institutional partnerships for environmental sustainability.”
The main objectives of MAC Puffinus BestLife2030 include ensuring the protection of the species, monitoring nesting areas, minimising predator impact, and raising awareness of the population for the importance of seabird conservation. The project also aims to collect new biological and behavioural data on the species.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
Photo: JM
