During 2014, awareness activities intended to local population in the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida have been carried out by the Estació Biològica del Pallars Jussà and the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, also with the participation of Trenca.

In 2013-2014 school year, the EBPJ (Estació Biològica del Pallars Jussà / Pallars Jussà Biological Station) carried out a total of 8 sessions for primary education schoolchildren from the village of Tremp: 6 at the classroom and 2 outdoors, visiting the SFP of Siall, the latter thanks to the collaboration between the EBPJ and Trenca. In total, 55 students.

Schoolchildren at the SFP (supplementary feeding point) of Siall. © Boumort-Alinyà Team

These activities are a continuance of the educational campaign of the 2012-2013 school year for primary schoolchildren also carried out by the EBPJ in the villages of Tremp, la Pobla de Segur, Isona and la Plana de Monrós: 36 sessions at the classroom and 12 sessions outdoors (visit to the SFP of Siall). In total, 250 students. For every course, 4 sessions are done: 3 at the classroom (where children do workshops on scavenger birds of prey, emphasizing on the black vulture reintroduction project) and 1 outdoors.

Besides, last spring, a group of 13 university students from the UdL (forestry technical engineers) visited the SFP of Siall too and knew the black vulture reintroduction project first hand.

Moreover, during 2014 the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera (Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation) has received more than 800 people (schools, retirees, families, ornithologists, universities and master students from all over the world) that came to know in situ the black vulture reintroduction project, through the activity “Eating with vultures”. Since 2011, the Espai Natura Muntanya of Alinyà has received more than 1.500 people interested in the project itself as well as in scavenger birds of prey in general.

Educational activity at Espai Natura Muntanya of Alinyà. © Boumort-Alinyà Team

The SPF (Supplementary Feeding Points) network project from Trenca Association has set up three sites in the Pre-Pyrenees and Pyrenees of Lleida (Siall, Bassella and Cal Roger) where scavenger birds of prey can find food in a safe way. The SFPs aim is to ease the lack of food for all these species, which are key to the ecological balance of ecosystems, reinforcing the availability of food for these birds in the Pyrenees. Besides, the operating of the three SFP is directly related to the reintroduction of the Black Vulture in the Pyrenees.

The reintroduction project of the Black Vulture in the Pyrenees is promoted by the Departament d’Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca, Alimentació i Medi Natural de la Generalitat de Catalunya and by the Fundació Catalunya – La Pedrera. GREFA and Trenca are involved in the assisment and implementation of the Project, toghether with the Alinyà Natural Site staff and the rangers of the NHR of Boumort. The Estació Biològica del Pallars Jussà carries out several educational actions related to the project.