With the European aim of slowing down the rates of biodiversity loss by 2010 in mind, EDP signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Biodiversity (ICNB) to establish a long-term partnership through which initiatives to promote and conserve biodiversity will be developed, along two distinct lines:

1. Long-term initiatives, with preference given to studies that assess the impact of climate change on biodiversity, from both a purely ecological and an economic perspective, to support future proposals for biodiversity interventions with an improved cost/benefit ratio;

For further details, see:

> Impact of climate change on mainland Portugal 


2. Short/medium-term initiatives to recover or improve the current condition of ecosystems on the one hand, and to assess the causes and consequences of human intervention on the continued loss of biodiversity on the other.

For further details, see:

> Plan to improve the conservation state of migratory fish and their habitats at the lower end of the Cavado River;

> Emergency recovery plan for three species of rock-dwelling birds in the Douro International Nature Park.

With the aim of restoring the dynamics and functioning of the Cavado River between its mouth and the first hydroelectric plant upstream Penide - EDP has established a cooperation agreement with the ICNB (Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Biodiversity) to implement a plan to improve the conservation state of migratory fish and their habitats, in particular the sea lamprey.

This agreement will be implemented in two phases:

1. The preparation of a descriptive study of the abovementioned stretch of river to identify the major obstacles responsible for the reduction in the migration of fish species in the Cávado River;
 
2. The design and implementation of a series of actions to ensure the ecological recovery of the lower end of the River Cávado, with a view to improving the conservation state of the sea lamprey.

With the aim of reversing the decline of three species of rock-dwelling birds - the black stork (Ciconianigra), the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and Bonelli's eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus) - this plan is set to run for 2 years at a total cost of around €360,000.

This project began in September 2007 and involves several NGOs and local associations with vast field experience, and the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Biodiversity (ICNB), which is responsible for the scientific coordination of the project.

EDP has numerous facilities in the Douro International Nature Park (PNDI) and the risks of these species' extinction in the Trás-os-Montes region acted as an incentive to sponsor this project.

The plan involves 16 actions with a view to:

> Improving the condition of the birds' feeding habitats;

> Increasing the breeding of these three species;

> Reducing mortality factors;

> Increasing scientific knowledge;

> Improving the image of the species in eyes of local residents.

April 2007

EDP gave up a 136 ha area of land contiguous with the Serra da Estrela Nature Park, known as the Mata do Desterro, to return this ancient agricultural land to nature, according to a previously prepared Sustainable Development Plan.
  

2004

A cooperation agreement between EDP, the ICNB (Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Biodiversity), the SPEA (Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds) and Quercus is in force until 2008, with a view to improving the compatibility between high and medium voltage overhead power lines and the protection of birds in Portugal, minimising their impact on avifauna.

The following actions are in progress:

> Overall description of the impact of high and medium tension overhead power lines on avifauna;

> Identification and classification of lines and their pylons according to a danger rating for avifauna, particularly in Special Protection Areas (ZPE) and Important Bird Areas (IBA);

> Phased introduction of correction measures to existing lines that impact on avifauna, to be agreed in accordance with the results obtained;

> Establishment of a set of technical solutions for the future installation of power lines, in order to prevent or reduce their negative impact on birds;

> Monitoring the measures implemented under this agreement and in previous corrections.


For further details, see:

> ICNB/EDP agreement

> Dispersion studies

In partnership with the National Institute for Engineering and Innovation (INETI), EDP has provided support for the operation of greenhouses built at the end of the 80s at the Setúbal thermoelectric power station, heated using the plant’s cooling system.

The first phase, which has seen these greenhouses used to germinate indigenous tree species, resulted from a partnership with the Arrábida Nature Park to launch a wide-ranging reforestation project. Since 2001, a total of around 300,000 trees have been germinated.

The success of the initiative led EDP to sign a new cooperation agreement with INETI, expanding the germination of species to span the entire country and several Portuguese Nature Parks, in particular the Serra da Estrela Nature Park and the Douro International Nature Park.

The initial project was designed for demonstration purposes in order to verify the commercial viability of the technology employed. The main results showed a significant increase in the quality and productivity of the species germinated, as well as an energy saving of approximately 6 litres of fuel per m2 of greenhouse compared with greenhouses heated by traditional means. 

Since 2005, EDP has been supporting the Living Planet Environmental Research Centre in their development of a recovery plan for the community of migratory fish in the hydrographic basin of the River Douro.

The project has 3 phases:

The 1st phase, which has already been completed, involved an assessment of the current state of the migratory fish that still visit the hydrographic basin, to be used as a basis for the future development of a suitable conservation plan.

The 2nd and 3rd phases, already under way, aim to continue efforts to inventory potential spawning grounds for migratory species; to begin monitoring breeding sea lamprey adults; and to start a scheme of artificial breeding and looking after the early stages of larval development for several target species (sea lamprey, Allis shad and Twaite shad) both in captivity and in the wild.

For further details, see:

Recovery plan for the sea lamprey population

EDP currently has a cooperation agreement for a study of the impact of climate change on biodiversity in mainland Portugal to be conducted by the end of 2009. This agreement was signed with Instituto de Conservação da Natureza (the Nature Conservation Institute), CECAC - Comité Executivo da Comissão para as Alterações Climáticas (Executive Committee of the Climate Change Commission) and Dr Miguel Bastos Araújo, chief investigator of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Scientific Research Council) in Spain and associate investigator of the Oxford University Centre for the Environment. The aim of this study is to assess the impacts, vulnerability and adaptability to climate change of a number of fauna species in mainland Portugal Continental, selected on the basis of their threat and/or protection status and their essential role in the preservation of biodiversity. The study will identify, analyse and assess action to be taken to minimise the impacts of climate change.