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Citation: Ferreiro da Costa, J.;
Rodríguez-González, P.M.;
Ramil-Rego, P.; Portela-Pereira, E.;
Monteiro, P.; López Castro, H.;
Oreiro Rey, C.; Gómez-Orellana, L.
LIFE FLUVIAL: Improvement and
Sustainable Management of River
Corridors of the Iberian Atlantic
Region. Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022,13,
89. https://doi.org/10.3390/
blsf2022013089
Academic Editor: Alberto Teodorico
Correia
Published: 14 June 2022
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Abstract
LIFE FLUVIAL: Improvement and Sustainable Management of
River Corridors of the Iberian Atlantic Region †
Javier Ferreiro da Costa 1, *,‡ , Patricia María Rodríguez-González 2, Pablo Ramil-Rego 1, Estêvão Portela-Pereira 3,
Paulo Monteiro 2, Hugo López Castro 1, Carlos Oreiro Rey 1and Luis Gómez-Orellana 1
1Instituto de Biodiversidade Agraria e Desenvolvemento Rural (IBADER), Universidade de Santiago de
Compostela, Campus Terra s/n, 27002 Lugo, Spain; ramil.rego@usc.es (P.R.-R.); hugo.lopez@usc.es (H.L.C.);
carlos.oreiro@usc.es (C.O.R.); luis.gomez-orellana@usc.es (L.G.-O.)
2Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA), Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da
Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal; patri@isa.ulisboa.pt (P.M.R.-G.); cef.isa.life@gmail.com (P.M.)
3Centre of Geographical Studies, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, Universidade de Lisboa,
1600-276 Lisboa, Portugal; estevaohnh@yahoo.com.br
*Correspondence: javier.ferreiro@usc.es
† Presented at the IX Iberian Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 20–23 June 2022.
‡ Presenting author (oral communication).
Abstract:
At a global level, different land use change processes (changes in use, presence of invasive
alien species, public use activities, intensification in agricultural and livestock activities, loss of
compatible and low-intensity traditional uses, climate change, etc.) and phytosanitary problems
(black alder disease) are currently threatening factors that generate, with different degrees of intensity,
the deterioration and fragmentation of the habitats of river corridors, both in the upper and middle
basin, as well as in the estuarine sections. LIFE FLUVIAL (LIFE16 NAT/ES/000771) develops a
transnational strategy of sustainable management of river corridor habitats in several Atlantic river
basins of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), so the overall objective is the improvement in the
conservation status of Atlantic Natura 2000 river corridors and associated wetlands, mainly targeting
the 91E0* priority habitat (alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior). Another
target habitat is considered in the project, the habitat type 9230 Galician-Portuguese oak woods with
Quercus robur and Quercus pyrenaica, which represents continuity with the 91E0* habitat type. To
achieve the overall objective, a series of specific objectives are considered, which are designed to
combat threats that contribute to habitat degradation: (1) implementation of a transnational model
for sustainable management of river corridors for the improvement in their conservation status,
through the restoration of the composition, structure and functionality of their types of habitats, as
well as improving the connectivity and reduction in fragmentation; (2) control of exotic invasive
alien plants; (3) improvement in the plant health of river corridors by the partial removal of dead
trees; (4) promoting the dissemination and awareness of the natural values, socio-economic benefits
and ecosystem services of river corridors; (5) improvement in training and technical capacity for
stakeholders in the management and conservation of river corridors. To achieve these objectives,
the project proposes a set of specific conservation actions that constitute a compendium of best
practices in relation to the design and execution of viable and effective action measures to improve
the conservation status of river corridors and contribute to halting the loss of biodiversity.
Keywords: IAS; fluvial corridors; priority habitats; best practices; Natura 2000
Author Contributions:
Conceptualization, P.R.-R. and P.M.R.-G.; methodology, J.F.d.C. and E.P.-P.;
field work P.M., H.L.C., C.O.R. and L.G.-O.; writing J.F.d.C.; project administration and funding
acquisition P.R.-R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding:
This research was funded by LIFE Programme, grant agreement No. LIFE16 NAT/ES/000771.
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022,13, 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013089 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/blsf
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022,13, 89 2 of 2
Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement:
The data presented in this study are openly available in https://www.
lifefluvial.eu.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.