Preliminary Scientific Program
Tuesday 25th march
9.00 - 13.30 h.Reception
Hall IREC
10.00 - 13.30 h.Workshop 2
Classroom 1
Automated acoustic detection of steppe birds: Learn to use BirdNET GUI
Outline
Passive acoustic monitoring (i.e. recording sounds in an environment with autonomous recording units) has proven to be useful for monitoring birds in a wide range of contexts. Nonetheless, its use to monitor steppe birds is still limited. In this workshop we aim to train the attendees on how to use BirdNET GUI, a user-friendly and free software able to identify over 6,000 bird species. This tool will extend the current list of methods available for monitoring steppe birds. The attendees will learn how to use the software on their own computers, and therefore should be able to run the analyses by themselves after the training, as well as know how to choose the best set of parameters for automated detection of steppe birds, and validate the output of the software.
Overall and specific objectives
Present how passive acoustic monitoring and BirdNET can be used for acoustic automated detection of steppe birds. 1) Train the attendees on how BirdNET should be used, 2) what are the meanings of the settings that can be adjusted, 3) how the outputs of BirdNET should be analysed to remove false positives (a species predicted but not actually present) and 4) how to filter BirdNET outputs to keep only high-confidence predictions.
Related topics
Population monitoring and trends
Benefits for participants
The participants will learn how to use BirdNET and how passive acoustic monitoring can contribute to monitoring steppe birds. These skills will improve their capability for monitoring steppe bird communities and improve their monitoring programmes.
Workshop length
210 minutes
Number of participants
5-30
Target audience
The target audience are researchers, technicians and managers eager to learn about how BirdNET, a free and user-friendly machine learning tool, can be used for automated detection of steppe birds in sound recordings.
Technical requirements
Attendees should bring their own laptop.
Coordinator:
Cristian Pérez Granados
Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya.
10.00 - 13.30 h.
Workshop 3
Classroom 2
Applications of Remote Sensing for Steppe Bird Conservation Using Google Earth Engine
Outline
This workshop will provide participants with hands-on training on the use of Google Earth Engine (GEE) for remote sensing applications aimed at the ecology and conservation of steppe birds. Participants will learn how to pre-process imageries and calculate baseline ecological metrics like the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index).
Through guided exercises, participants will apply remote sensing techniques to quickly create NDVI time series and visualize them within GEE. Furthermore, the workshop will demonstrate how to match telemetry data from bird tracking studies with satellite-derived data at multiple scales, an essential step to explore relationships between bird movement patterns with environmental variables. This approach will offer research opportunities into habitat selection, movement ecology, and behavioral patterns, all essential for effective conservation strategies.
The workshop will combine theoretical presentations with hands-on coding sessions, making it suitable for participants at a beginner/intermediate level of experience in remote sensing. Participants will also gain practical experience in customizing analysis workflows and applying them to real-world conservation challenges. This workshop will equip participants with essential skills to leverage remote sensing for more informed decision-making in the conservation of steppe bird habitats.
Overall and specific objectives
Equip participants with practical remote sensing skills to address conservation challenges for steppe birds.
Specific Objectives:
Understand the basics of GEE.
Learn techniques for data pre-processing.
Derive habitat quality metrics.
Apply time-series analyses.
Integrate telemetry data with remote sensing time series metrics.
Related topics
Dynamics and drivers of habitat change in steppe and pseudo-steppe ecosystems.
Evolutionary and behavioral ecology of steppe birds.
Conservation strategies and policy mechanisms.
Benefits for participants
Participants will gain hands-on experience in remote sensing techniques, with a focus on GEE, enabling them to process and analyze large-scale environmental datasets rapidly and match with telemetry data.
Workshop length
210 minutes
Number of participants
20
Target audience
Researchers, conservation practitioners, and students with an interest in steppe bird ecology and conservation.
Technical requirements
Important preparation step for participants:
Since the analyses will be conducted on the cloud computing platform Google Earth Engine (GEE), attendees must first subscribe to GEE and load the necessary materials as soon as possible.
This is crucial, as the GEE account approval process can take some time, and participants will need access to the platform to follow the hands-on exercises. To facilitate this, I have prepared a detailed guide that outlines:
How to subscribe to Google Earth Engine for free using an academic account.
How to load the prepared materials, including shapefiles.
How to access and run the provided code for data extraction.
Link to download the guidelines and workshop materials:
Coordinator:
Francesco Valerio
10.00 - 13.30 h.
Workshop 1
IREC auditorium
Conservation research perspectives on Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata and Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra
Outline
The Pin-tailed sandgrouse and the Calandra lark share many ecological requirements and are frequently sympatric across their distribution range in Western Europe. They also experience alarming population declines and range contraction throughout the Mediterranean.
Although extensive research has recently been conducted on Pin-tailed sandgrouse in the Iberian Peninsula, both species remain among the least understood steppe birds, slowing the development of efficient conservation strategies.
Proposed as part of the French conservation plan on Pterocles alchata and Melanocorypha calandra, this workshop seeks to outline recent progress in the understanding of the biology and ecology of both species, and to explore future priorities in conservation research.
Overall and specific objectives
The session will invite various species specialists to present recent research results on the ecology and conservation of Pterocles alchata and Melanocorypha calandra. Because of the elusive nature of the species, special attention will be given to methodological challenges, and how they can be overcome.
Attendees will then be invited to debate about research priorities. The workshop will specifically aim at stimulating research on the species, sharing experiences and practices, and developing national and international collaborations.
Debates will especially focus on:
- Estimation of demographic parameters and associated threats
- Population monitoring methods
- Habitat requirements and management of pseudo-steppe and agro-pastoral landscapes
Related topics
- Life-history strategies
- Population monitoring and trends
- Dynamics and drivers of habitat change
Benefits for participants
Participants will be provided with an update in conservation research on Pterocles alchata, Melanocorypha calandra, and their habitats. Debates will seek to give insights about how to overcome methodological challenges, and to create emulation and collaboration perspectives for the development of new researches.
Workshop length
210 min
Number of participants
10 to 30
Target audience
Specialists of the species, people conducting research on related species or on the management and conservation of their habitats, and anyone interested in developing research or conservation projects related to either species.
Coordinator:
Axel Wolff
13.30 - 15.00 h.
Lunch break (not included)
15.00 - 18.00 h.Reception & placement of posters
Hall Paraninfo
16.30 - 17.30 h.Opening ceremony
UCLM Paraninfo
Speakers:
Eduardo De Juana Aranzana
President of the Research Group on Steppe Birds of the Iberian Peninsula (GIAE).
Beatriz Arroyo
Director of the Institute for Game and Wildlife Research (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM)
Gerard Bota Cabau
Member of the Organizing Committee.
Presenters:
Núria Pou Àlvarez
Technical Secretary. Technician in the Forest Sciences and technology Centre of Catalonia. Spain.
Cristina Alonso Moya
Knowledge Transfer Techinician of Forest Sciences and Tecnology Center of Catalonia.
17.30 - 18.30 h.
Inaugural Plenary Session
UCLM Paraninfo
Speaker:
Johannes Kamp
Head of the Conservation Biology Department, University of Göttingen, Germany.
Moderator:
Gerard Bota Cabau
Member of the Organizing Committee.
Dynamic land use shapes the bird community of the Eurasian steppe
19.00 - 20.00 h.Opening cocktail
Sótano del Antiguo Casino De Ciudad Real (Calle Caballeros 3, 13001, Ciudad Real).
Wednesday 26th march
9.00 - 10.00 h.Invited Plenary 1
UCLM Paraninfo
Speaker:
Alena Klvaňová
Head of monitoring and research department, Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme manager, Czech Society for Ornithology and European Bird Census Council, Prague, Czechia
Moderator:
Santiago Mañosa
Researcher at the University of Barcelona. Member of GIAE. Spain.
Using PECBMS and EBBA2 data on steppe birds in European policy and research
10.00 - 10.30 h.Coffee Break
Hall Paraninfo
10.30 - 12.30 h.Thematic session 1. Population monitoring and trends 1
UCLM Paraninfo
Moderator:
Yves Hingrat
Research Manager at Reneco International Wildlife Consultants located in the United Arab Emirates.
Specific monitoring method for the common quail (Coturnix coturnix) during the breeding season.
Assessing bird communities in Mediterranean agricultural landscapes through acoustic monitoring: BirdNET, Merlin and acoustic indices.
BirdNET, a user-friendly acoustic algorithm, complements traditional field censuses for describing grassland bird communities in Europe.
The study of the distribution and resources of the Saker falcon in Mongolia.
Drones and Biodiversity: Impact on Lanzarote's Avifauna.
10.30 - 12.30 h.Thematic session 2. Life-history strategies
IREC auditorium
Moderator:
Ana Benítez
Researcher at the Natural Museum of Natural Sciences. Spain.
Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra) in the abyss: discrepancy between habitat preferences and breeding success.
Surviving the heat: climate change challenges for steppe birds.
Malaria-like parasites of European rollers breeding in a semi-arid zone.
Low breeding success in two declining steppe birds revealed by remote tracking and field data.
Estimating apparent survival of Pin-tailed-sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata) through non-invasive genetic mark-recapture.
12.45 - 13.30 h.Poster session
Hall Paraninfo
13.30 - 15.00 h.Lunch break
Hall Paraninfo
15.00 - 17.00 h.Thematic session 3. Population monitoring and trends 2
UCLM Paraninfo
Moderator:
Teresa Marques
Researcher at the University of Porto, Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources. Portugal.
Long-term continued decrease in productivity of Montagús harriers (Circus pygargus) across Spain explains recent trends and predicts further decline.
Population status and trends of the Little Bustard in its Eastern range.
Demography and viability of a reinforced North African houbara bustard population.
Status and migration the Eastern Great Bustard population breeding in the Uvs Nuur Basin of Western Mongolia.
Significant decline of the houbara bustard in the Canary Island.
15.00 - 17.00 h.Thematic session 4. Dynamics and Drivers of Habitat Change in Steppe and Pseudo-steppe ecosystems
IREC auditorium
Moderator:
Carlos A. Martín
Professor of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Complutense University of Madrid. Spain.
Effects of farming specialisation on steppe birds in southern Portugal.
Fungicide exposure in declining Iberian steppe birds.
Dynamic occupancy models and citizen science reveal steppe birds range dynamics and priority conservation areas.
Habitat structure and landscape composition determine the occurrence of steppe birds in natural grasslands and shrublands.
Contractions in the distribution of farmland and steppe bird species in Spain in relation to agriculture intensification.
17.00 - 17.30 h.Coffee break
Hall Paraninfo
17.30 - 18.30 h.Round table. Role of agricultural practices for steppe birds conservation
UCLM Paraninfo
Moderator:
Mario Díaz Esteban
Research Professor of the Spanish Research Council and coordinator ot the AGRIAMBIO Thematic Platform
Participants:
Aldina Franco
Professor of ecology at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.
Rocío Tarjuelo
Researcher at the Natural Museum of Natural Sciences. Spain.
Nyambayar Batbayar
Director and researcher at the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia.
18.45 - 19.45 h.
GIAE Assembly
Thursday 27th march
9.00 - 10.00 h.Invited Plenary 2
UCLM Paraninfo
Speaker:
Joao Paulo da Silva
Researcher at the University of Porto, Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources. Portugal.
Moderator:
Julia Gómez Catasús
Assistant Professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Spain.
Bustards and Powerlines – a major conservation concern.
10.00 - 10.30 h.Coffee Break
Hall Paraninfo
10.30 - 12.30 h.Thematic session 5. Movement strategies and migration patterns
UCLM Paraninfo
Moderator:
Inês Catry
Researcher at BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, University of Porto. Portugal.
Microclimate refugia availability shapes environmental niches and predicts movement strategies of little bustards.
Stone-curlews show a remarkable variability in movement patterns: a case study in Northern Morocco.
Movement ecology of little bustards (Tetrax tetrax): migration strategies, connectivity and corridor features across the Iberian Peninsula.
Factors affecting survival of GPS tagged steppe land birds.
Post-breeding dispersal patterns and ecological niche modelling of Lesser Kestrel in the Iberian Peninsula.
10.30 - 12.30 h.Thematic session 6. Evolutionary and behavioral ecology of steppe birds 1
IREC auditorium
Moderator:
Juan Traba Díaz
Researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Spain.
An accelerometry based model to identify the behaviours of the Little Bustard.
Coexistence of two diverging lineages of common quails in southern Spain.
Cultural evolution and changes in the song of the Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti) over time and space.
Use of waste disposal sites by the globally endangered Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis in Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman.
Using accelerometer data to track the behavior of elusive birds: the case of Eurasian Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus).
12.30 - 13.30 h.Poster session
Hall Paraninfo
13.30 - 15.00 h.Lunch Break
Hall Paraninfo
15.00 - 17.00 h.Information point and poster exhibition
15.00 - 17.00 h.Thematic session 7. Impact of human infrastructures
UCLM Paraninfo
Moderator:
Francisco Manuel Ferraira Moreira
Senior researcher at the University of Porto, into the Biodiversity and Genetic Resources Research Centre (CIBIO). Portugal.
Current and future conflicts between utility-scale photovoltaic power plant and sandgrouse distributions.
The global impact of solar photovoltaic expansion on the worlds birds.
Steppe Habitat Compensation in Solar Energy Projects: Analysis of Environmental Impact Statements in Spain.
Identifying conflicts between renewable energy developments and taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of steppe birds.
Alarming state of steppe bird habitats in southern Spain. ZAPRAEs, olive groves and photovoltaic plants.
15.00 - 17.00 h.Thematic session 8. Evolutionary and behavioral ecology of steppe birds 2
IREC auditorium
Moderator:
Carolina Bravo Párraga
Researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Spain. Member of GIAE and the Organizing Committee.
The Palaeoecological Links between Climate Change, Vegetation change and British Farmland Birds in the Archaeological Record.
Good neighbours: habitat partitioning and coexistence in a steppe bird community.
Direct and indirect effects of rainfall variability on steppe bird abundance under climate change: the species-specific ecological profile matters.
Interannual and seasonal variations in niche partitioning between two sympatric sandgrouses.
Winter habitat selection of Eurasian Stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) in Southwest Iberia revealed by high-resolution data.
Feeding habits of the male Little Bustard during the breeding season: the role of habitat and land use in diet selection.
17.00 - 17.30 h.Coffee Break
Hall Paraninfo
17.30 - 18.30 h.Round table. Renewable energy and the impact on steppe birds.
UCLM Paraninfo
Moderator:
Manuel B. Morales Prieto
Professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid and Coordinator of the Steppe Forward Chair.
Participants:
Ana Benítez
Researcher at the Natural Museum of Natural Sciences. Spain.
Luis Benavente
Programme Director. Subdirectorate General for Environmental Assessment. Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Gankhuyag Purev-Ochir
Director of the Mongolian Bird Conservation Center.
David Howell
Senior Energy Policy Officer, BirdLife Europe.
20.00 h.
Congress dinner
Hotel Exe Doña Carlota
Friday 28th march
9.00 - 10.00 h.Invited Plenary 3.
UCLM Paraninfo
Speaker:
Nigel Collar
Research Fellow, BirdLife International, Cambridge UK, and Co-Chair, IUCN Bustard Specialist Group.
Moderator:
Beatriz Arroyo
Director of the Institute for Game and Wildlife Research (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM)
The plight of Palearctic bustards
10.00 - 11.30 h.Thematic session 9. Conservation strategies and policy mechanisms: Present and future 1
UCLM Paraninfo
Moderator:
Nyambayar Batbayar
Director and researcher at the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia.
Haemosporidian diversity in captive and wild Asian houbara bustard populations: implications for conservation and ecosystem stability.
Scenario planning and participatory processes: a useful tool for European steppes’ conservation.
Coexistence conservation: The potential of behaviour-based methods to mitigate predation on steppe birds in farmland ecosystems.
Long-term Systematic Conservation Planning for Two Declining Steppe Birds in Iberia.
Bustards Without Borders: A Collaborative Approach to Global Bustard Conservation.
11.30 - 12.00 h.Coffee Break
12.00 - 13.45 h.Thematic session 10. Conservation strategies and policy mechanisms: Present and future 2
UCLM Paraninfo
Moderator:
Aldina Franco
Professor of ecology at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.
Can habitat management and human-induced mortality mitigation reverse the decline of the little bustard in Extremadura?
A demographic evaluation of the conservation management of the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in Catalonia.
Assessing the Effectiveness of CAP measures for the conservation of endangered steppe birds.
Restoration of Iberian Shrub Steppes: Effects on Arthropod Biomass and Dupont’s Lark Populations.
Results of two years of translocations of a steppe passerine in continental Europe: the endangered Dupont’s lark.
Conservation actions and assessment of hunting (un)sustainability to recover the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix).
13.45 - 15.00 h.Lunch Break
15.00 - 16.00 h.Closing Plenary
UCLM Paraninfo
Moderator:
François Mougeot
Researcher at the Spanish National Research Council, Institute for Game and Wildlife Management. Spain.
30 years studying harriers, bustards and stone curlews: new knowledge and lessons for conservation
Speaker:
Vincent Bretagnolle
Senior Scientist CNRS, at Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé.
16.00 - 17.00 h.
Closing Ceremony
UCLM Paraninfo
Speakers:
Juan Traba Díaz
Researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Spain.
Carolina Bravo Párraga
Researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Spain. Member of GIAE and the Organizing Committee.
Borja Heredia Armada
Head of the Terrestrial Fauna Area of the General Directorate for Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Presenter:
François Mougeot
Researcher at the Spanish National Research Council, Institute for Game and Wildlife Management. Spain.
17.30 - 19.00 h.
Presentation of the documentary "URPA: A Fresh Brew to Save the Montagu’s Harrier"
UCLM Paraninfo
Saturday 29th march
8.00 - 15.00 h.Excursion A Journey Through the Steppes of La Mancha
UCLM entrance (Ronda de Toledo)
10.30 - 12.30 h.Excursion Cultural visit to Castilla La Mancha cultural heritage, in collaboration with the regional administration.
