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The project andorin aims to create a partners network that contribute to the study and preservation of the swallows, martins and swifts of Portugal. This project seeks to raise community awareness, provide information and practical tools for the conservation of these birds.
Swallows, martins and swifts are extraordinary birds, with long wings and forked tails, perfectly adapted to hunt insects in flight. Although they belong to very distinct taxonomic groups, they have relatively similar behaviours and often become identical and difficult to distinguish to a less keen eye.
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These birds are essential to our well-being, since they feed exclusively on invertebrates and therefore have a great capacity to control populations of various species, some of them quite harmful to agriculture or capable of transmitting diseases, as is the case of mosquitoes.
Still, swallows, martins and swifts populations are in decline! Changes in agricultural practices, which have reduced the abundance of insects on which they feed; the mismanagement of many buildings, which leads to the destruction of their nests; or climate change, which alters the annual food availability, are some of the reasons why these birds are becoming less and less common.
TEAM
Vasco Flores Cruz
Ecologist
Coordination
Fabia Azevedo
Biologist
Project management
Liliana Barosa
Biologist
Communication
Sandra Fernandes
Biologist
Communication
Thijs Valkenburg
Ornithologist
Conservation expert
Paulo Belo
Ornithologist
Swift expert
RESEARCHERS
Bruno Herlander Martins
Biologist
Swallows and martins' research
Carlos Miguel Pacheco
Biologist
Swifts' research
Edna Correia
Biologist
Swallows' research
Gonçalo Elias
Ornithologist
Swifts' research
Luís Costa
Biologist
Swifts research
Vita Nativa is a Portuguese non-profit organization for the Conservation of the Environment that aims to promote the study and conservation of nature, disseminate and enhance the natural heritage and contribute to active participation in the defense of the environment and ecosystem services.
Founded in 2018, Vita Nativa is an independent and non-partisan association whose starting point was the heart of the Ria Formosa, where it was formed by a group of professionals who work in the area of nature and environment conservation and who came together due to the need to give an active and coordinated response to several identified environmental problems.
For this reason, Vita Nativa has a multidisciplinary, dynamic team committed to bringing a new vision and practical approach to different environmental issues.
Despite being a recent association, Vita Nativa already has several projects underway and a dynamic program of activities. Vita Nativa associates are a fundamental part of the Association and we would love to count on you! Join now and see for yourself the difference that you can make.
The funds that allow us to carry out projects are not always enough to guarantee the best management or planning of some ideas. In this way, if you choose to make donations, it can be very important, helping us to do more and better for the Environment.