“LIFE Barrier Islands has shown that conservation is possible, effective, and replicable. Now, it is up to the authorities and society to keep this commitment alive,” says Joana Andrade, project coordinator, quoted in a statement from the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA).

Started in 2019, the project included biosecurity measures, dune restoration, modernization of the Wildlife Recovery and Research Center (RIAS), and educational activities involving more than 6,800 students.

According to Joana Andrade, the measure “was crucial in the recovery of the Audouin's gull (‘Larus audouinii’) population, a species in global decline, which found refuge” in that important ecological area off the Algarve coast.

“In 2019 there were approximately 2,500 nests, and by 2024, that number exceeded 7,000. The recovery was accompanied by a recent natural expansion of the colony from Ilha Deserta to Ilha da Culatra, reducing the risks associated with concentration in only one location,” she emphasises.

For six years, she says, the LIFE Barrier Islands project allowed for the removal of all feral cats from Ilha Deserta, “reducing the risk of predation,” while traps were installed “to control rodents and a biosecurity plan was developed.”

In addition to updating the International Action Plan for Audouin's gull, the project also proposes expanding the Ria Formosa Special Protection Area (SPA), which aims to increase the SPA's marine area to more than five times its current size, fundamental to guaranteeing the protection of endangered seabirds.

According to SPEA, the common tern (‘Sternula albifrons’), a vulnerable species due to nesting on sand, has benefited from the installation of fences and signage on beaches, reducing human disturbance.

Wildlife recovery

In the field of wildlife recovery, the LIFE Barrier Islands project modernized the RIAS Center, which treated 7,562 seabirds between 2019 and 2024, returning 3,208 to nature.

At the same time, “the causative agent of paretic syndrome, botulism, was identified, allowing the creation of a shared therapeutic protocol at an international level,” highlights SPEA.

On Deserta Island, the grey dunes, considered “a critical and fragile habitat,” were also the focus of attention, “through limiting seagull access and removing invasive plants” across 1.6 hectares using innovative techniques to eliminate species such as the ice plant.

Measures such as the use of dark netting to eliminate the ice plant “proved effective, and the mapping of invasive plants on the remaining islands inspired actions to remove these species on the islands of Tavira and Armona,” the note reads.

The project also developed actions to reduce the accidental capture of birds by fishing nets, promoting good practices among fishermen, and deterrent methods were tested on landfills and ports, with the aim of limiting the access of yellow-legged gulls to food sources.

The LIFE Barrier Islands project was funded by the European Union and the Environment Fund, involving six partners: SPEA (Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds), the Universities of Algarve and Coimbra, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, RIAS (Environmental Impact Assessment and Research Centre), and the company Animaris – concessionaire of the restaurant area on Barreta Island.

According to SPEA, the “continuity of the good results” will depend on the implementation of the new marine SPA [Special Protection Area] and the continued collaboration between institutions, fishermen and citizens, through the Post-LIFE Conservation Plan for the next five years.