Photovoltaic multinational X-ELIO has signed a collaboration agreement with the Group for the Rehabilitation of Native Fauna and its Habitat (GREFA) to reclaim the lesser kestrel (pictured) populations in south-eastern Spain.
The project will be carried out over the next three years and will be financed entirely by the energy company.
This programme is part of the Global X-ELIO Community Plan, a series of actions at local and regional level that reaffirm its commitment to the values of the environment, education, health and the community where it carries out its projects.
The collaboration with GREFA consists in the development of the project Passages for the lesser kestrel, which is aimed at the recovery of the lesser kestrel.
This species is a small migrant hawk whose numbers in Spain have suffered a sharp decline.
The objective of Passages for the lesser kestrel is to create breeding colonies of the species and to connect them with existing ones in large passages throughout Spain.
One of these territorial passages is the so-called Southeast Corridor that runs from the Community of Madrid to the Region of Murcia, also passing through the provinces of Cuenca and Albacete.
The placement of nests in agricultural silos, as well as the monitoring of breeding pairs and the ringing of the birds will be the main actions foreseen in the agreement between X-ELIO and GREFA.
In 2021, GREFA is celebrating forty years of activity in defense of biodiversity, and having achieved in all this time, the rehabilitation and return to the natural environment of thousands of animals that are victims of the most diverse threats.
Their work in favour of biodiversity, in full harmony with the values of X-ELIO, has been recognized with the award of two of the most prestigious environmental awards in Europe, that of the BBVA Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (2016) and Fondena (2015).
X-ELIO country manager for Spain Arancha Martínez Navarro said: “Respect for the environmental and social environment is in the company’s DNA; our goal is to take care of biodiversity so that all of our photovoltaic plants become integral reserves of native birds.”
GREFA secretary general Fernando Garcés said: “The agreement with X-ELIO is an interesting line of action to reduce the impact on species and habitats in such a large-scale process derived from the climatic urgency we are experiencing, such as the energy transition hand in hand with renewable sources such as photovoltaics.”