Terra Natura Benidorm has joined the SEMICE project (Monitoring of Common Micromammals), a national scientific endeavour led by the Granollers Natural Sciences Museum.
The project’s goal is to continually and systematically examine populations of small insectivorous animals and rodents weighing less than 150 grams, which are thought to be excellent markers of ecosystem protection.
The park’s inclusion in this network is timed to coincide with the International Day for Biological Diversity, a day that emphasises the need to protect all types of life on Earth.
The SEMICE programme’s technique is based on a network of fixed stations located throughout the country.
These stations are sampled twice a year, in the spring and fall, using a tight process that ensures data comparability: 36 live-capture traps are placed, occupancy is analysed, identification, sexing, weighing, and reproductive state are marked, and the animals are then released at the same catch point.
Although no captures were made during the spring campaign at the stations evaluated by the Terra Natura Benidorm Conservation and Animal Management team, the data remains useful for charting trends and detecting population fluctuations.
During the initial campaign, the park crew sampled two plots: one at Xorret de Catí and another at Finca Buixcarró in Sierra de Mariola Natural Park, in collaboration with the Victoria Laporta Carbonell Foundation.
In the Xorret de Catí plan, a marten sabotaged numerous traps by removing the bait, resulting in no catches.
Despite their small size, small mammals play important roles in ecosystems: they provide food for many carnivores, serve as pest controllers for invertebrates, and aid in seed dissemination.
Their extreme sensitivity to environmental changes makes them excellent tools for monitoring the effects of climate change, habitat loss, and other environmental stresses.
Terra Natura Benidorm is taking a step forward in its dedication to applied research by joining this national scientific network, broadening its conservation contributions outside its facilities and actively engaging in the evaluation and monitoring of wild species in its surroundings.
International Day of Biological Diversity
Terra Natura Benidorm belongs to the Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AIZA), which emphasises the importance of zoos and aquariums as living conservation and research centres.
On events such as May 22nd, the International Day for Biological Diversity, the message is emphasised that these venues are more than merely exhibition spaces, but actual engines of knowledge and biodiversity conservation.
Terra Natura, together with the zoos and aquariums that comprise AIZA, constitutes a biodiversity network that works, researches, educates, and collaborates both inside and outside of its facilities, ensuring that future generations can continue to discover natural treasure.
Furthermore, they emphasise the importance of small mammals in these projects since they are great indicators of ecosystem health and the progression of global phenomena, like climate change.
About Terra Natura Benidorm.
Terra Natura Benidorm is a nature and animal park dedicated to the conservation of animal species, with over 150 species, the majority of which are vulnerable or endangered.
A tour of the facilities familiarises guests with the notion of zooimmersion.
The walls between visitors and animals are concealed by flora, giving a sense of continuity between the habitats built to fulfil the animals’ demands.
Author: Derek Appleton
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