Record numbers: Santa Pola celebrates conservation milestone

The natural park of Las Salinas de Santa Pola has reached a significant milestone in its conservation efforts for the slender-billed gull.

In 2024, it recorded the highest number of these birds in its history, with a total of 1,479 pairs.

This achievement is a record for the threatened species, which also lives in L’Albufera and Las Lagunas de La Mata-Torrevieja, bringing the total pairs to 1,846.

Raúl Mérida, the general director of the Natural and Animal Environment, sees the recovery of this species as a promising success story.

Initially listed as endangered in the Valencian Catalogue of Fauna in the early nineties, efforts began to reintroduce the species first in L’Albufera and later in the wetlands of southern Alicante, like Las Lagunas.

The director highlights that these wetlands provide an ideal habitat for the slender-billed gull, as shown by the increasing population.

The nesting process began in April of the previous year in the Santa Pola wetland, especially on the large islands in the El Pinet area.

Another important population centre for the slender-billed gull is in the Las Lagunas de La Mata-Torrevieja natural park, where 331 pairs have been counted, mainly on the east island (277 pairs) and the south island (54 pairs).