The project

The measures in Portugal are aimed at improving several wetland habitats. Our ambition is to boost the population of the Black-tailed Godwit in the Tagus estuary by optimising the attractiveness and quality of staging and wintering wetland habitats through the restoration and regulation of water levels in rice fields (300 ha), costal lagoons (71 ha) and saltpans (21 ha), together with other actions (e.g. ploughing in the rice fields and vegetation management in lagoons and saltpans).

The University of Aveiro (UA), in collaboration with the Companhia das Lezírias (CL), aims to assess food availability when ploughing at different stages of the non-breeding season, across a mosaic of flooded rice fields with varying water levels.

Furthermore, to evaluate the effectiveness of habitat manipulation and restoration, UA will implement a multifaceted approach, integrating tracking data, avian abundance, and feeding behaviour of Black-tailed Godwits across a range of management regimes.

UA will also quantify the potential impact of such actions on soil fertility and rice yield, in order to reduce farmers' dependence on fertilisers.

In collaboration with CL and local rice farmers, UA will produce guidelines outlining best practices for the management of rice fields while promoting this habitat for the Black-tailed Godwit and other waterbirds, along with an overview of the associated advantages. It will also deliver a guide on how to restore saltpans to improve their habitat quality for breeding and non-breeding waterbird species.