The northern bald ibis is once again flying over Catalonia thanks to a project promoted by the Fundació Alive to bolster European populations of this species.
The first release of northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita) at the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà, was successfully completed this Saturday morning, 21 March, in the presence of the Minister for the Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition of the Generalitat Sílvia Paneque, the Director General Marc Vilahur, the Secretary for Economic Transition Jordi Sargatal, the Councillor for the Environment of the Alt Empordà County Council Anna Palet, mayors and mayoresses of Alt Empordà, the Director of Endesa in Catalonia, the Director of the Barcelona Zoo Foundation, Antoni Alarcon, the President of the Alive Foundation, Bernat Garrigós, a representative of the Austrian WaldrappTeam, the Alive technical team and the volunteers of the Projecte Ibis Ermità, among others.
The president of the Fundació Alive, visibly moved, emphasised that ‘what we celebrate today is not just a release, it is the result of a community that believes in conservation, that understands the value of preserving our natural heritage and that acts accordingly. Because conservation is necessary for our survival as a society, for our leisure and for our health.’
Secretary Jordi Sargatal has explained the origin of the recovery of this species and how, thanks to the contribution of various stakeholders, three reintroduction projects have been established in Europe.
For her part, Councillor Silvia Paneque has stated that ‘for the Department, biodiversity is just another infrastructure.’ Sometimes we see the worst expression of the human species, and projects like these, when we citizens are able to preserve our environment and our relationship with nature, speak volumes about the good side of our species.
A decisive moment for the conservation of this species, which is classified as globally endangered. This initiative is part of the Projecte Ibis Ermità, led by the Fundació Alive with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Fundació Barcelona Zoo, the Sociedad Gaditana de Historia Natrual, the Zoobotanico de Jerez, the Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l’Empordà, and other international and local partners.
A key step to recover a lost species
The northern bald ibis disappeared from Mediterranean territories in the 20th century, when just over 220 individuals were surviving in the wild in Morocco. Although to date populations have been successfully restored in Andalusia (300) and in regions of central Europe (300), the release carried out in Empordà marks a before and after both for the species in Catalonia and for its impact at a European level. Hundreds of hours of work have enabled the animals and their habitat to be prepared so that around sixty ibis can adapt to life in the wild in the marshes.
A gradual release
The individuals released this Saturday are the first group to arrive in Empordà: the 19 ibises born in Andalusia, which have spent a period of adaptation in a bird aviary in the Aiguamolls area. These individuals were hand-reared in Jerez and transported to Empordà in June, when they were about a month old.
During July 2025, the northern bald ibises were released in a controlled manner in the morning and afternoon with the aim of having them overfly the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà and its immediate surroundings. This methodology enabled the birds to recognise the territory, the feeding points and the resting areas, and to integrate them as their home range. Thanks to this preliminary acclimatisation process, the project managers are confident that, once the final release is complete, the northern bald ibises will remain in the same area and begin the process of consolidating a stable population.
Inside the aviary are still the northern bald ibises from Austria, which arrived in Empordà on 27 September 2025 using the assisted migration method developed by the Waldrappteam, a pioneering technique that accompanies the birds on their first migratory journey. Alongside these individuals, ibis from various European zoos are also housed there (2 ibis from Ostrava Zoo in the Czech Republic, 2 from Gaia Zoo in the Netherlands, 2 from Vienna Zoo, 2 from Opel Zoo in Germany, , 1 from the Tiepark in Berlin and 2 from the Berlin Zoo), which form part of the project’s breeding and population-reinforcement programme, awaiting the completion of the next phases of
The next step in the project will be the release of the northern bald ibises from Austria, which have remained in the aviary for about six months, to complete their acclimatisation and with the aim of their successful integration into the population already established at the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà.
Finally, it will be the ibises from European zoos that will be released at the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà. These specimens have completed the final phase of acclimatisation in the aviary and represent the next batch of the reintroduction project, with the aim of establishing a stable and self-sustaining population in the area.
This gradual release is carried out so that the ibises still remaining in the aviary act as a calling effect for the released birds, helping them to familiarise themselves with the area and to stay there. This method helps to consolidate the population in the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà, preventing premature dispersal and encouraging established birds to remain in the territory as a stable core.
Life in freedom
All released ibises are fitted with a tracking device, which allows their movements and behaviour to be monitored in real time. The project’s technical team will continue to carry out comprehensive monitoring of the birds to ensure their adaptation to the environment and to assess the impact of the reintroduction on both the ecosystem and the species’ population, thus ensuring the project’s success and sustainability.
In this regard, the project reminds the public that if they see a northern bald ibis, they should respect its space and not try to approach it. If the bird is in poor condition, unable to fly or injured, you must contact 112 or the rural officers immediately so that specialist technicians can intervene and ensure its protection.
A forward-looking project
The Projecte Ibis Ermità not only aims to establish a stable population in the Wetlands, but also to raise public awareness of biodiversity conservation and to involve the local community and volunteers in monitoring and environmental education. The habitat protection measures, such as adapting electrical infrastructure to prevent bird electrocutions, have been crucial to ensuring these releases are safe and sustainable.
The authorities and project managers are confident that this first release will be the prelude to many more and will help to establish a viable, self-sustaining population of northern bald ibises in Catalonia.
In this regard, shortly the Zoo de Barcelona will also provide several specimens of the northern bald ibises, four males and three females, which will be housed in the Empordà aviary. These individuals, capable of breeding, will remain in the aviary while the renovations to their facility in the Catalan capital are carried out, and if they have offspring, these will be incorporated into the project for their release.
Furthermore, with next May in mind, the northern bald ibis conservation project is calling for more volunteers to help cope with the increased tasks resulting from the arrival of new chicks. This new phase of the project will be crucial to ensuring the proper growth and development of the young specimens, a particularly delicate stage that requires constant dedication and sufficient human resources. The volunteers’ tasks will involve feeding and caring for the chicks, which require daily attention, careful monitoring and adherence to specific protocols to ensure their welfare.
The Projecte Ibis Ermità is a long-term initiative working to recover an iconic and endangered species, and citizen participation plays a fundamental role. With the support of new volunteers, the project hopes to continue advancing with guarantees and consolidate the results achieved so far.
