How to do research in Doñana
Scientific research constitutes one of the main priorities of the Doñana Protected Areas and it was acknowledged as such since its declaration as National Park (Law 91/1978 of 28/12/1978). According to such law, research taking place at the Doñana Protected Areas is coordinated by the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC).
If you are planning to carry out research at Doñana, you must take into account that your project must be approved by the National Park authorities. ICTS-RBD provides support during the complete procedure, from requesting access to the Doñana Protected Areas (see below) to applying for housing, logistic support and experience during the field work, accessing biodiversity monitoring data and/or using other IT services.
If you need assistance while designing your project or planning your field work, please do not hesitate in contacting us at coordinacion@ebd.csic.es. You can also get an impression of the research projects currently taking place at Doñana in our “Current projects” or our wikipedia (in Spanish).
How to request permits to do research in ICTS-RBD and Doñana Protected Areas
Permission to undertake scientific research projects at the Doñana Protected Areas (including ICTS-Doñana Biological Reserve) is granted on competitive basis, based on their scientific relevance, applicability to the protected preas conservation and management and the potential impact on Doñana’s wildlife and ecosystems.
To submit an application, you should download and fill this form and submit it to: coordinacion@ebd.csic.es. The form must be accompanied by a short description of the research project, including its source of funding, and the CV of the coordinator (Orcid Code or similar).
ACCESS CALLS
Request for access can be submitted at any time but is recommended to provided in April or Octuber, to assure field work can start from September of January, respectiviely, taking into account that projects must be approved by the Doñana’s Research Evaluation Workgroup (“Comisión de Trabajo de Investigación del END”). Once your research project is approved, the Research Coordination Office will provide access permits. In order to fulfill with the Doñana regulation, yearly a small summary of the research activities undertaken will be requested and a more complete report of the results and publications will be requested by the end of the project.
If the research approved require the sampling or manipulation of protected species, a separate permit must be requested to the respective authorities; ICTS-RBD will provide support for theses applications.
How to request access to ICTS-Doñana Biological Reserve
Once you have been granted the general permit to enter the Protected Areas of Doñana you request access to the ICTS-RBD, with or without accomodation, through this aplication (in Spanish) or contact ebd_reservas@ebd.csic.es
First field visit
For each project with access approved to the Doñana Protected Areas, a mandatory meeting with the conservation area of the National Park (Junta de Andalucía) must take place before the first day of field work. During this meeting, the rules and regulations necessary for field work on the area are explained, areas with restricted access are identified, and any other instructions or constrains arising from the conservation or management need of the area.
The meeting will also focus on the specificities of your field work, including:
• The safety procedures at place, including the procedures followed to communicate your location and request assistance in case of emergency.
• The field sites and sampling areas, including the means and routes of access to them.
• The installation of any marks and/or artifacts (fences, meters/loggers, etc.), including instructions for their registration, labelling, maintenance and removal at the end of the project.
• The request of any information that might be of use for the specific planning of your fieldwork, such as the location of certain species or population, the access to certain resources (water, electricity, data connectivity), etc.