Half world's population of rare endemic affected
Last month’s wildfire in Doñana appears to have had a serious impact on threatened species, including forty species of plants. One, Linaria tursica is endemic to the Doñana area – more than half the known world population is found in the burnt area.
Moorish toadflax, as its scientific name could be translated, is a small, pale purple snapdragon-like flower highly adapted to mobile sandy soils. Also associated with the affected area are the globally-threatened Spanish imperial eagle and other raptors including red kite, short-toed eagle and booted eagle.
However, Carlos Dávila of SEO/BirdLife, sees an opportunity. Much of the burnt area is a plantation of pine, which over much of Doñana has replaced the native cork oak : “It would be good to see an ecological restoration following the fire that is based on planting key elements of the original forest such as wild olive, mastic, dwarf palm, Mediterranean buckthorn or strawberry tree. And when conditions of soil and shade are right, replanting cork oaks will be possible.”
Laurence Rose is a conservationist, writer and composer. He has worked for the RSPB since 1983.