MALAGA CITY COUNCILS AGREE TO CONTROL THE PARROTS WITH SHOTS.

THE PROVINCIAL WILL MAKE A REQUEST TO THE BOARD TO DEVELOP A SPECIFIC PLAN TO CONTROL THE POPULATION IN THE PROVINCE

IGNACIO LILLO Malaga Friday, November 29, 2019, 3:44 p.m.

The main municipalities of the province affected by the plague of the Argentine parrots, together with the Provincial Council, the main expert of the University of Malaga (UMA) in this species and technicians of the Board have agreed that the most timely (although unpopular) ) to control its expansion will be by means of carbine shots of compressed air . This was the technique used in Zaragoza, the only city where this invading bird is completely eradicated. To give the legal form to the action, the supramunicipal entity, which has taken the initiative to convene the meeting that has been held this morning, will make a request to the Ministry of Environment of the Junta de Andalucía (which is the one that has the regulatory competencies on this problem) to develop a specific control plan, based on the studies of the UMA and the demand expressed by the affected municipalities.

For their part, the regional leaders promised that the specific program is prepared quickly , and for that purpose the one approved for Seville will be used as a basis , and that it was not activated by pressure from animal groups. This document will include a battery of eradication alternatives, among which will be the direct firing, its capture by means of networks and the removal of eggs, among other options. Finally, each municipality will have to request an authorization to apply them, although with an express commitment on the part of everyone to follow the same criteria. In addition, to face the criticism of animal movements, the Provincial will carry out a parallel campaign of citizen information, to explain to the population why it is necessary to apply drastic actions.

Representatives of this area participated in 14 municipalities in the meeting. The deputy of the Environment, Interior Tourism and Climate Change, Cristóbal Ortega, stressed that for the first time the vast majority of the affected municipalities have put on the table the problems they face and have agreed on the need to establish what methods will be the most effective, "which must be applied unanimously so that they are really effective and the problem is not transferred to other municipalities or other provinces.”

His department will be responsible for consulting the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, as a competent administration, on the methods that municipalities can apply to address the almost 6,000 Argentine parrots that already live in the province, especially in the capital (more than 3,500) and in all coastal municipalities; but they have also entered the interior, both in the Guadalhorce Valley and in the Axarquía (Vélez River) and, more recently, in Antequera. In these cases, they are beginning to threaten crops. With the results of the regional consultation, the municipalities will be summoned again to coordinate the implementation of the measures. In this regard, the deputy appealed to the municipalities to implement the decisions that are agreed, even if they are unpopular, and not to be intimidated by the pressures of animal groups. "We all agree that the best solution is to bring them down , " he said, and for that they will have local police, green patrol agents who have a weapons license and, where appropriate, external subcontractors. Otherwise, the problem will get worse.«Source of parrots»

Antonio Román Muñoz, professor of Biology at the UMA and an ornithologist who accumulates several decades of study of the species, described the evolution of parrots in Malaga and warned that the methods that have been used so far, especially the removal of nests Not only have they not worked but have been counterproductive, because they encourage expansion. In addition, he cited cases such as Carranque, in the capital, where 38 breeding pairs and more than 100 birds live, so, having reached their maximum capacity, those born there occupy nearby enclaves: «It is a source of parrots for surrounding areas » . Something similar occurs in Colonia Santa Inés, from where they have reached the botanical garden of the University and affect the trees. On the other hand, he gave the example of the almond crops that are around the Airport, which are already grass of these, as a warning of what can happen if they are established in the Vega de Antequera and the Guadalhorce Valley.

On behalf of the Environment Delegation of the Board, the head of the Natural Environment Management Service in Malaga, Miguel Arenas Torres, participated; and Félix Gómez-Guillamón, head of the Department of Geodiversity and Biodiversity. Both agreed to underline that, since it is an animal included in the Catalog of Invasive Exotic Species, its control is contemplated through shots, nets, cages, raptors, removal of eggs and nests, although each municipality is the one that must decide the actions that best suit your case. "The use of the carbine can be authorized if the city councils ask for it, everyone can decide and apply it," they said. Therefore, this technique will be included in the specific plan to be developed. Municipalities were also offered to intervene directly in natural areas that are directly the responsibility of the Board.

Luis Medina-Montoya, General Director of Environment and Sustainability of the Malaga City Council, led the request to the Board to coordinate the solutions. "The only effective method is the carbine, it is the best technical option but it is conflictive, we must act together . "