2016_06_01_CIE_voluntarios_ambientales

The group of Environmental Volunteers of the University of Navarra, composed of more than thirty students and graduates of the academic center united by their interest in the preservation of the environment, has received funding from the Government of Navarra to increase the issue of nesting boxes in the campus.

The support, which comes from Obra Social La Caixa through the public business of management Ambiental de Navarra (GANASA), has two objectives. On the one hand, to check and clean the nest boxes present in the campus, whose maintenance has been carried out since 2009, and, on the other hand, to place 21 new boxes.

According to the coordinators of group, Nora Escribano and María Casas, students of doctorate of department of Environmental Biology, this initiative also aims to promote the nesting of other bird species, such as the autillo, for which there were still no appropriate nest boxes. Likewise, the activity is part of the academic center's volunteer activities , which aims to improve the natural environment by favoring bird nesting and spreading a culture of Education and environmental awareness.

Spring: everything is ready for nesting

In order for the nests to be in perfect condition in spring, the maintenance, supervision and placement of the nest boxes have been carried out in advance. According to the researchers and coordinators of group of volunteers, it is not advisable to alter or touch the nests in spring, since this is the breeding season for most of the birds and they can abandon the chicks or suffer stress that must be avoided.

group Voluntarios Ambientales was created 15 years ago at the initiative of a group of students from different Schools of the University of Navarra. According to Juana Fernández, the current manager of group, since then, different activities have been carried out every year to raise awareness and promote care for the environment, such as the collection of usedwriting materialsfor recycling, an environmental film series or outings to clean the Sadar riverbed as it passes through campus.