"Navarre's rivers are in very good health but we need to continue investing efforts to maintain and improve their condition".

The Iberian Society of Ichthyology has updated the Spanish Fish Chart (CPE), an inventory of ichthyological biodiversity that brings together information on 84 species and has more than 40,000 records. Rafael Miranda, professor of the School of Sciences and researcher of the Biodiversity and Environment Institute of the academic center, has been in charge of coordinating this project, the largest inventory of freshwater fish in Spain.

This database - which can be consulted online at www.cartapiscicola.es-- provides detailed information on each of the species recorded, including their biology, distribution and conservation status.

"This tool allows fishermen and society in general to search for detailed information on the presence of species in specific places, their invasiveness or not, their threats and conservation status. In addition, it is useful for the assessment of environmental impact and the management of natural areas, offering detailed information on specific places," says Professor Rafael Miranda.

In the last three years, the SPC has been consulted by more than 4,800 users from 73 different countries, with Spain being the country that has made the most queries (60%). "The SPC allows us to generate species distribution models with the records we have and to create new predictive models in different climate change scenarios. Thanks to this Charter we can analyze the presence and expansion of invasive alien species or know the impact that dams have on fish."

The Spanish Fish Farming Charter was created in 2013 and the first update was carried out in 2016. This new update is supported by the Iberian Society of Ichthyology and the Biodiversity Foundation, attached to the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic challenge of the Government of Spain.

Navarre: good general condition of rivers and the Burtaina as a valuable species
For Rafael Miranda, the ecological state of the rivers in Navarra is "more than acceptable" but he insists that we must take care of their care because freshwater ecosystems are among the most sensitive on the planet. "Navarre's rivers are in very good health, but we need to continue investing efforts in maintaining and improving their condition."

Researchers from the University of Navarra, at partnership with the department de development Rural y Medio Ambiente del Gobierno foral, are in charge of update the species of Navarra in the CPE.

Out of the 84 species registered in the Spanish Fish Farming Charter, 29 correspond to the Autonomous Community, where emblematic species such as trout, salmon or burtaina, among others, can be found. "We have a really interesting and valuable species from the faunistic point of view: the burtaina. It is a unique species present in the Adour, Nivelle and Bidasoa basins. Its populations are very small, and it is a jewel that we have to protect".

On the other hand, among the 29 species of Navarre included in the SPC, up to 11 invasive exotic species are listed, which cause a negative impact on the rivers of the Community.