Red Eléctrica, the Redeia company responsible for the transmission and operation of the Spanish electricity system, has renewed its support for the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture (FCQ) and its programme to rescue specimens of this endangered species in the Pyrenees of Aragon. This collaboration, in line with the Conservation Strategy for the Bearded Vulture in Spain, will continue over the coming months and includes programmed interventions to remove eggs, chicks and specimens for reintroduction at a later date.

This initiative, which only affects a small percentage of the bearded vultures in Aragon (20 pairs whose reproductive rate is very low, as is normal in natural populations of birds of prey), can significantly increase reproductive success and the number of young birds introduced into the wild. Thanks to this conservation project, new specimens will be introduced from pairs that had previously failed to reproduce. This also ensures that their genetic inheritance, which has had little impact so far, will increase diversity within the Iberian populations of this bird.

The programme includes awareness-raising actions that will benefit the Pyrenean communities and visitors and involve institutions such as the Government of Aragon to oversee administrative approval for the work, and Nature Protection Agents to help the FCQ’s technicians rescue the eggs and chicks for the selected pairs.

Red Eléctrica, with its parent company Redeia, have been working with the foundation for more than ten years, enabling it to carry out numerous projects in several autonomous communities that are vital for the conservation of the species.

In Aragon alone, this joint effort has made it possible to restore the bearded vulture breeding centre at La Alfranca (Zaragoza), renovate the content and technological facilities of the Eco Museum Visitor Centre for Pyrenean Wildlife at the Aínsa Castle in Huesca, the foundation’s headquarters and an international reference for conservation and raising awareness of Pyrenean biodiversity, and protect birdlife by installing markers on power lines close to the areas where bearded vultures fly. Red Eléctrica installed markers along 63 kilometres of these power lines in 2025, adding up to a total of 700.

Redeia and Red Eléctrica’s cooperation with the FCQ is producing very positive results and demonstrates Redeia’s commitment to protecting birdlife, which occupies a significant place among the targets for conservation and protecting biodiversity included in its Sustainability Plan.

This joint effort also extends into other communities, such as Asturias, where the ‘Integrated conservation area for bearded vultures in the Sierra del Cuera’ project is currently under way. This project includes a permanent station to study the impact of climate change on bearded vultures and biodiversity through the periodical analysis of emerging avian disease-transmitting vectors (mosquitoes, among others). This research will also benefit other bird species, livestock farming and the entire mountain habitat.