CBD Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity and its Habitat

The Fundación para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad y su Hábitat, commonly known as CBD-Hábitat, is a Spanish non-profit foundation created in 1998 to protect biodiversity and its habitats both within Spain and internationally. It was established with the aim of saving two emblematic endangered animals from a common fate: the Mediterranean monk seal and the Iberian lynx. Over more than two decades, its mission has expanded to encompass other threatened species and global conservation projects. The foundation works on the conservation of species such as the Iberian lynx, the Mediterranean monk seal, the Spanish imperial eagle and the black vulture. Its activities include research and study of biodiversity in relation to the natural, cultural and human environment, as well as cooperation and development projects and environmental education. It operates nationally, mainly in the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Extremadura, Castile and León, and Castile-La Mancha, and internationally with projects in Europe, West Africa and other regions. CBD-Hábitat is formed by more than 65 scientific professionals and is directed by Nuria El Khadir Palomo as general director, with Javier Oría Marín as founding president. In 1999 it was registered in the Registry of Environmental Foundations of the Ministry of the Environment and in the Registry of Non-Governmental Development Organizations, attached to the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation since 2003. Since 2010 it has been a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The foundation's work is structured around three major programmes: conservation of the Mediterranean monk seal, recovery, conservation and reintroduction of the Iberian lynx, and protection and restoration of the natural feeding habitat of the black vulture and other scavenging birds. Its projects are funded by both public and private resources and rely on partnerships with key actors such as fishermen, farmers, livestock breeders, hunters, landowners, institutions and local populations. CBD-Hábitat has achieved notable results. The Iberian lynx population, which numbered fewer than 100 individuals in 2001, exceeded 1,000 censused animals in recent years, and by 2023 reached 2,021 specimens according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. The Mediterranean monk seal colony under its care grew from 100 to more than 350 individuals over 20 years, with births increasing by more than 300%. Both species have moved from "critically endangered" to "endangered" status. In 2022, the foundation received the BBVA Foundation Award for Biodiversity Conservation in the category of Actions in Biodiversity Conservation in Spain.

The Fundación para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad y su Hábitat (CBD-Hábitat) was created in 1998. It was founded with the aim of saving two emblematic endangered animals from a common fate: the Mediterranean monk seal and the Iberian lynx. This initial effort led the organisation to work with other species in global conservation projects in different parts of the world. In 1999, the foundation was registered in the Registry of Environmental Foundations of the Ministry of the Environment and in the Registry of Non-Governmental Development Organizations, attached to the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation since 2003. Since 2010, it has been a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The foundation is formed by more than 65 scientific professionals and is directed by Nuria El Khadir Palomo as general director, with Javier Oría Marín as founding president. Its lines of action focus on the protection and conservation of endangered species such as the Iberian lynx, the Mediterranean monk seal, the Spanish imperial eagle and the black vulture, as well as promoting development cooperation projects and environmental education. These activities are carried out nationally, mainly in Andalusia, Extremadura, Castile and León, and Castile-La Mancha, and internationally in Europe, West Africa and other regions. CBD-Hábitat develops environmental conservation projects funded by both public and private resources. Its main areas of work are centred on three major programmes: conservation of the Mediterranean monk seal, recovery, conservation and reintroduction of the Iberian lynx, and protection and restoration of the natural feeding habitat of the black vulture and other scavenging birds. The results of these projects have been significant. In 2001, fewer than 100 Iberian lynx remained alive; currently more than 1,000 are censused. The Mediterranean monk seal colony under the foundation's care grew from 100 to more than 350 individuals over 20 years, with births increasing by more than 300%. Both species have moved from "critically endangered" to "endangered" status. Since 1998, the foundation has signed agreements with more than 36 private estates (about 65,000 hectares) to conserve lynx populations in Andalusia, Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha. In 2023, the Iberian lynx population reached 2,021 specimens, 21% more than in 2022, distributed across 14 populations in Spain and Portugal, with a 23% increase in the number of females. These results allowed the IUCN Red List threat category for the Iberian lynx to change from "endangered" to "vulnerable" in June 2024. In 2022, the Fundación CBD-Hábitat received the BBVA Foundation Award for Biodiversity Conservation in the category of Actions in Biodiversity Conservation in Spain in its XVII edition. This recognition was granted for its pioneering work in defending the conservation of the Mediterranean mountain and some of its emblematic species such as the Iberian lynx, the black vulture and the Spanish imperial eagle.

• 2024

  Iberian lynx threat category changed from 'endangered' to 'vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List.

• 2023

  Iberian lynx population reached 2,021 specimens.

• 2022

  Received the BBVA Foundation Award for Biodiversity Conservation.

• 2010

  Joined the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

• 2003

  Attached to the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation.

• 2001

  Fewer than 100 Iberian lynx remained alive.

• 1999

  Registered in the Registry of Environmental Foundations and the Registry of Non-Governmental Development Organizations.

• 1998

  Foundation created to save the Mediterranean monk seal and Iberian lynx.

Non-profit conservation foundation working on endangered species and habitat protection through public-private partnerships, innovation and environmental education.

1. 1Fundación para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad | CBD-Hábitatcbd-habitat.com
2. 2Sobre CBD-Hábitat | CBD-Hábitatcbd-habitat.com
3. 3Fundación CBD-Hábitat - Wikipediaes.wikipedia.org
4. 4Wikidata Q130690389wikidata.org