- The initiative is a joint project between the Junta de Andalusia (Regional Government of Andalusia) and the European Union
- A first pair of owls have arrived at the Madrevieja Environmental Station
The Madrevieja Environmental Station, managed by Fundación Cepsa, is part of a project to restore the owl population in the south of Spain. Already underway, the project is a collaboration between the Regional Government of Andalusia and the EU's bird ringing service, EURING.
The service has allowed Madrevieja to use red rings with white numbers, a color combination not seen anywhere else in Europe, meaning that the birds ringed in San Roque will be easy to identify across the continent. The Madrevieja Environmental Station has the facilities to host adult breeding owls and has recently welcomed its first pair of this species, whose offspring will be released. It also hosts other specimens provided by the Regional Government of Andalusia's Center for the Recovery of Endangered Species.
At the same time, Madrevieja continues to take part in PASEM (Plan de Anillamiento para el Seguimiento de Especies Migrantes — ringing plan for monitoring migrant species), which has led to recent sightings of Eurasian spoonbills originating from France and Germany, as well as other species. The Madrevieja Environmental Station has become a refuge for birds considered to be of "national interest" or "vulnerable" by various authorities, as is the case with the Eurasian spoonbill.
The Madrevieja Environmental Station is a research center and nature reserve owned by Fundación Cepsa, which has worked to restore the wetland since 2009. Since its inauguration in 2014, Ornitour has not only been working on conserving the area, but also on restoring species and the passage of birds to this corner of Campo de Gibraltar, which is open to the public to enjoy and learn from.