Ecología y conservación de la cabra montesa ibérica en el Parque Nacional da Peneda-Geres (Portugal)

Laburpena

This PhD Thesis focused on basic aspects of the ecology of a recent population of lberian ibex Capra pyrenaica established in the Peneda-Gerés National Park (Portugal) since 1998, namely on its distribution range, diet and abundance . The species had formerly existed in the study area until the end of the 19th century and research was conducted on the causes that draw the former population to extinction. The inclusion of ibex in Portuguese fauna justified a debate on the vernacular name of the species. Research was exclusively based on non-invasive methodologies . Outputs contributed to define the current conservation status of ibex in Portugal and initiate procedures for population monitoring , namely of abundance estimation through Distance Sampling. Conclusions obtained are valuable to design further research and monitoring on species' abundance , e.g., using molecular markers and faecal samples, and expansion possibilities, e.g., through landscape ecology analysis. Conservation of this population is highly human-dependent.