Project Leaders
Volunteer with Bearded Vultures in Andalusia, Spain

Mariano Liñan Pedregosa - Project Leader

Nano (as he’s known) has a degree in Environmental Sciences and a Masters on Protected Natural Areas. He combined the two aspects (environmental education and the biology of conservation) helping to run volunteer camps working on protected species and centres recovering threatened species. He then worked in the Picos de Europa, northern Spain, on a project reintroducing the Bearded Vulture into the region, following them and other species of vulture by radio signal, setting up feeding stations, rebuilding nests in caves and monitoring the birds. He now specializes in the field work for LIFE´s Reintroduction of the Bearded Vulture in Andalucia programme as well as school education campaigns.

María Jesús García-Baquero Merinoy - Project Leader

María Jesús gained a Biology degree, specializing in Environmental Biology at Extremadura University. She worked in Extremadura’s Environment Department becoming involved in another LIFE project for the region and then gained further experience working in Protected Areas and on the impact of electricity lines and measures to improve the systems. She has also developed monitoring programmes on conservation and ornithology since 1997, travelling extensively to do so. María Jesús is now involved in the field work for the LIFE programme in Andalucia.

Juan César Salamanca Ocaña - Project Leader

Juan César has a Biology degree and a Diploma in Advanced Studies of Ecology. Actively involved in research on macroinvertebrates he has worked all round the south of Spain obtaining scholarships and becoming a professor. He has developed projects on Environment Education and Awareness for private companies and presently specializes in LIFE´s environmental education and raising awareness of the current issues.

Sergio Couto González - Project Leader

Sergio is a Biology graduate and specializes in wildlife threats for the LIFE project. He has on worked on biodiversity inventories, the conservation and management of fauna concentrating on demographic aspects and the use and selection of habitats by different species.