The genetic study of the LIFE LANNER project reveals the uniqueness of the Lanner falcon.

LIFE LANNER demonstrates, in the international scientific journal PLOS ONE, the genetic uniqueness of the Lanner falcon and the urgency of its preotection

A paper just published in the international journal PLOS ONE, completely developed by Project staff, revealed the remarkable genetic diversity of an endagered Falcon, the Lanner, which our European project deals with.

In the study, coordinated by IZS Lazio e Toscana, the genetic variability of 115 specimens belonging to three subspecies of Lanario found in the Mediterranean was examined. For deepening this study, two new genetic loci that have were also analyzed contributed to better genetic identification.

The results obtained highlight that the Lanner (Falco biarmicus feldeggii) identified by European Directive “Birds” is a separate entity from other subspecies and is worthy of the maximum scientific attention and a particular conservation policy.

The Lanner is a species that is experiencing a steep decline due to human interference which are influencing their presence at a global level.
The actions, implemented by the LIFE LANNER Project, involve among others, captive breeding and release into nature of the raised juveniles. To ameliorate the conservation project it is essential to understand the genetic diversity of the species, as well as its different subspecies: not only to be able to distinguish it in a scientific manner, but also and above all to give significant weight to the policies of European conservation.

The study was funded through the LIFE project “LANNER” (18NAT/IT/000720) and results were made available both in the article and in the annexes of the scientific work. The new sequences have been deposited in the public database GenBank for consultation by the international scientific community.
The Life LANNER project, coordinated by the Monti Cimini Lake Vico Nature Reserve, represents a joint effort by conservation experts and researchers to preserve this species of falcon which is increasingly rare around the Mediterranean. Thanks to the joint efforts of all parties involved, it is hoped that we will be able to reverse the decline of the European lanner falcon population and ensure its survival on the European continent.

It is possible to read the complete article at the following link:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295424