Regulations, biodiversity credits and scientific studies that support the governance and planning of urban biodiversity. Every resource is classified and always links to its original source.
The legal and regulatory framework for biodiversity and animal welfare
Laws, European regulations, strategies and institutional plans that frame the municipal management of urban biodiversity and animals.
Colonias felinas (Bienestar Animal - Ayuntamiento de Barcelona)
Ayuntamiento de Barcelona
Official page explaining the CERR method (capture, sterilization, registration and return), the role of accredited managing organizations and how to report incidents.
Plan de Acción 2026-2030 sobre gestión de poblaciones felinas y gatos comunitarios (Rev. 03, agosto 2026)
Dirección General de Derechos de los Animales (Ministerio de Derechos Sociales, Consumo y Agenda 2030)
Action Plan 2026-2030 on the management of feline populations and community cats: principles, situation in Spain and lines of action.
Programa de Gestión de Colonias Felinas 2026-2027 del Ayuntamiento de Madrid (aprobado por Acuerdo de la Junta de Gobierno de 29-12-2025)
Ayuntamiento de Madrid / Madrid Salud
Madrid City Council's 2026-2027 municipal cat colony management program (Spain), published in the BOAM.
Regulation (EU) 2026/1818 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2026 on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability
European Parliament and Council of the EU
Official text of the European regulation on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats.
Resolución de 4 de junio de 2026, por la que se aprueba el segundo Programa de Trabajo de la AGE de la Estrategia Nacional de Infraestructura Verde (2025-2027)
Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (Secretaría de Estado de Medio Ambiente)
Second work program of Spain's General State Administration to develop the Green Infrastructure Strategy.
Valencia abre el primer centro municipal de atención veterinaria de colonias felinas de España (institutional news, 05/05/2026)
Ayuntamiento de Valencia
Press release from Valencia City Council (Spain) on the municipal veterinary care center for cat colonies.
Zaragoza amplia el recinto para gatos del Centro de Protección Animal para acoger la colonia felina del Portillo (institutional news, 04/11/2025)
Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza
Press release from Zaragoza City Council (Spain) on the expansion of the cat enclosure at the Animal Protection Center.
Plan de Control y Gestión Ética de Colonias Felinas de La Adrada (Ávila; plan tipo de la Diputación de Ávila, firmado 10/07/2024)
Ayuntamiento de La Adrada / Diputación de Ávila
Example of a municipal plan for a small Spanish town, hosted by a provincial council that offers a common model to its municipalities.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration
European Parliament and Council of the EU
Official text of the EU regulation on nature restoration.
Ley 7/2023, de 28 de marzo, de protección de los derechos y el bienestar de los animales
Jefatura del Estado
Official text of the Spanish national law on the protection of animal rights and welfare.
One Health Joint Plan of Action, 2022-2026: Working together for the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment
FAO; UNEP; WHO; WOAH
Quadripartite One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022-2026) for human, animal, plant and environmental health.
Pla estratègic de Gats de Barcelona 2020-30: Focus Colònies de gats ferals (gener 2022)
Ajuntament de Barcelona - Drets dels Animals
Municipal strategic plan with starting assumptions, short-term objectives and a 2030 vision for feral cat colonies and their coordination with organizations and districts.
Orden PCM/735/2021, de 9 de julio, por la que se aprueba la Estrategia Nacional de Infraestructura Verde y de la Conectividad y Restauración Ecológicas
Ministerio de la Presidencia, Relaciones con las Cortes y Memoria Democrática
Spain's national strategy for green infrastructure and ecological connectivity and restoration.
Unowned Free-Roaming Domestic Cats: Reflection of Animal Welfare and Ethical Aspects in Animal Laws in Six European Countries
Natoli, Eugenia; Ziegler, Nadja; Dufau, Agnés
Reflection on welfare and ethical aspects in the laws affecting unowned free-roaming cats in Europe.
DOI 10.1163/25889567-12340017
Terrestrial Animal Health Code, Chapter 7.7: Stray dog population control (archived version, 2016)
OIE / WOAH
Chapter 7.7 of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code on stray dog population control (archived 2016 version; in 2022 WOAH replaced it with the chapter "Dog population management").
Real Decreto 630/2013, de 2 de agosto, por el que se regula el Catálogo español de especies exóticas invasoras
Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente
Official text of the royal decree regulating the Spanish Catalog of invasive alien species.
Ley 42/2007, de 13 de diciembre, del Patrimonio Natural y de la Biodiversidad
Jefatura del Estado
Official text of the Spanish Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Act.
Biodiversity credits: concepts, schemes and measurement
Reviews and analyses of how biodiversity credits are defined, measured and validated, an emerging market that municipalities can prepare for with reliable data.
Voluntary biodiversity credits: A review of concepts and a perspective on their application in European production forests
Holmlund, Aleksandra; Aguilar, Francisco X.; Ågren, Anneli M.
Review of voluntary biodiversity credits in production forests and their alignment with EU policies.
Biodiversity credits schemes: a comparative analysis
Croci, Edoardo; Lucchitta, Benedetta; Cusa, Marta
Comparative analysis of biodiversity credit schemes.
Biodiversity Credits: An Overview of the Current State, Future Opportunities, and Potential Pitfalls
Wunder, Sven; Fraccaroli, Cecilia; Bull, Joseph W.
Overview of biodiversity credits: current status, opportunities and risks.
The Biodiversity Credit Market needs rigorous baseline, monitoring, and validation practices
Aide, T. Mitchell
Article on baselines, monitoring and validation in the biodiversity credit market.
What is a unit of nature? Measurement challenges in the emerging biodiversity credit market
Wauchope, Hannah S.; zu Ermgassen, Sophus O. S. E.; Jones, Julia P. G.
What constitutes a "unit of nature": measurement challenges in the emerging biodiversity credit market.
Studies and science on urban biodiversity
A selection of recent scientific publications. Everything else is in the scientific catalog, with search and filters.
Cat colonies reshape the abundance and body size of lizards
Rodríguez, Airam; Rando, Juan Carlos; Rodríguez, Beneharo
Study of the abundance and body size of Tenerife lizards (Gallotia galloti) in relation to cat colonies.
Cat colonies reshape the abundance and body size of lizards
Rodríguez, Airam; Rando, Juan Carlos; Rodríguez, Beneharo
Biometric data, stable isotopes and locations of Gallotia galloti lizards close to and far from cat colonies in Tenerife.
iNaturalist Research-grade Observations
iNaturalist contributors
Research-grade iNaturalist observations aggregated in GBIF (record-level license may vary).
Rats, residues and rodenticide resistance: Hepatic concentration of anticoagulant rodenticides in genetically susceptible wild brown and black rats
Carromeu-Santos, Ana; Martín-Cruz, Beatriz; Neves, Tomé
Liver concentrations of anticoagulant rodenticides in genetically susceptible wild brown and black rats (no known Vkorc1 resistance mutations).
Colonias Felinas (Málaga) - ubicación de colonias registradas
Ayuntamiento de Málaga
Geographic layer with the location of registered cat colonies in Málaga (KML/GML/ZIP download).
Impacts of pet–wildlife interactions: Bridging the gap between EU animal welfare and nature conservation laws
Gómez-Serrano, Miguel Ángel
The gap between animal welfare and nature conservation in the EU regarding pet-wildlife interactions.
