A schematic sampling protocol for contaminant monitoring in raptors

Resumen del póster presentado al SETAC Europe 31st Annual Meeting, celebrado de forma virtual del 3 al 6 de mayo de 2021.
As a key part of the European Green Deal, the EU Chemicals Strategy aims for a non-toxic environment. A key challenge in this respect is to apply biomonitoring data in toxicological and ecotoxicological risk assessment to inform better management of chemicals in Europe. Raptors (birds of prey, owls and falcons) are widely used as sentinel species in monitoring programs and are particularly well-suited to contaminant monitoring. Delivering relevant contaminant data at pan-European scale requires the development of a pan-European network that brings together fieldworkers, sample collections and analytical laboratories, and of frameworks for the gathering, storage and analysis of raptor samples, together with related capacity-building and sharing of best practice. This challenge is being addressed by the COST Action European Raptor Biomonitoring Facility (https://erbfacility.eu/) building on the precursor Networking Programme Research and Monitoring for and with Raptors in Europe (EURAPMON; http://www.eurapmon.net/). This poster introduces a schematic sampling protocol for contaminant monitoring in raptors. The protocol provides best-practice guidance in a format accessible to both professionals and volunteers. The protocol aims to enhance sampling capabilities across Europe, ensure appropriate quality of samples and facilitate harmonization of procedures to maximize the reliability, comparability and interoperability of resulting contaminant data. The protocol starts with each matrix type, including sample types that are collected both during active (samples from captured birds and monitored nests) and passive (samples from dead birds and deserted nests) sampling. For each sample type (whole blood, plasma, serum, deserted or addled eggs, feathers, preen oil, regurgitated pellets, prey remains, gastric content and internal tissues), a specific protocol offering additional information is provided (e.g., collecting procedure, volume/mass of sample needed for contaminant monitoring, container types to conserve the sample, transport and storage conditions). The full protocol can be found online (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01341-9).
European Raptor Biomonitoring Facility COST Action (CA16224) is supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). Silvia Espín is supported by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (IJCI-2017-34653).