2025-2029 Habitat Defragmentation Plan: What Infrastructure Managers and Companies in Protected Areas Must Do

Key data

Linear transport infrastructure managers—roads and railways—and companies with activity in protected wildlife areas have a new framework of obligations as of July 10, 2026. The Resolution of June 26, 2026 from the State Secretariat for the Environment publishes two instruments approved by the Sectoral Conference on the Environment: the First 2025-2029 Work Program of the Habitat Defragmentation Strategy affected by Linear Transport Infrastructure and the updated Intervention Protocol with Bears in the Cantabrian Range.

This is not theoretical regulation: both instruments have direct implications for infrastructure projects, environmental assessments, operations in rural areas and the management of conflicts between economic activity and protected wildlife.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution approves two documents of different but complementary scope:

1. 2025-2029 Work Program for Habitat Defragmentation

It is the first work program of the Habitat Defragmentation Strategy affected by Linear Transport Infrastructure. Its main axes are:

• Prioritization of intervention areas: identifies areas where habitat fragmentation by roads and railways is most critical for biodiversity.
• Identification of critical points: maps the most serious conflicts between transport infrastructure and biodiversity.
• Common assessment tools: promotes shared methodologies between administrations to measure the impact and permeability of infrastructure.
• Reduction of wildlife roadkill: includes specific measures to reduce animal mortality on roads and railways.
• Increased permeability: actions to improve wildlife passage through roads and railways (wildlife passages, viaducts, adapted tunnels).

2. Intervention Protocol with Bears in the Cantabrian Range (2026 update)

Replaces the protocol in force since 2019, adapting it to accumulated experience and the population growth of the brown bear in the Cantabrian Range. It coordinates the actions of four autonomous communities in the face of conflicts between bears and human activities:

The updated protocol sets out the action procedures when the brown bear comes into conflict with human activities: livestock, beekeeping, agriculture, rural tourism and other economic activities present in the species' distribution areas.

Economic and operational impact

The regulation does not establish direct economic sanctions or specific amounts, but has relevant operational and planning consequences for several sectors:

• Infrastructure managers: construction, expansion or rehabilitation projects for roads and railways in priority areas identified by the program must incorporate permeability measures (wildlife passages, structural adaptations) in their environmental assessments and technical projects.
• Companies in the brown bear distribution area: livestock farmers, beekeepers, farmers and tourism operators in Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias and Castilla y León fall within the scope of the updated protocol, which regulates how conflicts are managed and, where applicable, compensation or intervention mechanisms.
• Regional administrations: assume the obligation to apply common assessment tools and to coordinate their response to incidents with protected wildlife, which may involve administrative and technical adaptation costs.
• Comparison with the previous protocol (2019): the 2019 protocol is updated to reflect the population growth of the brown bear, which expands the geographic scope of possible conflicts and strengthens inter-regional coordination mechanisms.

Who does it affect?

• Road managers: Ministry of Transport, Provincial Councils, Regional Public Works Departments and motorway concessionaires in fragmented habitat areas.
• Railway managers: ADIF, railway infrastructure operators in sensitive biodiversity areas.
• Construction companies and engineering firms: that bid on or execute linear infrastructure projects in priority areas of the program.
• Livestock farmers, beekeepers and farmers: with operations in the Cantabrian brown bear distribution area (Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias, Castilla y León).
• Rural tourism operators and outdoor activity providers: in areas of the Cantabrian Range with brown bear presence.
• Environmental consultants and impact assessment technicians: who must incorporate the new common assessment tools in their studies.
• Regional administrations of Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias and Castilla y León: directly linked to the bear protocol.

Practical example

A construction company awarded the expansion of a national road in Asturias, in an area identified as a critical point by the 2025-2029 Program, must incorporate specific habitat permeability measures in its execution project: properly sized wildlife passages, guide fences and, where applicable, adaptations of drainage works to allow wildlife transit. These requirements will form part of the environmental impact assessment and may affect project timelines and costs.

In parallel, a livestock farmer in Cantabria who suffers a bear attack on his herd must follow the updated procedure of the Intervention Protocol with Bears in the Cantabrian Range (2026 version), which coordinates the response of the regional administration and establishes notification and intervention channels. The previous protocol, in force since 2019, is replaced by this new text adapted to the population growth of the species.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify if your activity or infrastructure is in a priority area: check if your linear infrastructure projects are located in areas identified as critical points by the 2025-2029 Program. Contact the competent regional administration to obtain updated mapping.
2. Update environmental impact studies: road and railway projects in affected areas must incorporate the new common assessment tools for permeability and habitat fragmentation required by the program.
3. Review internal wildlife incident management protocols: if you operate in the Cantabrian brown bear distribution area (Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias or Castilla y León), update your internal procedures according to the new 2026 protocol, which replaces the 2019 version.
4. Coordinate with regional administrations: the four autonomous communities involved in the bear protocol are the direct contact for managing conflicts. Establish communication channels before any incident.
5. Incorporate permeability measures in new projects: wildlife passages, guide fences and drainage adaptations should be considered from the design phase, not as a later addition, to avoid delays in environmental assessment.
6. Consult the complete regulation: access the full text published in the BOE (BOE-A-2026-15112) to learn about priority areas and updated protocol procedures.

Official source

View complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-15112