ASAS+ is an integrated conservation and land?management initiative designed to scale up a successful raptor?based ecosystem?services model from a single protected landscape in Terceira to priority agro?pastoral landscapes across the Central and Eastern Groups of the Azores archipelago. The project focuses on two native raptor species of high ecological and cultural value – the Azorean Buzzard (Buteo buteo rothschildi) and the Azorean Long?eared Owl (Asio otus otus) – as regulators of rodent and pest bird populations in vineyards, orchards and livestock?dominated pastures.

Over five years, ASAS+ will enhance habitat connectivity between forest cores and agricultural mosaics, combining invasive plant control, native vegetation restoration, and deployment of artificial nesting structures and functional perches in areas within the functional hunting radius of raptors. The project will explicitly integrate dairy and livestock systems, locating raptor infrastructure around barns, silage platforms and improved pastures where rodent pressure and feed losses are significant. Through a strong environmental education and citizen?science programs, ASAS+ will foster local stewardship and reposition raptors as allies of farmers and livestock producers rather than perceived threats.

The project is fully aligned with regional legislation on nature conservation and landscape protection, Portugal’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, including targets for farmland restoration, invasive alien species control and nature?based pest management. By documenting standardised designs, monitoring protocols and governance arrangements, ASAS+ will provide a replicable model for raptor?led ecosystem?services restoration in insular agro?ecosystems.