Between the 5th and 7^th October it took place at the University of Lleida (UdL) the XIV Luso-Spanish Congress of Herpetology and the XVIII Spanish Congress of Herpetology attended by some 200 specialists in reptiles and amphibians of 12 different countries.

During these three days, the congress dealt with various challenges of this science such as the management of invasive species and the decline in native populations as a result of climate change caused by global warming. Experts from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Germany, USA, Canada, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia focused on four main areas: development of the herpetological communities, cataloguing biodiversity, conservation and climate change and management of invasive species, which constitute the second cause of the decline of species on the planet.

In particular, the technical staff of the LIFE Potamo Fauna project attended with four technicians, Joan Budó (Tortoise Breeding Centre of Albera), Ponç Feliu and Teia Puigvert (Consorci del Ter) and Carles Feo (Consorci de l’Estany). They presented four posters and two oral presentations: "Freshwater turtles control in Banyoles Lake and Ter River (Girona, Catalonia)" by Carles Feo and "Captive breeding protocol of European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) in the Albera Tortoise Breeding Centre. 20 years of experience" by Joan Budó.