Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia - BarcelonaTech (UPC) host a new edition of the science mornings aimed at fourth-year secondary school and sixth-form students.

The Parc del Fòrum provided the setting for some 15 activities and shows linked to physics, mathematics and chemistry aimed at promoting science careers among the students.

The Parc del Fòrum has celebrated its annual science gathering with the launch of a new edition of the STEAM programme, jointly organised by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM) and the Barcelona East School of Engineering (EEBE) of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia - BarcelonaTech (UPC) 

More than 1,400 fourth-year secondary school and sixth-form students from 36 schools across Barcelona and the metropolitan area took part in the sixth science morning held at the Parc del Fòrum, which saw the space transformed into a huge laboratory hosting around 15 activities and shows designed to promote careers in science among the youngsters, and particularly girls. 

During the event, the students had the chance to experiment with the movement of light, the acidity of different elements, the conductivity of water and the speed and trajectory of a rocket based on the amount of pressure it was subjected to. The STEAM event held at the Fòrum also featured performances that showed the students the close relationship between music and dance and physics and mathematics. 

Science in some of the city's most iconic venues

The Parc del Fòrum was the first venue to host one of the STEAM events scheduled for 2024. Over the course of the year, the BSM-UPC project to promote careers in science will visit other venues such as the Palau Sant Jordi, the Tibidabo amusement park, the Zoo and Park Güell. 

STEAM is one of the projects through which BSM upholds its commitment to the social and educational use of some of Barcelona's most iconic venues and spaces. The programme's events have become a regular part of the city's science and education calendar, thanks to the activities it offers and the high levels of participation: in 2023 five STEAM mornings were held with the participation of some 7,500 students. 

The Zoo is offering meetings with its team of keepers, workshops on threatened species and a new activity for the Nature Passport 

Zoo de Barcelona is increasing its range of activities for the Easter school holidays. People visiting the Zoo between 23 March and 1 April will be able to enjoy a series of recreational and educational activities included in the admission price. 

In keeping with the Zoo’s strategy, all the activities are intended to promote respect for nature among people of all ages. 

Notable activities include “Meetings with Keepers”, to get a better understanding of some threatened species such as giant ants, penguins and elephants, and “Turtle Shells”, an interactive workshop explaining the state of this species in Catalonia and the role of Zoo de Barcelona in its conservation. 

Another activity being offered over these dates is the “Invertebrates Laboratory”, to gain more detailed knowledge of these little-known species which are essential for ecosystems.

All activities and times can be found on the Zoo website, with no need to book in advance. 

New activity for the Nature Passport 

Besides these options, members of the Zoo Club can enjoy a new activity to get a new stamp on their Nature Passport. “The Zoo, Fauna Refuge” explains the work carried out by Zoo de Barcelona as an animal welfare centre for species rescued from illegal trafficking and other complex situations. 

This activity brings the number of Nature Passport activities to five, making up an educational initiative that seeks to foster knowledge about the planet’s biodiversity among children visiting the Zoo, with dynamic play-based activities. The other activities are “Discovering the Zoo”, “It’s about poo”, “Primates and humans”, and “A feline in our woods”. 

The amusement park will be launching a brand-new horror experience where visitors get to meet and have their photos taken with the most iconic characters from Hotel 666

During Easter Week, Tibidabo will be open every day between Wednesday 27 March and Monday 1 April

The Tibidabo amusement park heads into its Holy Week programme with the launch of one of the most eagerly anticipated attractions of the new season: Espai 666. A new horror experience where, for the first time, visitors will get to meet and have their photos taken with characters from Hotel 666. 

After discovering the secrets of Hotel 666, visitors will enter the new Espai 666, where the horror characters that live in Tibidabo will come out of the pictures and mirrors that decorate the room to give them one final fright. 

The Park will also be extending its programme of shows at the Marionetarium theatre and performances of the Tibidabo mascots throughout Holy Week, and a booking system will be set up for the virtual reality experience Beyond in the same attraction. 

Coinciding with the school holidays, the amusement park will open every day between Wednesday 27 March and Monday 1 April. 

A season packed full of new attractions and experiences

The extended opening during Holy Week offers visitors the opportunity to discover the new attractions being launched at Tibidabo in 2024, such as the new CreaTibi space by Lego Education. An educational attraction where children have the chance to experiment with science and robotics to complete the Artemis mission, which is preparing to land the first woman on the moon. 

Visitors will also be able to enjoy the Park's renovated viewpoints, such as the Panoramic Area situated at the highest point of the mountain and with the best views over Barcelona, or the Somnis viewpoint, which is showing a new exhibition of stereoscopic images, the 3D format of the 19th century. 

In 2024, Tibidabo hopes to continue enjoying the growth it has experienced in recent years by exceeding 700,000 visitors. The Park has started the new season with good visitor numbers, averaging over 4,000 visitors per day in the first three weekends of activity. 

Following an investment of €25 million, the city’s e-mobility network has reached the milestone of 1,000 charging stations throughout the neighbourhoods and is working towards 3,000 in anticipation of growing demand

Over the next few months, Endolla Barcelona will provide faster charging by doubling and tripling the power of on-street stations and those located in Aparcaments BSM  car parks. The increased power will reduce vehicle charging times by half

The network will continue to integrate other e-mobility platforms so that clients of other operators can use Endolla Barcelona from their regular apps, and during 2024 it will set up a network of battery swapping stations for electric motorcycles in Aparcaments BSM car parks 

Ajuntament de Barcelona is committed to furthering sustainable mobility in the city, and its policies promoting the use of electric vehicles are a key part of its strategy. With the goal of providing the infrastructure needed to boost e-mobility, it created the Endolla Barcelona service, which is managed by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM) and has already become the largest public e-mobility network in Spain and southern Europe. 

Following a cumulative investment of €25 million up to 2023, provided in part by the European Union’s Next Generation funds, Endolla Barcelona has hit the milestone of 1,000 charging stations throughout the city, in line with a far-reaching, equitable expansion strategy that stays ahead of anticipated demand to support Barcelona residents in the transition to electric vehicles. 

E-mobility is currently facing three major challenges that call for innovation in all sectors of industry: the need for competitive vehicles with better battery range and lower prices, accessible and easy-to-use charging stations, and the efficient and smart use of energy as a tool to make e-mobility truly sustainable.

In recent years, the city of Barcelona has been working on smart energy management and infrastructure challenges through Endolla Barcelona within the framework of several European Union projects and in public-private partnerships with value chain operators (component manufacturers, energy companies, vehicle manufacturers, etc.), making Barcelona the leading city in innovation in this sector.   

Thanks to these efforts, Endolla Barcelona now reaches all neighbourhoods equally, providing residents with an extensive network of efficient charging stations powered by 100% renewable energy. It currently has 3,300 active users and an average of 14,000 top-ups per month.

Over the next five years, BSM plans to invest at least €15 million to keep growing and supporting the needs of the general public. In line with this goal, work is under way to add 2,000 new charging stations in Aparcaments BSM car parks starting next year. This means the city will be prepared to reach 3,000 stations as demand grows.

The actions planned for 2023, 2024 and 2025, with a total budget of €8,098,256, have received €3,239,302.40 in funding under the MOVES Singulares II 2022 call for proposals, financed by European Next Generation EU funds, which has made it possible to accelerate the roll-out of the charging infrastructure and reinforce the city's commitment to more sustainable mobility.

Greater power for faster charging 

Although Endolla’s model focuses on slow, planned charging, it also needs to offer fast charging and “opportunity” charging. That’s why Endolla Barcelona plans to triple the power of its on-street charging stations to 160 kW. This will help encourage use of the network by Barcelona residents who don’t have charging stations at their homes or workplaces and among non-residents who commute to Barcelona in electric vehicles.

Endolla Barcelona will also double the power of the charging stations in Aparcaments BSM car parks to 7.4 kW. In this case, the goal is to reduce charging times while maintaining the commitment to sustainable charging, defined as planned charging that, using energy intelligently, takes advantage of off-peak hours. It’s estimated that the increase in power will make it possible to reduce vehicle charging times by half. The increases will gradually be deployed over the coming months. 

An accessible network open to everyone

Convenience, accessibility and proximity are key principles of Endolla Barcelona’s growth strategy. The network is working to reach agreements with other e-mobility operators that will make it possible for these companies’ clients to also use Endolla Barcelona charging stations from their regular apps without having to sign up for the service. 

Currently, Endolla Barcelona has established agreements with 10 operators (Bosch, Efimob, Electromaps, Etecnic, Iberdrola, Place to Plug, Shell Recharge Solutions, Spirii, Wenea and Zunder) and will keep adding to the list in 2024. 

New battery swapping stations to facilitate electric motorcycle mobility 

Endolla Barcelona seeks to provide solutions for new urban mobility habits and needs. As such, over the course of 2024, it will work to create a battery swapping network for electric motorcycles in Aparcaments BSM car parks, in collaboration with Silence. The goal is to offer motorcycle users pre-charged batteries to make urban mobility easier and more sustainable. 

This will consolidate and extend the pilot project carried out with various electric motorcycle operators in the BSM Cotxeres de Sarrià, BSM Pl. Navas and BSM Gràcia Motos car parks as part of the EU-funded projects ECOSWAP (led by EIT Urban Mobility) and eCharge4Drivers.

This initiative is one of Endolla Barcelona’s public-private partnership innovation projects to jointly tackle some of the main challenges that must be addressed to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles. Smart energy management and the development of new solutions for vehicle charging are some of the lines of work already under way. 

Eleven have been released in all, some in the Raimat Natura space (Lleida) and the rest in Alt Empordà 

Their release is part of the TuroCat project to recover the polecat in Catalonia, an initiative of the Catalan Ministry for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda; the Barcelona Zoo Foundation; the Trenca Foundation; and the Association for the Defence and Study of Native Flora and Fauna

The species is classed as one “in danger of extinction” in Catalonia and as a protected species by the European Union 

The TuroCat project for the recovery of the European polecat (Mustela putorius) in Catalonia continues with the release of more polecats bred in captivity, the second since the project was launched in 2018.

On this occasion, six polecats were released in the Raimat Natura space in Lleida, a natural space of 700 hectares open to the public, where hundreds of aquatic birds, raptors in danger of extinction and mammals coexist with the organic vineyards of the Raimat winery.

The first European polecats were released in this space in 2022, and the technical team from the TuroCat project recently managed to identify them in a perfect state of health.   

A further five were released in the Alt Empordà region, where the largest populations of this endangered species in Catalonia are to be found. In this case, the animals were fitted with chips to monitor their evolution in the natural environment with automatic photography systems.  

A species in danger of extinction in Catalonia

The Catalogue of threatened native wild fauna and protection and conversation measures for protected native wild animals classes the European polecat as a species in danger of extinction in Catalonia. In fact, it is one of our most endangered mammals. Its area of distribution has been drastically reduced over the last 30 years and its numbers have plummeted to their current levels, with populations only living on the plains of the Alt and Baix Empordà counties, and much more sparsely in the woodlands of the eastern part of the Pyrenees.

There are various factors that have caused its disappearance in much of Catalonia, which include the use of poison to control predators, possible hybrid reproduction with ferrets, the use of pesticides and rodenticides, the destruction of its habitat and road kills.  

The TuroCat project to study and recover the European polecat in Catalonia

The TuroCat project was created in 2018 thanks to the support provided by the Catalan Government and a grant awarded by the Barcelona Zoo Foundation. 

This new release of polecats into the wild is the result of collaboration between the Catalan Ministry for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, the Barcelona Zoo Foundation and the Trenca Foundation, as well as the backing of the Pont de Suert Fauna Centre, a private zoological centre in Son del Pi, a village in the county of Pallars Sobirà; and the Camadoca Conservation Centre, operated by the Association for the Defence and Study of Native Flora and Fauna, in Santa Maria de Merlés.

The amusement park opens its doors for the new season this Saturday 2 March, with the goal of attracting more than 700,000 visitors

The new ride will be 52 metres high and will offer a 360º view of Barcelona from 500 metres above sea level

During the new season, the park will renovate its viewpoints and offer new features such as a new educational space Creatibi, a meet&greet with the characters from Hotel 666 and new shows suitable for all audiences

Tibidabo will open its doors this Saturday 2 March, kicking off a new season featuring the opening of the new 52-metre-high free-fall ride, which will become one of its star attractions. 

The free-fall ride will fit 24 people and will elevate visitors to 500 metres above sea level, providing them with a 360º view of Barcelona thanks to its circular design. 

The ride is in currently being assembled, and its opening is scheduled for this coming spring. The total cost of construction is €2.4 million.

While awaiting the arrival of the free-fall ride, the park is opening the new season with a new Lego Room experience. The new CreaTibi by Lego space, in conjunction with Abacus Educació, offers a programme aimed at fostering scientific vocations. The space's décor takes inspiration from woman's landing on the moon and provides educational materials for children to engage with robotics-related content for the first time.

The park is also introducing new naming system for each level. They will now be named from top to bottom as Àrea Panoràmica, Somnis, 666, Xerinola and Aventures. Level 666 will undergo the most changes in 2024: the hotel will be given new name, Hotel 666, and will offer terrifying new experiences. A new feature will also open, the Espai 666, a new meet&greet that will delight visitors and allow them to meet the most iconic characters of Hotel 666 and take photos with them... if they dare. 

In this new season, the park will unveil its renovated viewpoints, which were refurbished the previous year. The Àrea Panoràmica viewpoint, located at the highest point on the mountain and affording the best views of Barcelona, has been equipped with new furniture to enhance the visitor experience. At the Somnis viewpoint, a stereoscopic image exhibition is will be inaugurated, showcasing the 3D format used in the nineteenth century, while the new 666 viewpoint, located next to the Espai 666, will continue with the horror theme that characterises this iconic level of the park. 

This new season, Tibidabo will also revamp its entertainment, with shows suitable for all audiences, and it will promote new charitable initiatives such as the ‘Gotes pel món’ campaign, held in conjunction with the educational project 'Tu també pot', which invites schools to submit initiatives aimed at improving the world. 

A season to consolidate 2023’s growth

Tibidabo kicks off the new season with the aim of maintaining its upswing in recent years. The park ended 2023 with 681,000 visitors, a 10% increase over 2022, and expects to welcome over 708,000 people this year. 

Tibidabo also expects to reach 900,000 passengers on the Cuca de Llum funicular, compared to the 806,000 recorded last season. The Cuca de Llum funicular has become a symbol in Tibidabo Amusement Park's environmental strategy at its entrance, as the first ride visitors experience during their visit. In recent months, the Cuca de Llum funicular has received up to five international awards, including the Architizer A+, the International Design Awards and the LOOP Design Award, among others. 

A park committed to sustainability, solidarity and education

In addition to being one of the city's most emblematic spaces, Tibidabo continues to aspire to be more than just a park, with initiatives that extend beyond the continuous improvement of the experience, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability, solidarity and education. 

In terms of charitable initiatives, the park maintains its alliance with UNICEF to carry out actions to support children's rights worldwide. Additionally, it will host more than 20 charity events with organisations such as Educo, Aprenem Autisme and Fanoc, among others. 

Recently, Tibidabo has been awarded the Biosphere Certificate in recognition of its commitment to a responsible and sustainable tourism model that cares for the environment and the social impact of its activities. 

Regarding its educational programme, Tibidabo will host new editions of Fisidabo and Mes de la Física (Physics Month), organised in conjunction with the UPC to promote scientific and technological vocations across different educational stages. The park will also feature sports activities, such as the celebration of the third edition of the Tibicursa fun run, and cultural events, hosting performances by human towers (castellers), dance displays featuring giants (balls de gegants) and gypsies as part of the park's Festa Major programme. 

This species became extinct in its natural habitat, but has now been reintroduced to Senegal, Morocco and Tunisia, thanks to the captive-breeding programme run by the Arid Zones Research Station in Almeria, under the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)   

This species is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered, and is now the focus of a European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) ex situ conservation programme (EEP) 

A Mhorr Dama gazelle (Nanger dama mhorr) has been born at Barcelona Zoo. This species is native to the subdesert regions of southern Morocco and Western Sahara, and is currently listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The male animal was born on 7 February, the fawn of one of the females of the group and the breeding male. The fawn is in good health and is already interacting with the rest of the group, with his mother always nearby. 

“This birth is another success story for the Zoo’s species conservation work,” says Sito Alarcon, the director of Barcelona Zoo, who also highlighted the importance of the specific programmes aimed at recovering this species. “Barcelona Zoo has been collaborating [with these programmes] for some time, because their goals include the recovery of biodiversity in the Sahel, a region that is highly threatened by climate change and human pressure.”  

Successful species reintroduction 

The Mhorr Dama gazelle is a rare subspecies of Dama gazelle that lives in the subdesert regions of southern Morocco and Western Sahara. The main threats to its natural habitat are indiscriminate hunting and the loss and degradation of the environment due to excessive grazing and livestock farming.   

This species of antelope became extinct in its natural habitat, but in 1971, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)’s Arid Zones Research Station started a captive-breeding programme which made it possible to reintroduce the species in Senegal (the Guembeul Natural Reserve), Morocco (R’Mila Royal Reserve) and Tunisia (Bou-Hedma National Park). 

The success of this CSIC programme also led to the launching of a European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) ex situ conservation programme (EEP), which has ensured the continuation of the species. However, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists the Mhorr Dama gazelle as critically endangered.

Barcelona Zoo is actively participating in these two programmes for reintroducing the Mhorr Dama gazelle. 

The electromobility network provides over 12,000 monthly vehicle charges. More than 12,500 people registered with the service in 2023. 

In one year, Endolla has added over 300 new charging stations through a capillary expansion strategy, so the city now has 15.7 public-use stations per km²

Endolla Barcelona, the Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM) electromobility network, now has 1,000 stations installed throughout the city. In 2023, 289 new stations were added to the network. 

Endolla Barcelona is implementing a capillary expansion strategy to spread to all the city’s neighbourhoods equally. The growth of the network, which has received funding from the European NextGenerationEU funds, continues to ease the switch to electric vehicles for Barcelona citizens who don’t have a charging station at home or work. 

Today, Endolla Barcelona is the largest public electromobility network in Spain. The city has 15.7 public-use stations per km², with one charging point for every 25 electric vehicles on the road. 

According to the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, ‘Barcelona began 2024 by reaching a notable milestone: 1,000 charging stations in the public electromobility network’. Collboni stressed that ‘a good charging station infrastructure that citizens and vehicle manufacturers can rely on is essential to the transformation to electric vehicles’, and added that ‘the Catalan capital is leading the commitment to electric vehicles in both Spain and southern Europe with the Endolla Barcelona network, which has grown equally in all neighbourhoods to reach as many citizens as possible’. Along the same lines, the Barcelona mayor stated that the network was ahead of the demand and that ‘the aim is to support citizens in the transition to a mobility model that permits progress towards lowering polluting emissions to make the city more sustainable’.  

Usage has risen by 33%, with an average of almost 12,000 charges a month 

Endolla Barcelona registered a total of 142,862 charges in 2023, 33% up from the previous year. The number of users has also risen, with 12,521 new people registering. This brings the total number of service users up to 28,000. Both figures confirm Endolla Barcelona’s upswing, which set yet another record since it began operations.  

Last year also saw the public electromobility network open up to the customers of five new electromobility operators, namely Bosch, Zunder, Wenea, Efimob and Spirii, in addition to the five incorporated the previous year (Electromaps, Etecnic, Iberdrola, Place to Plug and Shell Recharge Solutions). 

By including these new operators, their customers can now use Endolla Barcelona without having to register specifically with the service simply by using their usual electromobility app. With this milestone, Endolla Barcelona is now even closer and more accessible to citizens. 

In total, the BSM electromobility network supplied 1,635,580 kWh, up 44% from the previous year. 

In environmental terms, the energy supplied by ENDOLLA BARCELONA in 2023 enabled electric vehicles to travel 43 million kilometres. If this distance were travelled by combustion vehicles, it would generate around 9,000 tonnes of CO₂. 

Sustainability, innovation and public-private partnerships, Endolla Barcelona’s main lines of work  

Besides anticipating demand to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles, Endolla Barcelona aims to support the sector in a number of challenges facing electromobility, including smart energy management and prioritising sustainable, planned charges. To move in this direction, the public electromobility network is participating in a number of different innovation projects, many of which involve public-private partnerships. 

The projects started in 2023 include the pilot to test the scheduling of electric vehicle charging in Aparcaments BSM car parks using trough periods in energy demand. This project is part of the European eCharge4Drivers programme.

Last year also saw progress in the innovation project to develop a mobile charging station capable of moving on its own to cover different parking spots, and a basic, easy-to-use and maintain charging station. Specifically, two companies have been chosen to implement these proposals as part of the Barcelona City Council and BSM’s InnovAcció Programme 2030. The companies are, respectively, the Californian start-up EV Safe Charge and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – Barcelona Tech spin-off, teknoCEA. Both solutions, currently in the development phase, will be tested in 2024. 

Endolla Barcelona has also enabled the test to incorporate battery exchange stations for electric motorbikes in Aparcaments BSM car parks. The aim is to offer pre-charged batteries to users to make urban mobility easier and more sustainable. In this case, the pilot tests are being run by Silence and SEAR MÓ as part of the European EIT Urban Mobility ECOSWAP and eCharge4Drivers projects. 

The process to dismantle the former vehicle entrance completes the steps taken to improve the Port Olímpic’s connection with the city and the beaches

The transformation of the Port Olímpic continues, connecting it with the city and making it accessible to the people of Barcelona. To that end, work is now under way to dismantle the vehicle access ramp in C/ Marina. 

The work should be completed in the spring, freeing up 1,000 m2 of space at the port in order to complete the project to turn the Moll de Mestral wharf into a large square of 8,000 m2. This new public space will offer areas of shade and places to spend time in, open to all, including port users.  

In parallel to the dismantling of the ramp, the coming weeks will also see work get under way on the new layout of the steps providing pedestrian access, also from C/ Marina, completing the measures to ensure the permeability of the Port Olímpic with its surroundings. This process began with the new slip road giving pedestrian and vehicle access from Av. Litoral, and opening up the entrance that will connect the new restaurant area with the Nova Icària beach.

The space freed up by the dismantling of the ramp will be a point of attraction at the Port Olímpic, hosting activities aimed at the general public and bringing vitality to sports, social and business activity in the local area. 

The elderly animal arrived at the Barcelona Zoo in 1996 and was part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s (EAZA) ex situ conservation programme (EEP)    

This is a critically endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Barcelona Zoo has lost one of its oldest residents, Xebo the gorilla. The elderly animal passed away last night after a period of decline that could not be reversed despite the attentive care of the zoo’s veterinary team and keepers. 

Xebo was 38 years old, exceeding the maximum life expectancy for this species in its natural habitat. The animal was born in Rotterdam Zoo on 6 October 1985 and came to Barcelona Zoo in 1996 as part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s (EAZA) ex situ conservation programme (EEP). 

During his 27 years at Barcelona Zoo, Xebo lived with other female gorillas, his sons and daughters, and a granddaughter. He had four partners during this period: Kena, Virunga, Machinda and Makena. 

He was friendly, protective of his gorilla clan and welcoming to the keepers at Barcelona Zoo, whom he considered part of the group. He enjoyed playing with his fellow gorillas and also engaged in a lot of play and interaction with the Zoo’s staff. 

Through this interaction and collaboration with his keepers, Xebo helped to advance our understanding of gorillas, establishing Barcelona Zoo as a European benchmark in the care and welfare of these animals. 

A critically endangered species

Xebo was a western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), one of the four subspecies of gorilla found in central West Africa. Specifically, these animals inhabit southern Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and northern Angola. 

This species is critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and is part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s (EAZA) ex situ conservation programme, EEP, of which Xebo was a member. 

These gorillas live in stable groups of around ten and are led by an adult breeding male, commonly known as a “silverback” due to the distinctive silver-grey hair on their backs. The main causes of their critically endangered status are deforestation for agricultural expansion, mineral extraction, poaching, illegal trade and hunting for meat. 

In addition to Xebo, this ex situ conservation programme for western lowland gorillas has 462 individuals in 69 facilities across Europe. Barcelona Zoo participates in this programme mainly by raising awareness of the need to preserve the natural habitat of this critically endangered species. It also contributes to numerous research projects.