The banks of the Lamiako subfluvial have obtained permission to protect Linaria supina

The Department of Natural Environment and Agriculture of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia has granted an exceptional permit to the Lamiako subfluvial work to carry out activities affecting the habitat of the protected species Linaria supina. Provincial Order 4794/2026, dated August 3, 2026, was published in issue number 175 of the Official Gazette of Bizkaia on September 14, 2026, and applies the exception provided for in article 75.1 of Law 9/2021.

The permit authorizes the infrastructure project titled «Reduction of congestion and vulnerability in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) – Lamiako Subfluvial Work», with file number AO 186-2026. This project entails the destruction of a portion of the habitat of the species Linaria supina subsp. maritima in Artaza Park and damage to some specimens, but it has been approved subject to a comprehensive species restoration plan.

Status of the protected species in Bizkaia

The species Linaria supina is classified as vulnerable in the Basque Catalogue of Threatened Species. Currently, it has only three natural populations in Bizkaia: on Somorrostro beach, Gorliz beach, and in Artaza Park; it is considered extinct in the rest of the territory.

The habitat restoration plan included in Annex VI of the project has a 10-year term, until 2036, and has the following objectives:

• To ensure the habitat area of the species in Bizkaia is larger than it is currently.
• To increase the total number of populations and specimens.
• To maintain the species in a favorable conservation status within its natural distribution area.

Background and procedure

The background of the permit dates back to 2023. The first report was issued on November 13, 2023, and report AO 18/2024 was issued on January 23, 2024, to analyze the first request regarding the species. On December 7, 2023, Provincial Order 5560/2023 was published to formulate the Environmental Impact Statement for the Lamiako subfluvial.

On July 17, 2025, the Governing Council of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia approved the subfluvial project, and on May 26, 2026, a new request for the restoration plan was submitted. Provincial Order 365/2026, published in BOB issue 126 on July 6, 2026, recognized imperative reasons of public interest, of a socio-economic nature and of overriding benefit to the environment.

Conditions of the permit

The permit establishes several important conditions. Firstly, the matter regarding the Linaria supina population in Artaza Park cannot be separated from the activities of the habitat restoration plan, as a favorable conservation status for the species cannot be guaranteed without the implementation of the plan.

Secondly, the restoration project shall be entirely under the responsibility of an executive director with verified qualifications and knowledge in the field of threatened flora. The appointment of the director must have the prior approval of the Natural Heritage Service, and the division of the project among different companies operating without the director’s knowledge will not be accepted.

The director must send detailed quarterly reports to the Natural Heritage Service, including the activities carried out, monitoring, and results achieved, with detailed cartography. The permit will remain in force until 2036, until the restoration works are completed.

Impact

This permit represents a significant milestone in the balance between large infrastructure and biodiversity. The subfluvial tunnels of Lamia, within the TEN-T network, aim to reduce traffic congestion and vulnerability around Artaza, but require the sacrifice of part of a vulnerable species’ habitat, in exchange for a strict restoration plan. The result can be verified in 2036, depending on whether the species is maintained in an appropriate conservation status in Bizkaia.

Source: Official Gazette of Bizkaia, number 175, September 14, 2026, section I, pp. 1-4 (official reference: BOB-2026a175-(I-1034)).