Discover the mammals of Europe

 

A quarter of the 264 resident mammal species in Europe are threatened or nearly threatened. More than a quarter (27%) of them have declining populations, 32% are stable, and 33% are of unknown population trend. Distribution, occurrence and trend information, supported with reliable field data, particularly on small mammals, is absent in a large part of Europe. The knowledge and capacities to study and monitor the mammals in Europe are far from optimal.
Europe still struggles with political, demographic and economic challenges. Biodiversity research and protection is recognised as an important item but is not among the priorities. Strong lobby groups divert the attention away from biodiversity study and nature protection. These negative trends, both in mammal populations as human attitude, have to come to a halt.

In 2016, The Habitat Foundation, together with the Dutch Mammal Society and the European Mammal Foundation started a campaign aiming at supporting people and organisations working on mammal conservation and research in Europe: ‘Discover the mammals of Europe’. By helping others to become stronger and to improve the collaboration at the European level we believe we can realise our vision of thriving populations of native European mammals, in a world where mammals and humans live together in harmony.

OBJECTIVES

  • - Improved awareness about mammal conservation among the general public;
  • - A strong community of mammal researchers and conservationists in Europe;
  • - Enhanced advocacy and conservation work.

 

ACTIVITIES

  1. Lobby for better integration of mammal conservation in others sectors, for example agriculture, fisheries, urban development, energy transition etc;
  2. Promote the exchange of knowledge about mammals, survey techniques and conservation measures among mammal research and conservation groups in Europe;
  3. Inform the public about mammals and that we share this world with them. In fact, that mammals are always very near to us, in our garden, house, office, lakes, arable fields, forests etc.;
  4. Maintain a website supporting the campaign: discovermammals.org
  5. Provide training courses, equipment and funding to local, regional and national mammal research and conservation organisations.

SUPPORT THIS PROJECT WITH A DONATION

 

NEWSLETTERS

Newsletters about the campaign can be downloaded here: Newsletters Discover the mammals of Europe

NEWS

87 Mammal species in Montenegro
Field equipment for researchers in Montenegro
Sponsor EMMA2
Save the EU Water Framework Directive
Open letter to the European Parliament
European Mammal Conservation Network
Mapping Mammals to INform Development (MIND)
3 605 new records of mammals added to Ukrainian database
Citizen science and road ecology