The results of this report must be viewed in the context of large historical declines. For carnivores like the Eurasian lynx and Grey wolf, and many bird species including the Red kite, distributions and abundances had already declined dramatically from their historical levels by the mid-20th century. Wildlife resurgence must, therefore, be assessed cautiously, as many species have not yet reached the level necessary to secure sustainable populations.
The report was funded by valuable grants from the Swedish Postcode Lotteries, the Liberty Wildlife Fund and ARK Nature.
The findings of the report will be presented during Wild10, the 10th World Wilderness Congress in Salamanca, Spain, in October 2013.
Click here to read/download the Full Report.
Source: ZSL, EBCC and BirdLife International.
Notes:
1. The ‘Wildlife Comeback in Europe’ report was commissioned by Rewilding Europe, an organisation working to ‘Make Europe a Wilder place’, with wildlife, wild nature, natural processes and the ‘Business case for the Wild’ as some of its key elements.
2. The wildlife comeback is not limited only to the wildlife species that are presented in this study; there are many more that we know are showing similar patterns of recovery. However, limited data, time and resources were reasons why these were not included in the report.
About ZSL
Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity whose mission is to promote and achieve the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. Their mission is realised through ground-breaking science, active conservation projects in more than 50 countries, and the two Zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. For more information, visit www.zsl.org.
About The European Bird Census Council (EBCC)
The European Bird Census Council (EBCC) is an association of like-minded expert ornithologists co-operating in a range of ways to improve bird monitoring and atlas work across Europe, and thereby inform and improve the management and conservation of bird populations. For more information, visit www.ebcc.info.
About Birdlife International
BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership, with national partners in more than 120 countries, including almost 50 in Europe. Its mission is to conserve birds and all nature, working with people towards sustainability. BirdLife’s unique local to global approach delivers high impact and long term conservation for the benefit of nature and people. For more information, visit www.birdlife.org.
Rewilding Europe
Rewilding Europe, founded in 2011, is an initiative that seeks to inspire a broad popular movement to shape a new, wilder version of Europe. Rewilding Europe is about making Europe a wilder place, with much more space for wildlife, wilderness and natural processes, bringing back the variety of life for all to enjoy and exploring new ways for people to earn a fair living from the wild. For more information, visit www.rewildingeurope.com.
