PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The European mink (Mustela lutreola) is listed in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive as a priority species for conservation. During the last 15 years, the expansion of American mink (Neovison vison) has been confirmed as the main threat to the conservation of European mink in Spain. Control actions for American mink to date have not stopped its colonisation of new areas, so it is urgent to improve these techniques and protocols. Without the implementation of more effective conservation measures, European mink it is very likely to become extinct in a short period of time in Spain.
OBJECTIVES
The goal of the LIFE LUTREOLA SPAIN project was to improve the conservation status of European mink in Spain. To achieve this, the project would:
- Adapt and combine different techniques (e.g. mink rafts, camera traps, live-trapping) to improve detection and capture efficiency of both European mink and American mink;
- Eradicate American mink established within the range of the European mink and in identified risk areas in the Ebro valley and Mediterranean basins;
- Create a monitoring network for the early detection of American mink in the areas where they have the potential for invasion into European mink territories;
- Restore the population of European mink in the areas with major fragmentation, by means of population reinforcement following the eradication of American mink;
- Increase the distribution area of European mink by creating a new population, by the release of captive-born individuals from an existing breeding programme;
- Create a monitoring network of European mink populations to assess the species’ conservation status;
- Improve the habitat conditions of European mink in the Ebro river in the province of Álava;
- Assess the threat posed by road infrastructure for the European mink in Álava; and
- Increase public awareness regarding the conservation of European mink.
RESULTS
The LIFE + Lutreola Spain project significantly contributed to the conservation of the European mink (Lutreola lutreola) in a large part of its distribution area in Spain. It also improved knowledge of its distribution, main threats, conservation status and problems related to its conservation, which will increase the effectiveness of the management of its population.
By implementing a new methodology for detecting and trapping American mink, the project was also able to update knowledge of the invasive species’ distribution and density, which will help with its eradication over the coming years. The team found that the abundance of the species was higher than expected. However, the use of mink rafts and the application of the American mink eradication protocol enabled the eradication of the established population in La Rioja, Alava and some parts of the Cantabrian basin, while also reducing its presence in other areas. Thanks to these efforts, the European minks have been recorded in places where they have not been found in many years.
In addition, to prevent any immediate American mink recolonisation, new protocols were established for monitoring both mink species and put into practice. The project also carried out European mink population reinforcement and colonisation measures, introducing captive-born individuals to enlarge its distribution range. Although, reintroduced individuals experienced a high mortality rate initially, the project team were able to improve the release method and increase the survival rate. More than half of the individuals subsequently survived during the first month of release, the most critical period for their adaptation. These results are promising and in some cases better than those obtained in other European countries.
In order to increase the viability of the ex situ conservation by means of joining the Spanish captive population with the wider European one, the project also carried out a study about their reproduction, genetics and ecology. Experimental breeding was expected to continue after the project in Spain as well as in breeding centres with similar environmental conditions to those in the north of Europe. Moreover, the project included actions to restore the European mink habitat, research into corrective measures to reduce non-natural mortality and the evaluation and monitoring of the fur farms located within the distribution area of the species.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).
