Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) 
O felino mais ameaçado da Europa
The Iberian Lynx was once considered the most endangered feline species in the world. Native exclusively to the Iberian Peninsula, it has become a symbol of the fight for biodiversity conservation in Europe. Thanks to decades of dedicated preservation efforts, its population has been slowly recovering.
📋 Quick Facts
- Common name: Iberian Lynx
- Scientific name: Lynx pardinus
- Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN Red List)
- Habitat: Mediterranean scrublands, bush areas, and open forests (Spain and Portugal)
- Main diet: European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) – approx. 90% of its diet
- Population (2024): Around 1,600 individuals in the wild
- Main threats: Habitat loss, roadkill, and prey scarcity
Distribution 1980 Distribution 2003
Today: A significant recovery thanks to conservation efforts, but threats like habitat loss and prey decline still persist.
🌿 Why Protecting the Iberian Lynx Matters
The Iberian Lynx is a keystone species—its role as a top predator helps maintain ecological balance in its native ecosystems. Its recovery is considered one of the greatest conservation success stories in modern Europe.
In the early 2000s, there were fewer than 100 lynxes in the wild. Today, the species is gradually returning to areas where it had disappeared, thanks to:
- 🐾 Breeding and reintroduction programs
- 🌱 Ecological corridors
- 🐇 Rabbit population restoration projects
- 🚗 Highway safety measures for wildlife
✅ How You Can Help
- 🛍️ Support conservation projects and sustainable products
- 🔁 Share educational content
- 💚 Raise awareness about the importance of preserving natural habitats
European Mink (Mustela lutreola) 
One of the most endangered mammals in Europe
.
The European mink, also known as the Eurasian mink, is a small, semi-aquatic carnivore once widespread across Europe. Although it was formerly common in many countries, its population has suffered a dramatic decline over the last century.
📋 Quick Facts
- Common name: European Mink
- Scientific name: Mustela lutreola
- Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List)
- Habitat: Riparian forests, wetlands, riverbanks
- Diet: Fish, frogs, crustaceans, rodents, birds
- Population trend: Severely declining
- Remaining range: Small populations in Eastern Europe and parts of Russia
⚠️ Main Threats
- Habitat loss due to drainage of wetlands and human development
- Competition with the invasive American mink (Neovison vison)
- Pollution and water contamination
- Hunting in past centuries for its fur
🌍 Why Its Protection Matters
The European mink is an indicator species—its health reflects the quality of wetland ecosystems. Protecting it also means protecting rivers, forests, and hundreds of other dependent species.
✅ How You Can Help
- 💧 Support wetland restoration projects
- 🚫 Say no to fur products
- 📢 Share information to raise awareness
- 🌱 Promote conservation-friendly policies
European Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus citellus)
A small guardian of Europe’s open fields.
The European souslik, or European ground squirrel, is a small rodent native to Central and Southeastern Europe. Despite its modest size and shy behavior, it plays a key ecological role—and is now classified as Endangered.
Quick Facts
- Common name: European Ground Squirrel / Souslik
- Scientific name: Spermophilus citellus
- Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN Red List)
- Habitat: Dry grasslands, open plains, meadows
- Current range: Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and other parts of Eastern Europe
- Diet: Omnivorous – seeds, herbs, insects, small invertebrates
- Size: 20–25 cm long + 5–7 cm tail
- Hibernation: October to March
⚠️ Why It’s Threatened
- 🏗️ Habitat loss from intensive agriculture, afforestation, and urban expansion
- 🚧 Population fragmentation due to roads and rural development
- 🐑 Decline of traditional grazing that maintained open landscapes essential to their burrowing lifestyle
🌱 Conservation Efforts
- ✅ Reintroduction in protected grasslands
- 🌾 Promotion of traditional land management
- 🌍 Creation of ecological corridors between isolated colonies
- 🔬 Population monitoring and pesticide regulation
💚 How You Can Help
- 🌾 Support sustainable agriculture and grazing practices
- 📢 Spread awareness about threatened rodents—they matter too!
- 🛍️ Choose products inspired by Europe’s native wildlife to support conservation
Great Bustard(Otis tarda)
One of Europe’s heaviest flying birds—and one of its most vulnerable.
The Great Bustard is a majestic, ground-dwelling bird known for its impressive size and elaborate mating displays. Once widespread across Europe’s steppes and farmlands, its populations have seen sharp declines due to human activity.
Quick Facts
- Common name: Great Bustard
- Scientific name: Otis tarda
- Conservation status: Vulnerable (IUCN Red List)
- Habitat: Open grasslands, steppes, and agricultural fields
- Current range: Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Germany, Russia, and isolated populations in Eastern Europe
- Diet: Omnivorous – includes seeds, insects, and small vertebrates
- Size: Males can reach up to 1 meter tall and weigh up to 16 kg
⚠️ Why It’s Threatened
- 🚜 Agricultural intensification, destroying natural nesting grounds
- 🧍 Human disturbance during breeding season
- 🛤️ Collisions with power lines, a major cause of mortality
- ❄️ Climate change, impacting food availability and habitat quality
🌱 Conservation Actions
- 📍 Habitat protection and restoration of steppe ecosystems
- ⚠️ Burying or marking power lines to reduce collisions
- 🚫 Seasonal access restrictions during breeding
- 🧪 Monitoring programs and population counts
💚 How You Can Help
- 🛒 Support eco-friendly farming and wildlife corridors
- 📸 Share awareness about Europe’s threatened birds
- 🧢 Buy species-inspired products that support conservation causes
Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus)
Europe’s most endangered seabird, fighting for survival.
The Balearic Shearwater is a medium-sized seabird endemic to the Balearic Islands (Spain). With graceful glides over the ocean and a long migratory route, it is one of the most threatened marine birds in Europe—and possibly the first to go extinct if urgent action isn’t taken.
Quick Facts
- Common name: Balearic Shearwater
- Scientific name: Puffinus mauretanicus
- Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List)
- Habitat: Open sea and rocky island cliffs (breeding on the Balearic Islands)
- Migration: Winters in the Atlantic, along the coasts of Portugal, France, and the UK
- Diet: Small fish, squid, and crustaceans
- Population (2024): Estimated 3,000–5,000 breeding pairs
⚠️ Main Threats
- 🐈 Predation by invasive species (especially cats and rats on breeding islands)
- 🎣 Bycatch in fishing gear, causing high mortality
- 🌊 Marine pollution and oil spills
- 📉 Slow reproduction rates and limited breeding sites
🌍 Conservation Actions
- 🧹 Eradication of invasive predators on breeding islands
- 🎣 Safer fishing practices and regulations to prevent bycatch
- 🏝️ Protection and monitoring of nesting sites
- 🌐 International cooperation for marine conservation
✅ How You Can Help
- 💬 Raise awareness about Europe’s most endangered seabird
- 🛍️ Support eco-conscious brands that fund marine conservation
- 📢 Share this story to help save the Balearic Shearwater before it’s too late
Víbora-de-Orsini (Vipera ursinii)
Europe’s most threatened viper, shy and vanishing.
The Orsini’s Viper is one of the smallest and most elusive vipers in Europe. Contrary to popular fear of venomous snakes, this species is shy, non-aggressive, and plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of its fragile alpine and steppe ecosystems.
Quick Facts
- Common name: Orsini’s Viper
- Scientific name: Vipera ursinii
- Conservation status: Vulnerable (IUCN Red List – varies by region)
- Habitat: Alpine meadows, dry grasslands, and steppes (France, Italy, Balkans, Eastern Europe)
- Length: Around 40–50 cm
- Diet: Mostly grasshoppers and small insects – very unusual for a viper
- Reproduction: Ovoviviparous (gives birth to live young)
⚠️ Main Threats
- 🚜 Habitat loss due to agriculture, overgrazing, and land development
- 🔥 Climate change reducing suitable habitats at high altitudes
- 🛑 Persecution due to fear and misunderstanding of snakes
- 🌱 Invasive plant species changing native vegetation
🌿 Conservation Efforts
- 🏞️ Protection of alpine meadows and steppe reserves
- 📊 Population monitoring and habitat restoration
- 🐍 Environmental education to reduce fear and killing of snakes
- 🚫 Limiting grazing intensity and controlling invasive species
✅ How You Can Help
- 📚 Share the truth: this snake is more endangered than dangerous
- 🛍️ Support nature-positive initiatives and ethical merchandise
- 🌄 Advocate for the protection of grassland and mountain ecosystems
Large Blue Butterfly (Phengaris arion) 
A butterfly with a secret – rare, mysterious, and beautifully endangered.
The Large Blue Butterfly is one of Europe’s most fascinating insects. Despite its delicate appearance, its life cycle is surprisingly complex and tightly connected to a single ant species. Once declared extinct in the UK, this butterfly has become a symbol of how science and conservation can work together.
Quick Facts
- Common name: Large Blue Butterfly
- Scientific name: Phengaris arion
- Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN Red List – varies by region)
- Habitat: Calcareous grasslands, sunny meadows with thyme or oregano
- Distribution: Parts of Southern and Central Europe, including Italy, France, and restored areas in the UK
- Wingspan: Around 38–40 mm
- Flight period: June to August
🔍 Unique Life Cycle
The Large Blue’s survival depends on:
- 🪻 Laying eggs on wild thyme or marjoram
- 🐜 Larvae being adopted by Myrmica ants, mimicking ant larvae
- 🍽️ Feeding on ant brood inside the nest – a parasitic but natural behavior!
This delicate relationship means even small changes in habitat or ant population can cause drastic declines in butterfly numbers.
⚠️ Main Threats
- 🚜 Loss of wildflower meadows and overgrazing
- 🔥 Abandonment of traditional land management
- 🐜 Decline in Myrmica ant colonies due to soil changes
- 🌱 Encroachment by invasive plants and shrubs
🌿 Conservation Successes
- 🦋 Reintroduction programs in the UK since 1983
- 🔬 Scientific study of its ant-parasitic relationship
- 🏞️ Habitat restoration with grazing, mowing, and native plant support
- 👩🌾 Involvement of local communities and landowners
✅ How You Can Help
- 🌼 Protect wildflower-rich grasslands
- 📢 Share awareness about Europe’s endangered insects
- 🛍️ Support butterfly-themed conservation items
Long-horned Bee (Eucera longicornis)
A rare wild pollinator with a unique look – and a vital ecological role.
The Long-horned Bee is named for the males’ unusually long antennae. Native to various parts of Europe, this solitary bee is an essential pollinator of wildflowers and certain crops. But habitat loss and pesticides are pushing it closer to extinction.
Quick Facts
- Common name: Long-horned Bee
- Scientific name: Eucera longicornis
- Conservation status: Near Threatened or Declining (regional assessments)
- Habitat: Open meadows, coastal grasslands, and woodland edges
- Distribution: Western and Southern Europe (including the UK, Spain, Portugal, and parts of the Mediterranean)
- Flight period: Late spring to early summer (May–July)
- Pollination role: Wild orchids, legumes, clovers, and other native flowers
🧠 Did You Know?
- 🧲 Males have long antennae to detect females’ pheromones
- 🏡 Nests are built in bare, sandy or clay-rich soils
- 🌸 They are specialist pollinators – not generalists like honeybees
⚠️ Main Threats
- 🌾 Intensive agriculture and monocultures
- 🚧 Urban expansion and land fragmentation
- 🧴 Pesticide and herbicide use reducing flower availability
- 🌱 Shrub overgrowth due to abandonment of traditional grazing
🌿 Conservation Actions
- 🌼 Restoration of flower-rich meadows
- 🐝 Protection of nesting sites with bare soil
- 🚫 Reduced pesticide use in key habitats
- 📚 Public education on the role of solitary bees
✅ How You Can Help
- 🌻 Plant native wildflowers in your garden or community
- 🔍 Learn to identify and report sightings of wild bees
- 🛒 Support sustainable farming and pollinator-friendly products