NATIONAL ACTION PLAN - EUROPEAN VISION
European Mink - France
The European mink is the most endangered mammal in Europe and the most endangered small carnivore in the world. Its population has declined by 90% since the beginning of the 20th century. Its original range, which has declined by more than 85%, is highly fragmented.
The Réserve Zoologique de Calviac has been involved in the conservation of the European mink since it opened to the public in 2008, working closely with the DREAL Aquitaine and the OFB within the framework of the National Action Plan for European Vision (PNA).
Several National Action Plans have followed one another since 1999 to coordinate and implement various measures in favor of the species (population monitoring, habitat restoration, public information, etc.).
The third National Action Plan currently in force aims to implement the first reintroduction of European mink in France by 2025.
Fields of action:
- knowledge and conservation of the species
- management of its habitat
- limitation of the impacts of the American Mink and other possible species
- training and communication component
Target species : EUROPEAN MINK
The European mink is still present only in a few relict areas: the Danube Delta (the healthiest population), in Estonia (thanks to a reintroduction programme on the island of Hiiumaa), in northern Spain and in France, in the South-West.
Classified as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the causes of its decline are multifactorial: destruction of its habitat (wetlands), trapping, competition from American mink escaped from farms, road collisions and fragmentation of habitat and populations.
Role of the Reserve
Through the National Action Plan for European Vision, we have initiated prospecting in Dordogne which, in addition to providing the information necessary for assessing the general state of conservation in France, should enable conservation actions to be better targeted to make them more effective.
It is also about promoting synergy between actors of the conservation of the European mink and involving the public and political decision-makers.
01 Actions carried out at the Reserve
- Creation and development of a conservatory breeding center.
- Participation in the drafting of breeding guidelines of the species.
- Awareness of the public.
- Organization of the European mink festival.
- Hosting PNA meetings mink at the Biodiversity House.
- Photographic tests for the implementation of identification methods future reintroduced individuals.
- Development of the prototype
of a multiple identification device (DNA, photos, transponders).
02 Actions at national level
- Deployment of 80 footprint rafts as part of the fight against the American mink (2018-2019).
- Participation in the film "Let's save the European mink" by Frédéric Labie, Nicolas Goudeau-Monvois (France 5). Broadcast at the Ménigoute wildlife documentary film festival.
- Practical studies for the creation of acclimatization enclosures with a view to reintroduction.
- Participation in discussions regarding the
reintroduction strategy
of the species.
03 Actions at European level
- Establishment in 2013 of a 3-day training course on the conservation and reproduction of the European mink, by Tiit Maran, EEP coordinator.
- Member of the EEP species committee.
- Collaboration with the Lutreola Foundation (Tallinn – Estonia).
- Field missions on the island of Hiiumaa (Estonia) where Estonian reintroductions are taking place.
- Organization and co-financing of the joint mission (France-Spain-Estonia-Romania) in the Danube Delta (healthiest relict population).