European Mammal Society

Contents

European Mammal Society

History

Founded in the late 20th century, the Society grew amid rising interest following milestones such as the Bern Convention, the Ramsar Convention, the Natura 2000 initiative and the establishment of the European Environmental Agency. Early meetings featured participants from institutions like the Natural History Museum, London, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and the Finnish Museum of Natural History. Over successive decades the Society engaged with projects tied to the Habitat Directive, the Birds Directive, the EU Biodiversity Strategy and research funded via the Horizon 2020 programme and the LIFE Programme. Prominent collaborators included scientists affiliated with universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Copenhagen, University of Helsinki, University of Barcelona and research institutes like the Max Planck Society and the CNRS.

The Society aims to promote mammalogy, conservation biology and applied research by linking researchers from centres such as Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, Karolinska Institutet, Leiden University, University of Warsaw, University of Milan and museums including the Natural History Museum of Vienna and the National Museum of Natural History, Paris. Objectives emphasize survey work aligned with initiatives like the European Red List, data mobilization with GBIF and standards development in line with the IUCN Red List. The Society supports capacity building through ties with foundations such as the Wellcome Trust, the European Molecular Biology Organization, the Austrian Science Fund and agencies including the European Research Council and the European Science Foundation.

Membership comprises academics, students and practitioners from institutions such as University College London, Trinity College Dublin, University of Zurich, University of Lisbon, Charles University in Prague and NGOs including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth Europe and Rewilding Europe. The governance structure reflects models used by the Royal Society, the Linnean Society of London and the Zoological Society of France, with committees for taxonomy, ethics and policy comparable to panels convened by IPBES and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Regional chapters interact with national academies like the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Programs include continental surveys collaborating with projects such as the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme, long-term monitoring linked to the European Long-Term Ecosystem Research Network and citizen science initiatives akin to iNaturalist and eBird. Training workshops mirror offerings from Cambridge Conservation Initiative and field courses hosted at stations like Zoological Station Anton Dohrn and reserves managed by Euronatur and Conservation International partners. The Society has organized symposia alongside conferences such as the International Congress of Mammalogy, the European Congress of Mammalogy and meetings of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

The Society disseminates research through journals and outlets that collaborate with publishers like Oxford University Press, Springer Nature, Elsevier, Cambridge University Press and societies such as the British Ecological Society and the American Society of Mammalogists. Outputs include conference proceedings, technical reports feeding into the European Environment Agency assessments and guidance that informs the Habitats Committee. Communications use platforms similar to ResearchGate, ORCID and repositories like Zenodo and Dryad to promote open data. The Society's newsletters and bulletins echo formats used by the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the European Red List of Mammals teams.

The Society contributes expertise to policy instruments such as the Habitats Directive, the EU Nature Restoration Law, national Biodiversity Strategies and action plans influencing management in places like the Białowieża Forest, Cairngorms National Park and the Carpathian Convention area. It advises on species reintroductions and management linked with projects like the European bison restoration initiatives, wolf conservation measures seen in Abruzzo National Park and research informing marine mammal protections under frameworks like the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area. Collaborations include partnerships with agencies such as European Environment Agency and NGOs including Wildlife Preservation Trust and Born Free Foundation.

The Society recognizes contributions to mammalogy with prizes comparable to awards from the Royal Society, the European Research Council Starting and Advanced Grants, lectureships akin to the Linacre Lecture, and medals in the spirit of the Darwin Medal, the Copley Medal and the Fondation Prince Albert II Prize. Awardees have included researchers from institutions like Princeton University (visitors), Yale University (collaborators), ETH Zurich, University of Edinburgh and recipients of honors such as the ZSL Scientific Medal and national decorations from orders like the Order of Merit (United Kingdom) and the Ordre national du Mérite.

Category:Mammal conservation organizations Category:Scientific societies in Europe