EMMA2 update - June 2024

Data

We now have final datasets from every country in our atlas area. These have all been added to our database, where we now have 142,965 records of 245 species. Draft maps have been prepared for checking and we are now working with our national coordinators and species account authors to review the maps and make corrections. However, we do not expect the maps to change significantly. Some exceptions to this might be the distribution of some cryptic species, where we will try to prepare maps using the most recent information available. The most widely distributed species in Europe is the Red fox Vulpes vulpes, which has been recorded from almost every atlas cell. This is closely followed by the Roe deer Capreolus capreolus, Badger Meles meles, Otter Lutra lutra and Red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris. The species with the most limited occurrence are the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus and Tristram’s jird Meriones tristrami, which each occur in only one cell.

Species

There have been several changes to our species list over the 9-year course of our project. Some of these are nomenclatural changes, such as the renaming of the American mink from Mustela vison to Neogale vison, others are taxonomic changes, such as the splitting of one species into two or more. These changes are often the result of genetic investigations into cryptic species complexes, such as the Natterer’s bat Myotis nattereri group, or discovering that an island population is a distinct species, such as Myotis nustrale on Corsica. Our species list currently contains 245 species, but this may yet change!

Species accounts

Each map will be accompanied by a brief account covering phylogenetic relationships, geographic variation, distribution, habitat, population status, international legal & conservation status and other information. These vary in length, as some of the maps include 2, 3 or even 4 species. Altogether, we have more than 180 specialist authors preparing these accounts, the majority of which have now been submitted. The next step is to check and edit all the accounts to make sure they match the maps, include all the right information and fit the style of the atlas. On each page, we will have an accompanying photograph of the species to help the non-specialist identify what is being mapped.

Maps

Our first atlas was published using a two-colour process, so we were quite limited in what we could show on the maps. Now, we can map in full colour, so we are proposing to use a relief backdrop, which adds a lot of context to the species information, for example showing that what appears to be a strange distribution is actually closely tied to mountain ranges. We will also be exploring the use of colour in the symbology used to show date-classes or vagrants.

Putting it all together

The atlas steering group will be meeting in Luxembourg in early July to focus on the editing process, which will continue for several months. At the same time, the other parts of the atlas, such as the introduction, species list and so on, will be finalised. There is a lot to do, but we are still intent on meeting our December deadline.

 

 

EMF statement on the Russo-Ukrainian war

Ukraine was invaded by Russian military forces in February 2022. In response, the European Mammal Foundation issued a statement unequivocally condemning Russian aggression and offering sympathy and support to Ukraine. We also suspended cooperation with our Russian colleagues and, later in 2022, extended our project for one year.

The purpose of the suspension, rather than immediate expulsion, was to allow us some time to see if the situation improved or whether some way of continuing scientific cooperation in time of war could be found. Sadly, this destructive and unnecessary war continues unabated and, despite the best efforts of the EMF, over a considerable period, to find an acceptable way forward, scientific cooperation between Russia and Ukraine in such circumstances has proved impossible. We can understand that. With great regret, therefore, the EMF, in consultation with the atlas Steering Group, has decided to abandon our original scientific objective of mapping mammal distributions across the whole of geographic Europe and will now exclude the Russian part of that area from our project.

Having excluded Russia, EMMA2 will now map the whole of the EMMA1 area plus Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine. This will allow us to extend the area mapped eastwards by about 1000km, so covering a good proportion of Europe. An atlas with a coherent border that runs down the eastern borders of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine will still be a valuable contribution to the study and conservation of mammals.

European Mammal Foundation,
March 2023

Atlas of Czech Insectivores

Atlas of distribution of insectivores of the Czech Republic. Miloš Anděra, Vladimír Hanzal, Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (NCA), Prague, 2022, 124 pp.

This latest version of the atlas of distribution of insectivores living in the Czech Republic follows up the previous stages of mapping of this mammal group. The large dataset covers the period 1753–2021 and is based on several main sources (results of field efforts, extensive bibliography of different sources, museum collections etc.); almost 24,000 records limited by the end of the year 2021 were used. The assessment of the data set is based on the standard grid mapping (squares 12 km × 11.2 km in size). In the overview of particular species, 3 types of maps are used: 1) summary grid map, 2) point map of localities and 3) chronological map. The text of the atlas for the particular species consists of several sections: the vernacular and scientific names of the species (including synonyms), information about its legal protection and conservation at the national and international level, general distribution and occurrence in the Czech Republic, mapping statistics, hypsometry, habitat preferences and level of threat. In some cases, notes on taxonomy or nomenclature of the species are added. A number of photos of species and their habitats are also attached. An extensive list of references is provided at the end of the atlas. Up to now, the occurrence of 10 species from three families – shrews (7 species), moles (1 species) and hedgehogs (2 species) – has been confirmed in the Czech Republic. The text is bilingual with more comprehensive English summaries.   

The atlas can be ordered directly from the publisher – The Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (NCA), email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; price 8 € + postage.

EMF statement on the war in Ukraine

The European Mammal Foundation (EMF) expresses its deepest concern over the invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. This unprovoked war against the citizens of Ukraine, which is still continuing, has resulted in thousands of deaths, enormous destruction and the displacement of millions of refugees. It is a disaster for the whole of Europe.

Our pan-European project work relies on international cooperation between scientists, regardless of the political and economic frameworks within which they work, and we believe our project is an excellent example of international cooperation. Unfortunately, that cooperation has been put under severe threat by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

We offer our full support and sympathy to our colleagues and friends and all the people in Ukraine. While the EMF is a non-political scientific organisation, it can work effectively only when countries observe the principles of the UN Charter, and that is why we have taken the decision to suspend, for the time being, our co-operation with Russia and Belarus.  

Although Russia is becoming increasingly isolated, we know that many Russians do not support this war. We should not assume that the Russian government speaks for all Russian scientists. Many, including members of the scientific community, have been brave enough to voice their objections publicly, despite the introduction of draconian laws severely limiting free speech. We hope that people will continue to speak out against this mindless war and that, in time, scientific cooperation can resume.

 

European Mammal Foundation
April 2022