World Conservation Union (IUCN)

rabbit

CLICK TO READ: Re-classification of wild rabbits by IUCN linked to my work

Recently I have provided expert advice to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) on a number of issues, including the creation of a sustainable certification system for the concrete and cement sector (2016 to 2017) and the development of biodiversity guidelines for businesses working in or close to Key Biodiversity Areas (in 2017). I am also a member of the IUCN Lagomorph Specialist Group (from 2006) and have worked closely with both the IUCN Cat Specialist Group (2005-2010) and the IUCN Cave Invertebrate Specialist Group (2015-16).

In 2005, I researched and published an important report on wild rabbits in Spain and Portugal, with the support of the IUCN Cat and Lagomorph Specialist Groups, as well as SOS Lynx and a number of other organisations. The wild rabbit is native to Spain and Portugal, where it is a keystone species, but has declined massively in recent years due to a combination of over-hunting, habitat loss and disease. This report was highly influential and led to the subsequent reclassification of the wild rabbit from “Least Concern” to “Near Threatened” in its native range.

CLICK TO READ: Ward, Dan (2005) “Reversing Rabbit Decline: One of the biggest challenges for nature conservation in Spain and Portugal” IUCN Lagomorph Specialist Group