Home - Iberconejo

A SHARED RESPONSABILITY

LIFE

IBERCONEJO

In collaboration with the European Union, a number of Spanish and Portuguese entities have launched the LIFE Iberconejo project, which aims, amongst other things, to develop and implement a system for managing rabbit populations in the Iberian Peninsula.

In all, this project has 15 partners and is being led by the WWF. It includes representatives from all the social agencies involved in the management of rabbit populations in the region.

Over the past 70 years, rabbit populations in the Iberian Peninsula have fallen by over 90% due to changes in land use and the spread of disease. Based on the data analysed in the last evaluation (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2019), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the status of the rabbit in the Iberian Peninsula as “Endangered”.

IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT

Reverse negative population trends in rabbit populations in order to attain an IUCN threat categoria of “Vulnerable”, thereby contributing to the conservation of the main species that prey on rabbits.

Lessen the damage caused by rabbits to agriculture via the implementation of approved measures.

Governance

Foment communication between all parties interested in improving rabbit populations and environmental managment.

Conservation

Protect, conserve and improve the natural capital of the Iberian Peninsula.

Improve evaluations of the state of habitat conservation using rabbits as an indicator species.

Damage to agriculture

Reduced the damage to agriculture to ensure a competitive, sustainable and quality-based agriculture production.

Contribute to the PAC programme with suggestions and proposals.

Ecosystemic services

Ensured the rabbit’s role as an ecosystem engineer that affects the composition of plant communities, soil structure and the populations of various species of invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Strengthen populations that are ecologically (as prey) and/or socio-economically (as small-game hunting) relevant.

Increase the resilience of ecosystems.

ERICC

Under the framework of the LIFE Iberconejo project, the governance structure (European Rabbit Iberian Coordination Committee, ERICC) has been created with the aim of coordinating rabbit management in the Iberian Peninsula through standardized management protocols and monitoring systems for rabbit populations, their health status and the damage they cause to agriculture.

The European Rabbit Coordination Committee (ERICC) is a consultative, advisory and participation body, made up of Administrative bodies, institutions and social agents involved in the management of the wild rabbit: conservationist associations, hunters and farmers, and technical and scientific institutions who are involved or contribute their knowledge in the management of this species.