Box 3: Ecology of the European mink
Distribution and conservation status: The European mink is the most endangered mammal in Europe and was classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List in 2016 (Maran et al. 2016). Over the last 150 years, the species has declined by more than 90% and has been extirpated or severely depleted across most of its former range. The current range of the endemic wild population consists of a few isolated fragments in northern Spain and western France, the Danube delta in Romania, Ukraine and Russia (Maran et al. 2016).
Ecology: European mink are small semi-aquatic mustelid carnivores (males: 0.5-1.5 kg, females: 0.3-0.7 kg). They inhabit densely vegetated banks of rivers, streams, and lakes with stagnant or slow-flowing water across a variety of landscapes (forests, agricultural, hedgerows, marshes, polders, etc.), using underground burrows or dense vegetation for resting and reproduction. Diets primarily consist of amphibians, crustaceans (crayfish), fish, small mammals (rats and voles), birds and, to a lesser extent, insects and eggs (Palazón et al. 2004; Libois 2001). Predators include the red fox, dogs, and raptors (Maran et al. 2017; Põdra 2021). Females reach sexual maturity at 11 months and give birth to a litter of 2-7 young per year. Longevity in the wild has been reported to be up to five years (Mañas et al. 2016).
Main causes of decline and management actions: The main hypothesised threats contributing to the current decline are (1) habitat loss and fragmentation of wetlands, (2) road mortality, (3) harvesting and (4) the impact of the invasive American mink through interference competition. The species is protected by law in Europe. In an effort to recover European mink populations, captive breeding and reintroduction programs have been implemented in Spain (Gomez 2018; Maran et al. 2017; Põdra 2021), Estonia (Maran et al. 2017), and France (DREALet al. 2021).
Data availability: Across the three extant populations, available data include presence data, home range size estimates, diet information in the presence and absence of invasive competitors, habitat requirements, trait data, behavioural responses to humans, and post-release survival estimates for captive bred individuals.