Featured websites

On a regular basis we will draw attention to a particular website. Websites are chosen because of their quality and / or the timely nature of their content. Suggestions are always welcome.

27:10:06 "The Cat Specialist Group" (of the IUCN's Species Survival Commission) homepage contains a weatlth of information on all the world's cat species. Apart from fact sheets and other information about the species the site contains a section where different conservation / research projects are featured each month and access to two constantly updated compendia that focus on the world's most endangered cat species, the Iberian lynx, and the most endangered population of Eurasian lynx that occurs in the southern Balkans.

15:09:06 "The Wolverine Foundation". Wolverines are probably the least known and least studied of the large carnivore species that the LCIE work on, and as such there are few websites dealing with them. The Wolverine Foundation's site provides a great introduction to this species, with sections focusing on ongoing research projects, recent scientific literature, and loads of background information.

10:08:06 "SKANDULV - the Scandinavian wolf project". This project is an international cooperation between Norwegian and Swedish researchers studying the recovering wolf population in south Scandinavia. The website provides the latest wolf news, links to various publications, a gallery of photographs and a much information about the wolf situation in Scandinavia. Most materials are available in English, Swedish and Norwegian.

01:06:06  "El Lince Ibérico" [The Iberian lynx] - a really entertaining and visually dramatic website focusing on the Iberian lynx. Lots of animation and nice graphics, plus a weath of information - but maybe not suitable if being viewed over a slow connection. Only available in Spanish - but this should not stop anybody from enjoying it. Seeing as both the captive breeding program and field based conservation projects seem to be producing positive results it is a good time to focus on this species - the world's most endangered felid.

02:05:06 "The Scandinavian Brown Bear Project" has been conducting research on bears in Sweden and Norway since the mid 1980's. This is probably the large carnivore research project in Europe that has produced the most and best quality science. The products of this research have been integrated into conservation - and today Sweden has one of the largest and bear populations in Europe. The website provides loads of background information on bears in Scandinavia, and downloadable pdfs copies of many of their 270 publications. The site is in both English and Swedish.

05:04:06 "Das Luchsprojekt im Bayerischen Wald" [The Bavarian Forest Lynx Project]. This is a beautifully laid out home page - packed with pictures and information. It covers lynx biology in general as well as the research and monitoring projects that have been ongoing in and around the Bavarian Forest National Park since lynx were reintroduced into the Czech / German border region in the 1970's and 1980's. Unfortunately only in German.

10:03:06 "De fem stora" [The big five]. Even if you don't speak Swedish this site is so full of images that are both beautiful and thought provoking that you can occupy yourself for hours. There are sections on each of the "big five" carnivores found in Sweden (wolves, bears, lynx, wolverines and man) as well as on the conflicts and benefits they bring. The images and text combined present a perfectly balanced reflection on the challenges and opportunities of living together with large carnivores. The home page is a part of the "De fem stora" carnivore information centre located in Järvsö, in north, central Sweden.