Call for partners: LIFE WILDCAT project

European Wilderness Society opened a call for organisations and institutions to participate in a project on the European wildcat (Felis silvestris). We will submit the first stage Concept Note for this project under the LIFE Programme call for 2020 in June-July.

Earlier this year, we already actively contributed to the development and submission of the project LIFEstockProtect, which focuses on implementation of livestock protection measures to benefit coexistence with the wolf in the predominantly German-speaking Alpine region.

Why wildcat?

The wildcat is a strictly protected species in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive of the European Union. It lives in multiple fragmented regions in Europe, ranging from the Iberian Peninsula to Turkey. Especially in the Central European countries, the distribution is largely fragmented and to some degree even unknown.

The wildcat populations are under large pressure, for example due to the destruction of suitable habitats, persecution and poaching by humans, and through hybridisation with domestic cats. In the recent years, observations of wildcats have risen in Central European and Alpine countries such as Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Czech Republic. Nevertheless, international cooperation and joint efforts remain important for the long-term conservation of this species.

Phase 1: Concept Note

In the next days or weeks, we can expect the next call for proposals from the LIFE programme. Due to the current circumstances with the COVID-19 restrictions, the deadline has moved to mid July. The evaluating committee will invite a small selection of Concept Notes by the fall of 2020 to submit a Full Proposal.

If your organisation is interested to participate in a LIFE project on the European wildcat, let us know!

Some preliminary facts to summarise:

• Focus species: European wildcat
• Focus area: to be determined
• Project start: September 2021
• Project duration: 5 years
• Partnership: 10-15 partners
• Budget: depending on partnership, about € 2M
• European co-financing rate: 60%

Please fill out the contact form below, and include your field(s) of interest. We will get back to you shortly.