We present an update to “Wildlife Comeback in Europe”, a landmark report from 2013 which featured
selected species of mammals and birds showing signs of recovery in terms of their abundance and
distribution in Europe1
. Almost a decade later, we revisit the same set of species to see if these positive
trends are continuing, while also expanding the number of species included. We present analyses on the
drivers behind population recoveries and limits to population growth and discuss our findings in the
context of ecosystem regeneration, and coexistence between people and nature in Europe. We used several data sets to produce detailed
accounts for 50 species (24 mammal, 25 bird and
one reptile species), and to synthesise the trends
for an overall analysis. The key data sets used
were the Living Planet Index Database2
, EU Birds
Directive Article 12 reporting3
and the IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species 4
. Extensive research was
conducted in consultation with expert reviewers
in order to describe and explain historical trends
for each species and present the latest outlook. The
synthesis of the trend data for mammals and birds
included in this report is also presented in a scientific manuscript 5
. Our discussion sets the speciesbased results in context with a series of “Spotlights”,
which are literature-based summaries of current
and important topics on ecosystem health, and
coexistence between people and nature focusing on:
climate change, ecosystem restoration, monitoring
and data gaps, and legal and policy frameworks.
Final report to Rewilding Europe by the Zoological Society of London,
BirdLife International and the European Bird Census Council
