Research team
MustelaWatch.it is the Italian portal dedicated to skunks and weasels designed and created by the Italian Research Group on Mesocarnivores (GrIMeC) of the Italian Theriological Association (ATIt). It contains news on the species, insights, publications, as well as distribution maps updated in real time, with recent data and new acquisitions.
The contributions to be made available
Anyone can contribute by sending photos or links to videos (including from camera traps), with date and location. A team of specialists will validate the observations, which – once verified, will appear on the map.
Possible objectives
Through the mustelawatch.it portal, the national skunk and weasel project intends to achieve the following objectives:
- Improve knowledge on the distribution and status of the species in Italy.
- Promote the systematization of occasional data collection by citizens and voluntary organizations.
- Encourage the collection of presence data and opportunistic observations or even from research projects/studies, by researchers and professionals, starting from the involvement of ATIt members and GRiMeC members.
- Create a portal for the collection and use of data on skunks, connected and integrated with the National Biodiversity Network.
- Contribute, through the project, to reporting on the conservation status of the species envisaged by the Habitats Directive.
(Source ISPRA)