The first comprehensive census of wild rabbits on the Iberian Peninsula reveals an alarming decline in populations, particularly in forested areas. Between 2009 and 2022, the overall number of rabbits decreased by an average of 18%, with losses in forests and mountainous regions being particularly severe at almost 58%. This is according to a recent study by the European Life Iberconejo project, which has now published a detailed map of population density.
Dramatic Decline in Spain’s Ecosystems
While rabbit populations in Spain’s agricultural areas only declined by 10% and even show an increasing trend there, numbers in natural forest ecosystems have plummeted. Experts attribute this decline to changes in land use – particularly the disappearance of traditional mosaic landscapes – as well as to diseases. The data now available are, according to the study’s authors, “crucial for decision-making based on the state of the species, which is of vital importance in Mediterranean landscapes.”
The census was based on a combination of wild captures and field surveys in key regions such as Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, and Portugal. This comprehensive survey, carried out by the Institute for Research in Game Resources (IREC – CSIC, UCLM, JCCM) using a mathematical model, achieves “an unprecedented level of detail at national level” with a resolution of 2 x 2 kilometers for the entire Iberian Peninsula, according to the researchers.
Dual Picture of the Rabbit Population
The new map shows a dual picture of the wild rabbit population: high densities are found primarily in four large Spanish agricultural regions – the southern and northern plateaus, as well as the Ebro and Guadalquivir valleys. Here, conflicts with agriculture arise as rabbits find abundant food and few natural predators. Ramón Pérez de Ayala, director of the Life project and a member of WWF, explains: “These are areas where there are explosions of rabbits that cause serious damage because they have food and few predators, and hunters in some of them cannot cope.”
The situation is different in regions with a high proportion of Mediterranean forests, such as the Sierra Morena, the mountains of Extremadura, or large parts of Portugal. There, where the rabbit should fulfill its ecological role as prey and offer socioeconomic benefits through hunting, the decline is most pronounced. This has led the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to classify the wild rabbit as endangered.
Ecosystem Engineers and Prey for Endangered Species
The dramatic decline of the wild rabbit is of great relevance due to its immense ecological and socioeconomic importance. The study authors refer to the rabbit as an “ecosystem engineer,” as it significantly shapes the environment and serves as prey for over 40 mammal and bird species in the Mediterranean rainforest. The Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle are particularly dependent on the wild rabbit. It is also an important food source for the cinereous vulture and Bonelli’s eagle. Other predators include foxes, snakes (which eat young animals), and even wild boars, which can destroy entire litters.
The creation of the distribution map was the result of exemplary cooperation between all stakeholders involved in the management of the species, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Portuguese Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF). This collaboration, which also involved scientific, conservation, hunting, and agricultural institutions, enabled the standardization of monitoring methods and the coordination of data collection to achieve “reliable and comparable results at Iberian level.”
