Grupo Lobo
Grupo Lobo is a non‑governmental environmental organization (NGO), independent and non‑profit, founded on September 18, 1985 and recognized with the status of Public Utility.
Within the framework of the Signatus Program, the Lobo Group initiated a strategy whose areas of action aim at informing public opinion, supporting scientific studies, and promoting practical conservation measures.
This Association is a member of:
- APZA ‑ the Portuguese Association of Zoos and Aquariums;
- CCCL ‑ the Castro Laboreiro Dog Club;
- LPDA ‑ the Portuguese League for Animal Rights;
- WSPA ‑ the World Society for the Protection of Animals;
- Is an Honorary Member of the Serra da Estrela Dog Confraternity.
Mission & Values
The Lobo Group's mission is to work towards the conservation of the wolf and its ecosystem in Portugal and to foster interest in the wolf and related sciences through public awareness.
It is also the purpose of this Association to develop efforts to establish the legal, ecological, and socioeconomic conditions essential for the effective conservation of the national wolf population.
Signatus Program
The conservation of a species implies knowledge of the factors that influence it, and the implementation of measures that mitigate or eliminate these factors that threaten the viability of its populations, so that the danger of extinction of the species is considerably reduced.
Large mammals, and especially most large predators, present serious challenges in their study and in the development of conservation strategies. This is due not only to conflicts of interest with humans, but also to the difficulty in understanding certain parameters of their biology. Among these, the most important are understanding population characteristics such as genetic variability, density, sex ratio, age distribution, birth and death rates, and use of space and time.
To develop effective conservation plans, it is necessary to obtain information that allows for a better understanding of, among other things, the parameters mentioned above. To this end, the Signatus Program was developed in 1987 , representing a multidisciplinary approach established to contribute to a wolf conservation plan in Portugal.
The objectives of this Program are:
Applied research
To promote and carry out technical and scientific projects and studies, particularly in the fields of biology and anthropology, leading to a better understanding of the wolf and human‑wolf interactions.
Environmental Education and Awareness
Disseminating accurate information about this much‑misunderstood and persecuted predator, particularly through actions carried out at the Iberian Wolf Recovery Center.
Promoting Practical Conservation Measures
Contributing to a genuine conservation policy, not only for this canine species but also for Portuguese Natural Heritage in general, as exemplified by the Livestock Guardian Dog Program.
History
The Lobo Group originated from the need to deepen the study and disseminate accurate information about the wolf, a predator unknown to most people and always associated with something demonic. Created in 1985 by a group of people concerned with this issue and also with the situation of the wolf population in Portugal, Francisco Petrucci‑Fonseca and Robert Lyle stand out as driving forces behind this initiative. Other members of civil society and academia, both national and international, joined the Lobo Group, and its activities grew, generating impact nationally and internationally. Examples of this are the various awards received, the collaborations carried out, and those it is currently developing.
The Lobo Group collaborated in the drafting of the Law for the Protection of the Iberian Wolf, Law No. 90/88 of August 13, which grants it the status of a strictly protected species in Portugal, and collaborated in the revision of Decree‑Law No. 139/90, of April 27, now repealed by Decree‑Law No. 54/2016, of August 25, 2016. Additionally, it has collaborated in the processes of drafting and revising the Red Books of Vertebrates of Portugal, the last revision of which was carried out in 2005 and where the wolf is classified as ENDANGERED. More recently, it participated in the drafting of the Iberian Wolf Conservation Action Plan (PACLobo), promoted by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF). The Lobo Group is also one of the founding non‑governmental environmental organizations of the Antidote Program – Portugal, a platform against the illegal use of poisons, established by several public and private entities in 2004.