Fiona was Chair of the UK’s Mammal Society UK (2015-2021), and before that headed their Scientific Advisory Committee. She is known particularly for her work on bats, including research on light and sound pollution, urban expansion and agricultural intensification, and wind energy generation, and is part of the Eurobats Scientific Advisory Committee. However, she has a wide interest in all mammals, having led the review of the population and conservation status of British mammals as well as the first IUCN-compliant Red Lists. She is currently leading the Mammal Society’s Otter Survey of England. Fiona has run the odd marathon to raise money for wildlife and enjoys wild swimming all year round.

Wilmar worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands as senior Policy Advisor in the field of international species conservation. She represented the Netherlands in all nature Conventions, Directives and Treaties that deal with the protection of birds and terrestrial species. Before her international work she was involved for many years in (the development of) national monitoring schemes for marine and terrestrial species. Wilmar likes to watch birds and lichens! She counts birds on a regular basis and is the chair of the Dutch Bryological and Lichenological Society. She was briefly involved in Calutra the Beaver- and Otter working group of the Dutch Mammal Society. When at home gardening or playin the piano will keep her occupied.

Svetlana (MSc in Ecology and Nature conservation, Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria) lives in The Netherlands and Bulgaria. She has worked with different NGOs on nature conservation projects on birds and butterflies in Europe. Currently her focus is on contributing to mammal research and conservation in Europe. She is also a board member of the European Mammal Foundation, The Field Study Group at the Dutch Mammal Society, and volunteer at The Habitat Foundation, The Netherlands. Svetlana likes swimming and snorkelling, hiking and looking for anything magical the nature can offer like birds, mammals, orchids, mushrooms and stones.

Gabor is the head of the Department of Zoology in the Hungarian Natural History Museum and president of the Hungarian Mammal Conservation Group. His main interests are the conservation biology of Hungarian mammals, the systematics of blind mole-rats (Spalacidae) and the systematics and distribution of Southeast Asian bats. He is lucky enough to author (with several co-authors, of course) more than 40 new taxa of bats, and so it is no wonder that his favourite mammal species is the Northern Woolly horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus perniger). Gabor’s free time hobby is collecting and cataloguing Hungarian stamped bricks from the last 400 years, of which over 10,000 different types exist!

Bledi (MSc in Biology from the University of Tirana, Albania) has been working at PPNEA since 2009. He focuses on the conservation of large carnivores, like the Balkan lynx and brown bear in Albania, primarily in the most important habitats where these species occur, such as Munella Nature Park, Shebenik National Park and Prespa National Park. Bledi has been involved as expert for mammals in the EU-project NaturAL, which aimed to assess and prepare the future Natura2000 network in Albania. He has good skills in snow tracking, telemetry, and camera trapping and is a co-author of a variety of articles on large carnivore ecology and conservation.

George is a zoologist who is interested in mammalian chromosomal evolution, biodiversity, phylogeography and conservation, and loves field work. He is also the Secretary of the Hellenic Zoological Society. For several years he was Director/Coordinator of the Management Body of the National Park of Mt. Aenos on Cephalonia Island, where monitoring programs and management plans were designed and implemented. His main research is on small mammals, particularly voles and mice, and, lately, dormice, but also other species, such as the otter. His free time is happily ‘consumed’ by his three toddlers, but he also enjoys hiking, snorkelling, and travelling abroad.

Frank is an evolutionary zoologist with a particular interest in biodiversity, evolution, systematics, phylogeography and conservation of mammals, as well as in the history and philosophy of biology. His main zoological research is on ungulates, especially deer. His favourite mammal is the extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus). Frank was editor-in-chief of the journal Mammalian Biology for 15 years. At present, he is the editor of the Mammalia series within the Handbook of Zoology, co-editor of the Handbook of the Mammals of Europe, and president of the German Society for Mammalian Biology. Apart from studying mammals, as a hobby wildlife photographer, he also likes taking pictures of them.

The Mammal Society (MS) provides evidence for mammal conservation. MS includes academics, practitioners, volunteers, and public interested in wildlife conservation. We produced the first Red List for British Mammals, the UK Mammal Atlas, and guidance to the Welsh Government on the conservation of water voles.  We run national surveys, e.g., for the otter, the harvest mouse, and the mountain hare. MS’s free smartphone app helps engage volunteers with wildlife monitoring.

The European Mammal Foundation is an independent charity, registered in the Netherlands. The main focus is on the production of the next European Mammal Atlas, involving mammal experts from all European countries. EMF supports field studies on mammals in Europe, filling up data gaps on species and areas, aiming at informing policy and conservation of the European mammalian fauna.

The Dutch Mammal Society, founded in 1952, is dedicated to the study and protection of mammals, primarily in the Netherlands, involving volunteers, both professional and amateur mammal experts. DMS includes 14 working groups, one of which if the Field Study Group, specialized in mammal surveys in partnership with similar organisations in Europe. DMS publishes the popular Zoogdier and the scientific Lutra.”