The collaborative report was prepared during 2019-2020 by 32 bison experts from 14 countries and includes comprehensive reviews of European bison ecology and management, as well as discussions about ongoing risks to the species recovery.

After nearly going extinct 100 years ago, the European bison now occurs in more than 40 free-ranging wild herds in 10 European countries with a total of 6,800 wild animals. “The return of wild European bison from the brink of extinction has been possible only through strong alliances and pan-European cooperation; and with over 90% of all wild European bison now occurring in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, the outbreak of open war in Ukraine will likely require new approaches to collaborative conservation across the species historic range,” said Dr Glenn Plumb, Chair of the IUCN SSC Bison Specialist Group.  

This 140-page report presents a wealth of scientific and practical knowledge about the European bison and is available for free download at the IUCN SSC BSG website.

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For more information or interviews please contact:

Dr. Glenn Plumb, IUCN SSC Bison Specialist Group, iucn.bsg.plumb@gmail.com
Prof. Kajetan Perzanowski, European Bison Conservation Center and IUCN SSC Bison Specialist Group, kajperz@wp.pl
Prof. Wanda Olech, European Bison Conservation Center, wanda_olech@sggw.edu.pl

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IUCN SSC Bison Specialist Group (BSG)
The BSG is committed to the development of comprehensive and viable strategies and management actions to enhance conservation and ecological restoration of European Bison (Bison bonasus) and American Bison (Bison bison), including Plains Bison (Bison bison bison) and Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae), as wildlife where feasible across their original range. The BSG operates under the authority of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature to conduct comprehensive assessments, provide evidence-based advice and support, and communication and outreach activities in support of this mission.

The European Bison Conservation Center (EBCC) is the International Network gathering European bison breeders from Poland, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Romania, Belgium, Czech Republic and Belarus. The main goal of EBCC is to coordinate the flow and exchange of information between wisent breeders from different European countries. Secondly, the function of EBCC is to create a platform of communication between European bison breeders, decision makers, conservationists and other interested parties to develop a common policy for wisent conservation in Europe, despite the existence of differences in the rules of E. bison conservation in the various European countries. Learn more at https://ebcc.wisent.org/