The project

Know it to save it.

BRAVO is a 12-month pilot study of the European wildcat in the Corno de Bico Protected Landscape. It will set the first baseline for the species in this area and lay the ground for a long-term conservation strategy.

Why now

A rare and
little-known feline.

The Red Book of Mammals of mainland Portugal (2023) lists the wildcat as Endangered. Its population size is unknown, estimated densities are below 10 individuals per 100 km² and there may be fewer than 100 breeding adults.

The main threats are road traffic, illegal killing, habitat loss and hybridisation with domestic cats, which erodes the species’ genetic identity.

There are no recent surveys for Corno de Bico. We do not know whether wildcats still use the area, or how much of the local population is already hybridised. BRAVO sets out to close that gap.

Status in Portugal

LCLeast concern
NTNear threatened
VUVulnerable
ENEndangered
CRCritically endangered

Red Book of Mammals of mainland Portugal, 2023.

< 100

Portugal may have fewer than 100 breeding adults left, at densities below 10 per 100 km². Every one counts.

How much space it needs

Male wildcat ≈ 16 km²
Female wildcat ≈ 5.6 km²
House cat 0.04 to 0.36 km²

A single male may need almost all of Corno de Bico.

Home ranges measured in Scotland (Langridge et al. 2025). They may differ in Portugal.

Four main threats

Road traffic
Illegal killing
Habitat loss
Hybridisation with house cats

Aims

Four questions
to answer.

Where is it? Assess wildcat presence and distribution in the protected area using non-invasive methods.
How pure is it? Measure hybridisation with domestic cats using genetic markers.
What threatens it? Describe predators and competitors, prey availability and habitat quality.
How do we protect it? Engage the local community and propose a conservation plan that can continue after the pilot study.

Ethics

No wildcat
is ever captured.

All genetic material from wildcats is collected passively, from hairs left on the stakes.
Valerian is a non-toxic plant used in feline monitoring across Europe.
Stations are kept away from houses and roads, so they do not draw domestic cats into risky areas.
At the end of sampling, all equipment is removed from the field.
The study was submitted to the Universidade Lusófona ethics committee and is overseen by ICNF and CCDR Norte.

Education

Bringing the wildcat
to the people who live with it.

Wildcat conservation depends on the people of Paredes de Coura. Our education programme is built on three simple actions: recognise the wildcat, look after your own cat and report sightings.

We work with schools, parish councils, vets and Associação Animais de Rua. A questionnaire at the start and another at the end of the project shows us what has changed in local knowledge and attitudes.

Phase 1

Know

Public launch of the project, school sessions and the start of citizen-science sighting records.

Phase 2

Care

“A cared-for cat protects the wildcat” campaign with vets and parish councils, neutering drives with Animais de Rua and a session with hunters and farmers.

Phase 3

Discover

Public debate on the first results, with photos from our cameras. A travelling exhibition, “Who walks through Corno de Bico?”, is in preparation.

For schools and the community

A 60-minute session linked to the national primary and science curriculum, with a teacher’s guide.
Teaching kit (in preparation) with a hair stake, demonstration camera, track casts and games, on loan to schools.
Sentinel schools: each class follows one of our stations and receives its photos.
“Classify our cameras”: pupils identify species in real photos, checked by the team.
“Wildcat or house cat?” guide and a monthly “picture of the month” shared by the Municipality and schools.

Book a session for your school

The landscape

Corno de Bico
Protected Landscape.

Corno de Bico Protected Landscape: 2,175 ha in Paredes de Coura, Alto Minho.

In the heart of Alto Minho, in Paredes de Coura, Corno de Bico combines Atlantic oak woods, heather and broom scrub, riverside woodland and farmland.

It is a mosaic where forest meets villages. That closeness makes it valuable for wildcats and also brings them into contact with domestic cats. We therefore sample three kinds of area: the edge between villages and forest, the least disturbed habitat cores, and places with past records of the species.

Exact station locations are not published, to avoid disturbing the animals.

Woodland in mist, with a moss-covered floor — Woodland at Corno de Bico on a misty day.

Corno de Bico landscapes

Meadow and track, with cattle in the distance

Villages and fields around Corno de Bico

Swipe to see more.

Team

The people behind BRAVO.

Principal investigators

Gonçalo Jesus

Ecology, nature conservation and animal behaviour. Universidade Lusófona.

Ana Sofia Rois

Animal welfare, environmental education and conservation. Universidade Lusófona.

Collaboration

Susana Dias

Predators and habitat. CEABN/InBIO, Instituto Superior de Agronomia.

Field and outreach team

Matilde Tavares

Public outreach. MSc in Nature Conservation, FCUL and Universidade Lusófona.

André Graça

Camera and hair-stake monitoring. Biology, Universidade Lusófona.

Bruno Amaral

Field and outreach assistant. BSc Biology, Universidade Lusófona.

Mariana Santos