{"id":51063,"date":"2026-03-12T16:51:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T14:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/projects\/citelluslife\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T20:16:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T18:16:07","slug":"citelluslife","status":"publish","type":"projects","link":"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/en\/projects\/citelluslife\/","title":{"rendered":"CitellusLIFE"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Photo: M\u00e1ty\u00e1s Fej\u00e9r-Kir\u00e1ly<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ensuring viable European Ground Squirrel populations in the Pannonian region \u2013 CitellusLIFE \u2013 101202727<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Small mammals associated with steppes and grasslands are among the most threatened animals in Europe. Following a sharp decline in their populations during the 20th century, present-day economic development and the expansion of large-scale agriculture render their survival even more difficult.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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One such animal is the European ground squirrel (<\/span>Spermophilus citellus<\/span><\/i>), whose short-grass habitats are threatened by human intervention (construction, installation of solar parks, plowing of grasslands, development of the road network), lack of proper land management (abandonment of pastures), other natural processes (invasion of scrub, spread of invasive species), and the adverse effects of climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Due to this, their habitat area has rapidly decreased since the middle of the last century, and ground squirrel habitats have become increasingly isolated. Despite all previous conservation efforts (for example the RAPTORSPREYLIFE project – <\/span>https:\/\/sakerlife3.mme.hu\/en\/content\/project-objectives<\/span><\/a>), the global population of the European ground squirrel continues to decline. At the same time, its populations in the Pannonian region, and especially in Hungary and western Romania, may be essential for the survival of the species in Central Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTackling the above problems, a seven-year project was launched under the coordination of Herman Ott\u00f3 Institute in Hungary, involving 11 expert organizations (including Milvus Group), with the aim of conserving the European ground squirrel in the Pannonian region. The main objective of the project is to ensure the survival of the three distinct genetic lines of European ground squirrels in the Pannonian region by expanding a conservation network created through the coordination of local efforts.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAs a project partner, Milvus Group plans to implement, among others, the following activities:<\/span>\r\n