Evidence-based conservation of the European Roller in Portugal: challenges and opportunities to save a species from the brink of extinction

The European Roller (Coracias garrulus) has been classified as Critically Endangered in Portugal since 2006, owing to its sustained and marked decline in both abundance and distribution, as well as its small population size. Despite its conservation status, it has received comparative little attention from scientists and conservationists in Portugal. Yet, in the early 2000s, capitalising on research and conservation efforts targeting another species, we started what has since become one of the longest-running monitoring programs for the European Roller. After identifying some of the critical threats, in 2023, we launched the project “Conservation of the European Roller: challenges and opportunities for the conservation of a critically endangered species” with the primary goal of creating a network of climate-resilient artificial nest-sites to foster a robust core population capable of recolonising surrounding suitable areas.