Researchers track weasels and polecats near Lisbon

Two PhD researchers from the University of Lisbon's Faculty of Sciences have begun fieldwork studying small carnivores, particularly the polecat and the weasel, in protected areas surrounded by the Lisbon metropolitan area, home to over three million people. The Mustela Casanova Project, launched after winning the 8th Jorge G. Casanovas Prize, uses non-invasive camera-equipped boxes and sensors in the Arrábida Natural Park and the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve. Researchers aim to understand how these species adapt their activity patterns to avoid human presence, amid signs of possible population decline. First scientific results are expected in 2027.