Grupo Lobo
Grupo Lobo is a Portuguese association dedicated to the conservation of the Iberian wolf since 1985, combining scientific research, environmental education, and practical conservation measures such as the Livestock Guardian Dog Program.
Grupo Lobo is a Portuguese non-profit association working since 1985 to protect the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) and its ecosystem. Around 300 wolves survive in Portugal today, part of an estimated 2,000 across the Iberian Peninsula. Guided by the multidisciplinary Programa Signatus, established in 1987, the organization pursues four main lines of action: scientific research into wolf biology and human-wolf interactions; environmental education and awareness, notably through activities at the Centro de Recuperação do Lobo-ibérico (CRLI), a rehabilitation center created in 1987 for wolves that cannot live in the wild due to trapping, illegal captivity, or transfer from other parks and zoos; practical conservation measures, including the Programa Cão de Gado, which promotes traditional Portuguese livestock guardian dog breeds as an effective, non-lethal way to protect livestock and reduce wolf-livestock conflict; and advocacy for the legal, ecological, and socioeconomic conditions needed for effective wolf conservation in Portugal. The association also participates in international collaborations, including support for the CDPnews (Carnivore Damage Prevention News) publication and the LIFE LupiLynx project, which promotes socioecological coexistence with wolves and Iberian lynx in the Beira Interior region. Grupo Lobo is based at the Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, and relies on public support, including IRS tax consignment from Portuguese citizens, to sustain its conservation, research, and outreach work.
Our Goal
To work towards the conservation of the Iberian wolf and its ecosystem in Portugal, and to foster public interest in wolves and the sciences related to them through public information and awareness.
Our Wishes
The organization welcomes IRS tax consignment (1% of personal income tax) from Portuguese taxpayers and support for its ongoing conservation, research, and environmental education programs.
