Duration: June 2016 – Present

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The project

 

The stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) is an emblematic species with a high iconographic value, due to its unique morphology and size, which makes it easy to identify. It is associated with forest habitats, mainly deciduous forests with the presence of tall trees, but can also be found in urban and peri-urban areas, as long as with the presence of trees that meet the species' ecological requirements.

 

This species is protected by Community legislation (Annex II of the Habitats Directive and Annex III of the Berne Convention) and is also classified as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In Portugal it is assessed as "Unknown", denoting the urgent need to obtain more information in order to make a proper assessment.

 

The VACALOURA.pt Project is a 100% volunteer citizen science project, which aims to contribute to the conservation of Lucanus cervus and the other species of beetles of the Lucanidae family (Lucanus barbarossa, Dorcus parallelipipedus and Platycerus spinifer) in Portugal, through environmental education and the compilation of data on the distribution and status of their populations.

 

You can help us in this project by adopting monitoring paths or registering your sightings in the online form or the dedicated mobile application.

 

Since its begining, the project has already compiled more than 1000 records of the presence of the stag beetle in Portugal, almost doubling the known distribution area of this species in our territory.

 

This project was born from a partnership between Associação BioLiving, the Wildlife Research Unit of the Biology Department of the University of Aveiro (UVS/DBio-UA), the Portuguese Society of Entomology (SPEN) and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), the result of a shared interest and the combination of different valences and areas of action of each entity for the conservation of these species.

 

The project can be followed on Facebook, Instagram (@vacaloura.pt) or at www.vacaloura.pt.

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