Background Until the end of the 19th century, the European mink (Mustela lutreola) was very common throughout Europe. Today, it occupies less than 10% of the areas it once covered and has disappeared in more than 20 countries. The surviving populations are found in Russia, the River Danube delta in Romania and between the south of France and the north of Spain. Its precarious state of preservation, the factors that endanger it, the lack of knowledge about the species and its fragmented distribution over three central focal points far removed from each other make the collaboration of all countries and professionals involved with the species essential. The Co-op Project took place alongside five other LIFE Nature projects dedicated exclusively to the preservation of the species Objectives The project aimed to establish an efficient cooperation and contact network among the different LIFE projects as well as among other initiatives with a different funding to LIFE but with the same specific objective: European mink conservation. It was expected to create a global European initiative in favour of the species conservation that remains one of this project ends. The protocols for reintroduction foreseen within the framework of this LIFE Co-op project will lay the foundations for future reintroduction projects. Results The project has achieved some important targets including: · An update of the ‘European mink Captive Breeding and Husbandry Protocol’, a basic tool in the handling of the species in captivity. · The drawing up of a protocol for captive bred specimens’ release and post-release monitoring. · A protocol for welfare and environmental enhancement of captive breeding facilities (included as an annexe in the ‘European mink Captive Breeding and Husbandry Protocol’). · The organisation of the third Russian European Mink Working Meeting at the Central Forest State Natural Biosphere Zapovednik, in September 2005, with participation of numerous researchers of the species, both from the western and oriental populations. On the other hand, the project included the elaboration of a series of guidelines that would have been useful as project outcomes but could not be completed in time. These include a coordinated action plan for the captive breeding of the species, a protocol to handle specimens during reproduction, a learning protocol for captive specimens before releasing, as well as standard protocols for the species monitoring in Romania, Ukraine, Moldavia and Russia.