-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ever caught a glimpse of the secretive Iberian lynx ? Or heard the croaking bark of a Mediterranean monk seal ? Arctic foxes are trapped and skinned for the pelts . If not , and you want to do so , you had better hurry because pollution and habitat degradation have pushed both species to the brink of extinction . According to a recent study by the Switzerland-based World Conservation Union -LRB- IUCN -RRB- human activity is threatening almost one-sixth of Europe 's total land mammal population . Among marine mammals the situation is even more grave , with some 22 percent of total numbers being pushed towards annihilation . The IUCN 's recently published European Mammal Assessment identified 17 European mammal species that are `` vulnerable , '' seven that are `` endangered , '' and six that are `` critically endangered . '' The Mediterranean monk seal population , for example , has now dwindled to just 350-450 individuals . The outlook for the Iberian lynx is even worse , with only an estimated 150 still surviving , making it the most endangered cat species on earth . Other species on the critically endangered list include the Arctic fox , Bavarian pine vole , European mink and North Atlantic Right whale . `` This new assessment proves that many European mammals are declining at an alarming rate , '' said IUCN Director-General Julia Marton-Lefèvre , a position echoed by the EU 's Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas . `` The results of the report highlight the challenge we currently face to halt the loss of Europe 's biodiversity , '' said Dimas . `` It is clear that the full implementation of the Habitats Directive -LRB- adopted by the EU in 1992 to safeguard Europe 's endangered wildlife -RRB- is of the utmost importance to protect Europe 's native mammals . '' Europe is home to a rich diversity of native mammal species ranging from the small such as shrews and voles , to the large such as wolves and brown bears . to the enormous -- in the case of the 70-ton North Atlantic Right Whale . Human activity , however , especially in the form of agriculture , deforestation , hunting and pollution , has reduced the numbers of these species , leaving many of them in danger of vanishing . The aforementioned Habitats Directive -- a corollary of the 1979 Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats -- introduced a range of measures aimed at protecting endangered species -LRB- including plants , birds and fish as well as mammals -RRB- . That directive has certainly had an effect , with a number of mammals that previously seemed destined to disappear from Europe now enjoying something of a revival . The Alpine Ibex , for example , was almost hunted out in the 19th century , its population reduced to just a small group of survivors in Italy 's Gran Paradiso National Park . Thanks to extensive conservation and protection efforts , however , the species is once again flourishing and has been downgraded to the `` least concern '' category on the IUCN 's `` Red List . '' It is the same story for the European bison , which was limited to just a few zoos before re-introduction programs across eastern Europe helped re-build the population to current levels of around 1,800 . `` The fate of the European bison provides an example of the way in which a species may be brought to the brink of extinction in a very short time , and then saved only through great efforts , '' said Dr. Zbigniew Krasinski of Poland 's Bialowieza National Park . `` The saving of the bison has been an undoubted success , although further action will continue to be essential . '' Dr. Jean-Christophe Vie , Deputy Head of the IUCN 's Species Program , agrees that significant progress has been made . `` In Europe we now have a network of protected areas , as well as strong conservation laws , '' he told CNN . `` It is possible for species to recover even when their numbers drop to extinction level . `` Both the Alpine Ibex and European bison are recovering well because of appropriate conservation measures . `` The European beaver is another example . It was persecuted almost to extinction but has now been re-introduced and is colonizing all over the continent . '' While there are positive stories , however , the overall picture remains a disheartening one , as the European Mammal Assessment demonstrates . Commissioned by the European Commission and a year in the drafting , it is the first such overview of its kind and draws on the work of a Europe-wide group of scientists , zoologists and conservationists . Its findings provide an unequivocal picture of biodiversity loss and species decline . Habitat destruction , usually due to agricultural practices , is the key driver of that decline , although many other factors are involved , including pollution , disease and the introduction of invasive foreign species . The case of the European mink , one of the IUCN 's six critically endangered European mammals , is an example of how different elements can combine to drive a particular species to the brink of destruction . Once found in great numbers across Europe from Spain to the Urals , the mink population has plummeted in recent years . While hunting has certainly contributed to this decline , the main causes have been habitat loss and competition from invasive foreign species , according to Vie . `` The mink is freshwater dependent , '' explains Vie . `` The more you damage its habitat by polluting rivers , or channeling them , or building dams , the more the population declines . '' The introduction of the American mink into Europe for fur-rearing also proved disastrous , with some of those mink escaping from captivity , establishing their own colonies in the wild and setting up direct competition for food and resources with the native population . The result : an 80 percent decline in that population in the last decade alone -LRB- in 1993 the IUCN only classified it as `` vulnerable '' -RRB- . But experts say that species loss can be reversed . `` There is more and more perception across Europe that biodiversity conservation is crucially important , '' says Vie . `` And we are seeing good recoveries in some species . `` The picture in the mammal world is not nearly as bad as , say , among freshwater fish , where the number of threatened species is far , far higher . '' At the same time , the latest figures remain a source of considerable concern . At a time when so many conservation initiatives and laws are already in operation , the population of many European mammal species is in apparent free fall . It is not simply the possibility of losing a particular species that worries experts , but also how the loss will affect the species ' wider ecosystem `` The food web is extremely complex , '' says Vie . `` If you lose one element that has a very specific role in that web , it has a knock-on effect and the whole system is threatened . `` It is very worrying . Some people think it is a disaster if a famous painting is lost in a fire , but that is just the work of a few weeks or months . These species and systems are the product of millions of years of evolution . `` I am biased , of course , but I think it would be an absolute tragedy if we lost these native species . '' E-mail to a friend