The programme associated 4 Eastern European (Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan) and 4 European (Austria, France, Italy and Spain) teams, involving 35 researchers. We stressed the development of tools to develop the spread of marmot knowledge, co-ordinated marmot research programmes, particularly exchange of biologic samples allowing a larger use of innovative techniques such as DNA-fingerprintings and constitution of data banks.
The development of a www server, with different headings and the updating of the communication devices of all the teams increase communication and a best knowledge of the different scientific approaches. The literature bank increases the length of life and the spread of scientific publications. It must become the basis of a specialized virtual library, which will give an easier and faster access to marmot information in all domains to every searchers or managers of the world. But, maintance and development of such a server is time and money consuming and its access is still expensive for most of Eastern European teams. For that reason, the marmot bibliography was published. Nevertheless, since the setting of this server a mean of 4 persons a day consulted the main page of the server.
Results were valorised through meetings which brought together researchers, wildlife administratives and managers: 2 International Conferences organized in 1996 and 1997 (72 and 127 communciations) in Russia; an International Seminar in Ukraine in 1997 (41 communications) and two national meetings in France in 1995 and 1996 (15 communications for each). All Russian and English abstracts, and French papers were published and made availbale on the net.
The research, especially long-term field and re-introduction surveys, allowed idea confrontations, management comparisons in different socio-economic and cultural systems and produced applied knowledge on marmots, that allowed to improve management, conservation and sustainable development of the studied species in the National parks, nature reserves and unprotected zones of the different countries.