We are thrilled to announce that Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin – has awarded Rewilding Europe a significant grant to advance rewilding in Europe.

A group of five griffon vultures has been tagged with GPS transmitters in the Western Iberia rewilding area in northern Portugal. By shedding new light on the birds’ foraging behaviour, the data collected from the transmitters will support the restoration of natural food chains in the area and underpin the continued comeback of this magnificent species.

Two juvenile griffon vultures from the Eastern Rhodopes were equipped with GPS transmitters recently by the local rewilding team. This technology will provide critical data on the distribution, migration and possible threats to the birds, enhancing conservation of this magnificent yet locally endangered species.

The herd of Konik horses shipped to the Danube Delta from Latvia earlier this year is now roaming free. Following a quarantine period the 23-strong group of animals has just been released on Ermakov Island, in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta rewilding area. As the first ever shipment of Koniks into the delta, these hardy herbivores will diversify habitats and enhance local wild nature.

The reintroduction of another European bison herd in the Southern Carpathians rewilding area continues efforts to establish a viable, free-roaming population of this keystone species. This will further increase the benefits to both wild nature and local communities.

Rewilding Sweden has been carrying out river restoration work in Swedish Lapland since 2016. Newly funded efforts will now focus on removing barriers from the River Abramsån, promising benefits for migratory fish, local communities and wild nature.

How can the ongoing decline of European wild nature be reversed? A key paper published last week by the European Habitats Forum (including Rewilding Europe) outlines reasons why the EU’s current Biodiversity Strategy is failing and presents joint recommendations for the strategy post 2020.

Nature is our best ally in mitigating the scale and impact of climate change. Read the feature story ‘A Climate of Change’ in our new Annual Review 2018 to find out how rewilding contributes by creating healthier, better-connected, more resilient ecosystems. The article is one of the 10 feature stories in the review showcasing the progress Rewilding Europe made last year.

So far 72 griffon vulture chicks have hatched in the Rhodope Mountains rewilding area this year – seven more than in 2018. A milestone success for the local rewilding team, this record-breaking result represents another positive step forward in the Balkan-based comeback of these magnificent birds.

Rewilding Europe completed its first ever translocation of water buffalo last week, with a herd of seven animals successfully released on Ermakov Island in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta. The hefty herbivores will create and maintain a mosaic landscape on the island – thereby supporting the area’s dynamic, wild nature – as well as driving development of local nature-based tourism.