Last week, an overwhelming majority of MEPs from all political groups sent a strong message to the European Commission and Council by adopting a key report which calls for more action to protect nature. Rewilding Europe welcomes the outcome of the European Parliament’s vote to protect EU Nature laws, the Birds and Habitats Directives.
Mid January this year, 35 fallow deer were released in two priority rewilding sites in the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. The deer now released in Tintyava region in the Krumovgrad Municipality and Chernoochene village near the town of Kardzhali joined 88 other fallow deer and their offspring that were released during the last three years.
Today, Rewilding Europe announces that it has taken on board a fantastic new rewilding area: Lapland in the north of Sweden. In the Nordic Museum in the heart of Stockholm, the initiative was officially launched during a small ceremony with the signing of an agreement between Rewilding Europe and ‘Rewilding Lapland’, a newly established foundation and our local partner in Sweden.
On Tuesday 26 January the Goed Geld Gala, the annual charity gala of Dutch Postcode Lottery, took place at the Carré Theatre, Amsterdam. During the wonderful gala Rewilding Europe received 500,000 euros in support of its rewilding work across Europe.
Today, ARK Nature and Rewilding Europe have renewed their partnership with the signing of another three-year agreement for cooperation. This cooperation includes continuation of existing work like developing the European Wildlife Bank and the European Rewilding Network, but also possible new activities such as promoting the role of carrion and scavengers in Rewilding Europe’s rewilding areas.
During the bison monitoring conducted by the bison rangers in the Southern Carpathians last week, four of the 30 bison in Armeniș were found dead. The weakest bison in the herd were outcast by the rest of the group and as a result they became more vulnerable to predators. At least two of them were attacked by a pack of stray dogs that formed in the area.
The natural grazing of the Lika Plains in Croatia got a boost last week with the arrival of a herd of Konik horses from Latvia. 45 horses, well adapted to harsh winter conditions and the presence of large predators, are already exploring their new habitat in one of Europe’s most spectacular landscapes.
A recent genetic study, ranking 34 primitive cattle breeds by their closeness to the extinct aurochs, provides additional scientific backing to the Tauros Programme that aims to breed a suitable replacement for this lost species.
The ninth web-based seminar of the European Rewilding Network took place on December 14th. This time, attendants active in various rewilding sites throughout Europe shared experiences in restoring natural grazing as a key ecological process by bringing back free roaming and wild-living large herbivores. The event focused in particular on horses and bovines, including the Tauros.
Rewilding Europe and the Forestry Faculty of the University of Zagreb have started a cooperation to enhance the conservation of wild nature, wildlife and wilderness in the Velebit Mountains in Croatia. This cooperation will focus on proclaiming the old-growth forest Ramino Korito as a special reserve and researching the ecology of brown bear to improve its protection.