Danube Delta | Rewilding Europe

Europe’s unrivalled wetland

Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe

Europe’s unrivalled wetland

Magnus Lundgren / Wild Wonders of Europe

Europe’s unrivalled wetland

Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe

Europe’s unrivalled wetland

Magnus Lundgren / Rewilding Europe

Europe’s unrivalled wetland

Where the mighty Danube river meets the Black Sea, it has created a massive delta land, Europe’s largest wetland area. It is still surprisingly wild and relatively undestroyed.

The 580,000 hectare delta is home to massive amounts of waterbirds of all kinds, most notably pelicans of two species, herons, storks, cormorants and terns. It is a favourite staging area for passage migrants and also wintering grounds for masses of migrating waterbirds from the steppes, the boreal forests and the tundras further north.

Here also lie some of Europe’s very few remaining grazed mosaic forest landscapes, the beautiful woodlands of Letea and Caraorman. Beavers are slowly making their return into the area, the area holds healthy populations of golden jackal while white-tailed eagles show a remarkable comeback.

The massive productivity of the many water habitats here has led to the delta harbouring the largest number of fish species anywhere in Europe. Flagship species of which are the four species of sturgeon, which once used to wander the entire length of the Danube river all the way up into Germany. The area has unprecedented potential for wetland restoration and rewilding, in particular the former polders and lakes can be reflooded and reconnected with the Danube river dynamics.

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The war in Ukraine is unfolding in a terrible way. We are doing what we can to help our team and partners that are living and working in the Danube Delta region.

With your donation, we will be able to purchase and transfer medicine, equipment and any other priority item to cover the needs of staff, employees and their families in Ukraine.

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Rewilding vision

For each rewilding landscape we developed an inspiring vision that shows our ambition for the next ten years. Together with our local partners we work to make this vision a reality.

The Danube Delta, the largest river delta wetland in Europe, has become one of the finest, wildest, best-protected and most famous wildlife areas of the whole continent. The area provides new sources of income and pride for the people who live here and in the surrounding Romanian, Ukrainian and Moldavian regions. Also, the Danube Delta inspires people in other natural areas to approach their problems and opportunities also using rewilding as a tool.
The Danube Delta ecosystem has undergone a large scale restoration both on the Ukrianian, Romanian and Moldovian side, mainly through reconnecting large lakes systems with the Danube river dynamics. The initiative builds on past restoration and conservation initiatives done by founders of the partner organisation in Ukraine side like the reflooding of Ermakov-island and the Tataru project in Izmail Islands park, and Babina and Cernovka islands on the Romanian side.
A number of large core areas are well protected through the cross-border Danube Delta Biosphere reserve, and are connected through ecological corridors and surrounded by zones for different kinds and levels of sustainable use. In the core rewilding areas, to a great extent, nature is regulated by ecological processes, with wildlife and fish populations in natural densities and with the original native species present. Here the people of the delta have chosen for a more sustainable development and management of the landscape and the wildlife species, providing good conditions for a wildlife based economy.
The rewilding process has also provided examples of new or additional ways to make a living, based on these wild resources. This includes wildlife watching and the sustainable harvesting and marketing of fish and wild meat in the buffer zones of the rewilding area. This is a vital part of the income for people in the region. Furthermore, the land use changes, rural exodus, loss of biodiversity and fading traditional culture has been turned into new opportunities, attracting both young and old entrepreneurial people as well as many more and better paying visitors from far outside the region.

What are we doing here?

Using natural dynamics as drivers of change

One of the least populated areas in Europe, the Danube Delta offers a unique opportunity to restore a whole spectrum of biodiverse habitats – from open estuarine systems, naturally grazed grassland and vast reed beds through to freshwater marshes, coastal lagoons, shallow lakes, riverine forests and steppes.

Working with partners, the rewilding team is working to significantly improve the ecological integrity and natural functioning of 40,000 hectares of wetland and steppe habitat, using rewilding principles at on a landscape scale. Revitalised and self-governing natural processes, particularly flooding and natural grazing, will govern landscape formation, driving other natural processes, wildlife comeback, increased biodiversity and the development of a nature-based economy.

Wildlife comeback

In the Danube Delta, we are supporting the return of various species to the landscape – restoring natural grazing, enhancing food webs, and boosting biodiversity.

Rewilding Ukraine is restoring ecosystems by reintroducing large herbivores in various areas, reviving natural grazing processes and restoring ecological balance. Herds of different large grazers – including water buffalo, red and fallow deer, semi-wild horses, and kulan – have been released in delta landscapes and are naturally growing.

To restore food webs and enhance biodiversity on the steppe, we have also launched reintroduction programmes for small rodents. Meanwhile, efforts to restore predator populations are underway, including the reintroduction of eagle owls to the delta.

Nature for people

We are working to reconnect people with the nature of the delta by developing educational programmes, fostering pride within local communities, and raising awareness among diverse audiences.

We also aim to create new opportunities for delta communities by supporting the development of nature-based businesses and eco-tourism infrastructure, such as wildlife-watching towers, eco-trails, interpretive panels, and observation hides.

On the Ukrainian side of the delta – where the war has had a profound impact on both society and the regional economy – we are promoting co-existence with wild nature to encourage acceptance of returning wildlife.

We are also harnessing the healing power of nature through a veteran rehabilitation programme in rewilding areas. This initiative is not only supporting emotional recovery, but is contributing to the local economy and laying the foundation for nature-based business development in the post-war period.

“Danube Delta is a truly unique ecosystem”

Mykhailo Nesterenko

Mykhailo Nesterenko
Rewilding Ukraine team leader

How would you characterise your rewilding landscape?
The Danube Delta is Europe’s largest remaining natural wetland – a truly unique ecosystem. The delta region includes extensive examples of unaltered rivers, lakes, reed beds, marshes, steppes, dunes, sandbars, coasts, lagoons, salt marshes and climax forests. Local communities in the Danube Delta (the Danube Delta Sub-Basin District supports more than one million people) have little knowledge and limited capacity to use ecosystems in an economically and ecologically sustainable way, directly impacting living standards and biodiversity. With the delta acting as a historic crossroads, this is an extremely diverse region in terms of nationalities, with each preserving its customs and traditions.

What have the major achievements been in your rewilding landscape to date?
The restoration of large islands in the Danube Biosphere Reserve and the reconnection of large floodplain wetlands in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta with the river Danube are among our major achievements. We have started long-term wildlife reintroduction programmes, such as reintroducing fallow and red deer and wild horses in the Danube Biosphere Reserve, as well as kulan, fallow deer, steppe marmots, and hamsters in the Tarutino steppe. We are also running a number of community-based projects in collaboration with the municipalities of Vylkovo and Budzeak. These include improving coexistence between local people and wildlife, introducing water buffalo for natural grazing, and establishing a nature park to generate income for the community. We are now taking this work further as Rewilding Ukraine.

What would you like to see achieved in your rewilding landscape in the next five years?
We have an ambitious plan to further restore large wetlands in the Danube Delta, steppes in the wider region, and to establish Budzeak National Park in the Tarutino Steppe. I would also like to see more large herbivores introduced, especially water buffalo, red and fallow deer, and to further support nature-based economic initiatives. We hope to expand our programme of rehabilitating war veterans by involving them in rewilding projects and encouraging them to spend time in nature. I would also like to continue reintroducing kulan, deer, hamsters, and marmots in the Tarutino Steppe until populations reach sustainable levels. Above all, I want the post-war recovery of the Danube Delta to be grounded in sustainability and nature-positive principles. All of this will build on past successes and on partnerships forged over almost two decades of conservation work on the Ukrainian side of the delta.

Stories from the landscape

Our main achievements

Several lakes have been revitalised by restoring their connection with the Danube River, including Kartal, Katlabuh, and Kugurlui lakes, along with adjacent wetlands. Water flow has also been restored in the Stensivsko-Zhebriansky wetlands and on Ermakiv Island, complementing previous ecological restoration efforts on the island.
More than 500 hectares of the Tarutino Steppe - illegally ploughed eight years ago - have been restored, with further areas currently under restoration using methods developed by scientists from Askania-Nova.
Ten dams and obstacles have been removed from the Kogilnyk, Kagach, and Sarata rivers in the upper part of the Sasik Lagoon.
Various large herbivores have been reintroduced to delta landscapes to support natural grazing processes, enhance biodiversity, and reduce wildfire risk. Several delta islands, including Ermakiv, Small Tataru, and Bilhorodsky, have seen the return of water buffalo, fallow deer, red deer, and wild horses.
The steppe has witnessed the return of the kulan, which had been absent for hundreds of years. The Tarutino Steppe now hosts the last free-ranging kulan herd in Europe, as well as herds of fallow and red deer - diversifying grazing in the area.
Reintroduction programmes for steppe marmots and European hamsters are underway on the Tarutino Steppe, helping to create a healthier, wilder landscape.
From 2019 to 2024, the LIFE initiative Pelican Way of LIFE, coordinated by Rewilding Europe, worked to reduce threats to Dalmatian pelicans. In the Danube Delta, the main activities included research, monitoring, construction of nesting platforms, and public awareness and education efforts.
An eagle owl reintroduction programme is underway, with the aim of bringing back this iconic predator in the Danube Delta.

A veteran rehabilitation programme has been launched in the Ukrainian part of the delta, supporting both recovery of war veterans and local nature-based economic development.
Eco-tourism infrastructure has been developed on Ermakiv Island and on the Tarutino Steppe, including wildlife-watching tower, eco-trails, interpretive panels, and an observation hide.
The Ultima Frontiera concession has been acquired on the Romanian side of the delta, laying the foundation for further rewilding efforts and nature tourism development.
A scientific study has been conducted to assess the ability of steppes to absorb and retain carbon, highlighting their role in mitigating climate change and preventing land degradation. The research also identified the economic potential of restored steppes, creating future opportunities for local communities to participate in international carbon markets.

Several ethno-ecological festivals have been organised - including Beleu Bio Fest 2019 on the banks of Beleu Lake in Moldova and the Tarutino Steppe Festival in 2021 - showcasing local nature, culture, and rewilding efforts, while fostering community pride in natural heritage.
The team has participated in numerous external events, including the ROWMANIA Festival, Pelicam Film Festival, and a school for journalists.
The Danube Delta rewilding landscape was featured in prominent international media outlets, including National Geographic, The Guardian, and CGTN.
Public campaigns in Ukraine included "Living Rivers Are Not Only Water!" (in cooperation with WWF-Ukraine) and a fundraising campaign with 1+1 Media for natural parks, zoos, and shelters affected by hostilities.
From 2019 to 2024, multiple photo and video missions were conducted, resulting in numerous films showcasing rewilding efforts in the Danube Delta (link to YouTube Channel), including the video "Rewilding in the Danube Delta".
The Living Danube Delta education campaign built engagement in schools in Ukraine, Romania, and Moldova, immersing students in the nature of the delta and rewilding activities. Summer education camps in 2023–2024 concluded the programme, reconnecting the most active students from all three countries with nature.
A 2024 social study in the Borodino community (Ukraine), which owns the Tarutino Steppe, revealed positive local attitudes toward rewilding.
Coexistence measures introduced in Vylkove helped the community embrace the return of wildlife, particularly fallow and red deer.

Rewilding Europe supported the establishment of Rewilding Ukraine and Rewilding Romania, with partnership agreements signed to promote and implement rewilding activities on both sides of the Danube Delta.
A UN report published at COP15 recognised the Danube Delta rewilding landscape as a showcase for European nature restoration. The report aims to inspire restoration efforts by highlighting impactful, replicable initiatives.
The Budzhak Steppes National Nature Park - proposed jointly by local communities and the rewilding team - will protect 9,700 hectares of steppe landscape, including the Tarutino Steppe reserve. The proposal has been submitted to the president of Ukraine.

Image gallery

The herd of 7 water buffaloes was released on Ermakov Island in the Ukrainian Danube delta. The animals were brought from Transcarpathia by “Rewilding Ukraine” to help preserve the island’s mosaic landscapes and rich biodiversity.

Night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)

White-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)

Little egret (Egretta garzetta)

Swamp forest

Fisherman in Crisan commune, Romania

White pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus)

Dalmatian Pelican in the Ukrainian Danube Delta

Dam removal in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta in 2019.

TARUTINO STEPPE, ODESSA OBLAST, UKRAINE - JUNE 18-19, 2020: Rewilding Ukraine released herd of Transcaspian wild ass (Equus hemionus kulan) for acclimatization in quarantine zone

Marmots in the Tarutino steppe, camera trap photo

Tarutino Steppe

Fallow deer in the Tarutino Steppe, in the Danube Delta rewilding landscape

Sunken boat in Crisan commune, Romania

Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Horse wagon trip in Letea village, Romania

Guesthouse in the Danube delta rewilding area, Romania

Farm lady in Letea village, Romania

Land abandonment results in Letea village, Romania

Shop in Letea village, Romania

Oaks (Quercus robur) in Letea forest, in a strictly protected nature reserve, Romania

Primitive cattle breed, near relative to the aurochs, in Letea forest, Romania

Silk vine (Periploca graeca) in Letea forest, strictly protected nature reserve, Romania

Poplars (Populus alba/nigra) in Letea forest, Romania

Boat trip in the Danube delta rewilding area, Romania

Pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae)

ERMAKOV ISLAND, DANUBE DELTA, VYLKOVE, ODESSA OBLAST, UKRAINE - JULY 14, 2020: One year after Rewilding Europe released a herd of Wild Konik or Polish primitive horse in Danube delta of Ukraine

The herd of 7 water buffaloes was released on Ermakov Island in the Ukrainian Danube delta. The animals were brought from Transcarpathia by “Rewilding Ukraine” to help preserve the island’s mosaic landscapes and rich biodiversity.

One of the released eagle owl

Cattle in the Danube delta rewilding area, Romania

Fish catch near Sfinthu Gheorghe - Pontic shad/Danube mackerel and Chinese grass carp

Fish soup serving at Mama Sika's guesthouse in Sfintu Gheorghe, Romania

Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)

Aerial over Letea forest in the Danube Delta rewilding area in Romania.

Aerials over the Danube delta, Romania

Aerials over the Danube delta rewilding area, Romania

Aerials over the Letea forest, Romania

Aerials over Letea village, Romania

White pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus)

Aerials over the Danube delta rewilding area, Romania

Wild horses

Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) at breeding site

Eurasian roller (Coriacias garrulus) in Danube Delta rewilding area, Romania.

Beluga or European sturgeon (Huso huso), heavily fished for the female's valuable roe known as beluga caviar the beluga is a huge and late-maturing fish that can live for 118 years, but is critically endangered

White pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) gathering in a small lake of the aquatic komplex Somova-Parches, close to Somova village, Romania

Romanian bees at the manmade beehives surrounded by linden trees next to the forest Valea Fagilor close to Macin Mountains National Park

Fallow deer fighting in the Tarutino Steppe, in the Danube Delta rewilding landscape

Honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal wax cells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen

Grass snake (Natrix natrix), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, making its way on top of a carpet of water chestnut plants. It is a non-venomous snake often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians

Pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) is very similar in appearance to the closely related edible frog and marsh frog these three species are often referred to as "green frogs"

A pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) joins underwater photographer Magnus Lundgren

Sunrise over the Danube delta rewilding area, Romania

Dramatic thunderstorm coming over the Danube delta at dusk

Water boatman landed on a great pond snail, a species of large air-breathing freshwater snail in the family Lymnaeidae

A school of ruffe, also known as pope (Gymnocephalus cernua)

Narrow-clawed crayfish or Danube crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus) hiding in the weed, this is a species of crayfish imported and introduced to Central Europe in 19th century from the Caspian Sea

Blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

ERMAKOV ISLAND, DANUBE DELTA, VYLKOVE, ODESSA OBLAST, UKRAINE - JULY 14, 2020: One year after Rewilding Europe released a herd of Wild Konik or Polish primitive horse in Danube delta of Ukraine

A minute smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) in its larva stage the gills are still on the outside of the body making it look a bit like a 20 mm long dinosaur

Watching the river from the boat

Golden jackal in the Danube Delta

European pond turtle, or European pond terrapin (Emys orbicularis)

Close up of a dandelion

The herd of Konik horses shipped to the Danube Delta from Latvia earlier this year are now roaming free.

Marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) is the largest frog native to Europe and belongs to the family of true frogs

Dalmatian pelican, Danube Delta, Romania

Painter's mussel (Unio pictorum) is called so because the shell was historically used as a conveniently sized and shaped receptacle for holding artist's paint

Northern pike (Esox lucius) hiding in the shadow of waterlily leafs

A large European medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) investigating a snail shell on the bottom

Water boatman under a waterlily leaf. A water boatman is an aquatic insect that inhabit ponds and slow moving streams, where they swim near the bottom, there are about 500 known species worldwide

European white waterlilies (Nymphaea alba) in a tributary of Danube Delta, Romania

Team members

Oleg Dyakov

Rewilding Officer, Ukraine

Alexandru Ifrim

Rewilding Officer, Romania

Sebastian Ursuta

Building Engagement Manager, Romania

Valeriia Nemykina

Communications Officer, Ukraine

Oleksandr Gaidash

Field officer, Ukraine

Oleksiy Pudovkin

Consultant for animal translocation, Ukraine

Tetiana Galiutkina

Financial Manager, Ukraine

Gentilia Zenovei-Balaban

Enterprise Officer, Romania

Igor Studennikov

Fundraising Officer, Ukraine

Natalia Kulik

Accountant, Ukraine

Olena Gavran

F&A assistant, Ukraine

Octavia-Petra Părău

Administrative Officer, Romania

Board members

Rewilding Ukraine
Joseph Chernichko
Nataliya Zakorchevnaya
Igor Studennikov

Partners

Rewilding Europe works with three main partners in the Danube Delta: Rewilding Ukraine, Rewilding Romania, and Verde e Moldova in Moldova.

These local partners each have their own local partners, such as the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority and Danube Delta Research Institute (INCDDD) in Romania, as well as Danube Biosphere Reserve, Danube Delta water management department, and the Borodyno community in Ukraine, and more.

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Contact

Website: rewilding-danube-delta.com

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Explore other landscapes

Support Ukraine

Rewilding vision

What are we doing here?

Using natural dynamics as drivers of change

Wildlife comeback

Nature for people

“Danube Delta is a truly unique ecosystem”

Stories from the landscape

Future rewilders connect with the wild in the Danube Delta

Hamster comeback on the Tarutino Steppe boosted by further releases

Rewilding therapy: nature helps war veterans heal in the Danube Delta

New Rewilding Romania website to boost engagement and impact

Proactive measures enhance human-wildlife coexistence in the Danube Delta

Five more eagle owls released in the Danube Delta

Our main achievements

Image gallery

Team members

Mykhailo Nesterenko

Ioana-Cătălina Petrencu

Oleg Dyakov

Alexandru Ifrim

Sebastian Ursuta

Valeriia Nemykina

Oleksandr Gaidash

Oleksiy Pudovkin

Tetiana Galiutkina

Gentilia Zenovei-Balaban

Igor Studennikov

Natalia Kulik

Olena Gavran

Octavia-Petra Părău

Board members

Partners

Contact