A herd of 20 Konik horses has just been released onto Ermakov Island in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta. Following the translocation of 23 animals to the island last year, this new group will further enhance wild nature through their grazing and aid the development of nature-based tourism.
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.
Representing the first ever translocation of Konik horses into the Danube Delta, the shipment of 23 animals travelled by road from Latvia to the Ukrainian village of Orlovka. By helping to create and maintain mosaic landscapes, their grazing will help to boost biodiversity in the Danube Delta rewilding area.
Photographer Solvin Zankl is on a photo mission for Rewilding Europe in the Oder delta, on the border between Germany and Poland. Here is his second blog from the field.
A new UN report, set to be published today at COP 15, recognises the Danube Delta rewilding landscape as a European nature restoration showcase. The report aims to accelerate nature restoration by providing examples of inspirational nature restoration initiatives and the wide-ranging benefits they are delivering.
Cinereous vultures – Europe’s largest and heaviest raptor – have been brought back to Southern Bulgaria, with 17 birds from Spain having been transported all the way to the rewilding landscape of the Rhodope Mountains.
Animals influence the carbon cycle in myriad ways. By enabling wildlife populations to recover in both number and diversity, rewilding could significantly reduce atmospheric carbon and move us beyond net zero.
For many years a network of dykes and canals have choked the life out of the Danube Delta. Rewilding efforts in the Ukrainian part of the delta are now restoring water flow, enhancing wildlife populations and benefitting local communities.
Rewilding Europe co-founder Wouter Helmer retired at the end of 2021. Over the last decade, his instrumental involvement with the initiative has given him pride, happy memories, and hope for the future.
Our recent GrazeLIFE symposium was attended by 335 participants from 38 countries. The event was the culmination of a three-year study which set out to identify best practices of grazing that benefit both nature and people, with outcomes inextricably linked to climate and biodiversity. The final report was handed over to the European Commission’s Director for Natural Capital at the Directorate-General for Environment, Humberto Delgado Rosa.
