The signing of a five-year strategic partnership agreement between the two organisations signals their ongoing commitment to European nature restoration. Focusing on a number of key areas, the new cooperation will work towards tangible outcomes in support of wilder European nature.

Inviting widespread public support, the objective of the campaign is to keep the EU’s Water Framework Directive as rigorous as possible. With many EU member states failing to meet the targets of the directive, rewilding can help to improve the health of European water ecosystems and guarantee sustainable supplies of freshwater.

Complementing river restoration work in its own operational areas, Rewilding Europe will collaborate with partner organisations in this new initiative to campaign for and support the removal of dams from European waterways. In this way we can scale up river rewilding across the continent.

We are delighted to announce that the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Netherlands will continue supporting Rewilding Europe for another three-year period. This generic support will help us to deliver on our objectives, both at a central level, and in individual rewilding areas.

One year ago the European bison, the largest land mammal on our continent, returned to its old haunts in the Southern Carpathians. One year later, during a second major release event on 12 and 13 June last week, the number of animals doubled as a next step to create a viable population of free roaming bison in this Natura 2000 site.

Rewilding Europe and WWF Romania are thrilled to announce the second release of European bison to take place in the Southern Carpathians rewilding area on 12 and 13 June 2015. The herd brought into the acclimatisation area last year will be released into the wild, becoming the first bison to roam freely in the Southern Carpathians for over 200 years. In addition, a new herd of 18 European bison, originating from six different wildlife centres in Europe will arrive in Romania to be brought into the acclimatization area.

We just learned that the first little newborn bison calf in the Southern Carpathians has died, death probably caused by a horn. Unexpected and very sad news indeed.

Romania, the name of this country has always had a mythical sound in my ears. I had wanted to visit Romania and the Carpathians for many years, I so didn’t have to think too long about going there when I was asked to.

A new ministerial order in Romania spells out the criteria for identification of virgin forests – a key measure that will lead to the full protection of this important European treasure. The order was signed in September by Rovana Plumb, Romania’s Minister of Environment and Forests.

Humans have influenced beaver’s ecological history for centuries. Empires were built on beaver fur trade. Different trends in fashion almost got the species extinct at one time, and unconsciously saved it later when preference moved from fur to silk. More recently, the green revolution consciously safeguarded the species, by promulgating protection laws.