Highlights in 2022

What did we achieve together in 2022 for the protection of nature in Europe?

EuroNatur staff and project partners as part of our international network present their personal highlights.

The governments of several Balkan states have withdrawn concessions for small hydropower plants. In doing so, those in charge are taking a stance against this destructive and inefficient form of energy generation. Moreover, the moratoria on new concessions in North Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina are encouraging for the entire region.

Dr. Amelie Huber, Project Manager Freshwater at EuroNatur

The ecological disaster on the Oder River was a dramatic wake-up call. The fact that we, together with our German and Polish partners, filed a complaint with the European Commission against the plans for major river modification works on the Polish side of the Oder sent a strong signal for cross-border river protection. Polish and German conservationists agree that the Oder River must now be allowed to recover.

Annette Spangenberg, Head of Nature Conservation at EuroNatur

The reintroduction of Eurasian black vultures in the Balkan Mountains is a wonderful success. These birds play an important role in the ecological network. Seeing these huge raptors circling above the mountains never ceases to fascinate me. But the icing on the cake is the fact that reintroduced black vultures are already breeding in the wild. I feel confident about their future, including beyond the project’s conclusion.

Hristo Peshev, FWFF, EuroNatur partner in Bulgaria

We received more than 30 applications for small-project grants in Livanjsko Polje, mainly from young people. This not only confirms that local people are paying attention to our work, but also that they trust us. More and more young people prefer to stay in their native home. This gives us hope for the future of Livanjsko Polje and other karst poljes in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The local community is behind the designation of Munella as a nature park. I’m delighted about that, especially as I myself am from that region and have been involved in the protection of the Balkan lynx for many years. It is very encouraging to see that not only we conservationists, but also the local people wish to preserve Munella‘s biodiversity for future generations.

To introduce our own cross-organisational mentoring programme seemed like an almost impossible task at fi rst. But we rose to the challenge and brought together many wonderful, committed people who are now working together on their personal development, even beyond the programme. They are becoming increasingly stronger as individuals to tackle the challenging work in nature conservation.

Leonie Kraut, Head of Administration at EuroNatur