Bonn, 18 November 2020 - A new five-year flyway project ‘Providing a climate resilient network of critical sites for the Lesser White-fronted Goose in Europe’ (LIFE19 NAT/LT/000898) has received final approval under the EU LIFE funding mechanism, and is expected to provide a considerable boost to the implementation of coordinated conservation action for this globally threatened species.

The overall project aim is to contribute to the internationally agreed long-term goal of restoring the Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose population to a favourable conservation status as outlined in the AEWA International Single Species Action Plan for the species, by delivering a 5% annual average population increase.

Led by the Lithuanian Ornithological Society (Birdlife Lithuania) the project partnership consists of nine partner organizations from five countries (Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary and Lithuania), including the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat and is scheduled to run until the end of August 2025.

With a total approved budget of over 5.6 million euros, the main project activities will focus on providing a climate resilient network of critical sites for the Lesser White-fronted Goose in Europe by maintaining and improving the network of suitable staging and wintering sites of the Fennoscandian population through habitat restoration and integration of climate change adaptation measures into site management. Actions will also include the identification of new sites, enhancing identification and monitoring capacity throughout the flyway as well as wide-scale networking efforts both locally and beyond the EU.

The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat will, in particular, be facilitating the production of a climate change vulnerability assessment of critical Lesser White-fronted Goose sites, to be followed by the adoption of adaptation guidance including the development of national and site-level climate change adaptation plans under the auspices of the AEWA Lesser White-fronted Goose International Working Group. 

Participating range states will be delivering on their obligations under AEWA and the EU Birds Directive as well as contributing directly to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. 

In addition to funding provided by the EU LIFE Programme, the project is co-financed by the Norwegian Environmental Agency, the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture, the Lithuanian Ministry of Environment as well as each of the project partners. 

For more information, please contact AEWA Programme Management Officer Ms. Nina Mikander or see the European Commission press release on the approved 2019 LIFE projects.