Selected from a shortlist of 25 finalists, out of 75 applications, the six winners include projects from Hungary, Spain, Estonia, Greece, Portugal and cross border projects from Bulgaria, Greece, and United Kingdom.

Announcing the winners at the Ceremony in the Berlaymont building in Brussels, Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella said: “I am once again honoured to recognise the people behind the projects we are awarding today, who are working tirelessly to preserve our common natural heritage and support Europe’s exceptional biodiversity. This year as part of the EU Citizens’ Award, over 50 000 people voted for their favourite project to win, which shows how much nature matters to Europeans. Today's celebration of Europe-wide efforts to promote biodiversity will continue with the official EU Natura 2000 day on 21 May.”

The Ceremony was a vibrant event, with around 170 participants including representatives of all the finalists, jury members, evaluators, members of the press, EC representatives, EU-wide environmental NGOs, national/regional environmental NGOs, institutes and universities, and representatives of the EU Member States and Regions. 

If you missed the event, you can still watch the video and look at the photographs, also available on the award website.

And the winners are …

Six winners were chosen: five for each of the categories and one Citizens’ Award winner chosen through a public vote.

The Conservation Award went to the Partnership to stop the poisoning of imperial eagles led by MME/BirdLife Hungary. Actions were carried out across 20 Hungarian Natura 2000 sites and surrounding habitats to track down illegal activities, record mortalities, guard nests and bring conservationists, hunters, police and veterinarians together in the fight against illegal crime. Since the project started, the number of cases of poisoning has decreased substantially and in the last two years of the project the breeding population increased by 36%.

The Communication Award went to Natura 2000: Connecting people with biodiversity carried out by SEO/BirdLife and the news agency, Agencia EFE, for their efforts to reach out to people in Spain through documentaries, workshops, news reports and information dissemination in 50 hypermarkets. This resulted in an increase in the number of people recognising the term Natura 2000 from 10% to 22% in Spain, with 90% of those knowing of Natura 2000 also choosing to visit Natura 2000 sites.

The Socio-Economic Benefits Award went to LIFE to alvars: restoration and grazing reintroduction for 2500 hectares of Estonian alvar grassland. The project, managed by the Environmental Board of Estonia and partners, has succeeded in restoring alvar grasslands in 19 Natura 2000 sites in close cooperation with over 600 landowners and local farmers and introduced a dedicated agri-environment scheme. The project helped farmers create additional revenue by finding uses for the timber harvested during the restoration actions and by marketing the meat and wool derived from the extensive grazing activities.

The Reconciling Interests/Perception Award went to Co-existing with bears in the 21st century: Difficulties and achievements. The project, carried out by the NGO CALLISTO in the district of Kastoria, Greece, an important corridor for the brown bear between Greece and the Western Balkans, resulted in drastically reducing bear fatalities and increasing the local community's acceptance of the species. To reduce conflicts between humans and bears, measures were taken to prevent collisions between bears and vehicles on a newly-built motorway, establish a network of guard dog owners, and install ‘bear-proof’ waste-bins and electric fences to protect beehives and orchards.

The Cross-border Cooperation and Networking Award went to Joint conservation efforts across three continents to save the sacred bird. The partnership between BirdLife members in Greece, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom and WWF Greece, trained 178 custom officers in Greece and Bulgaria to control the illegal trade in Egyptian vultures. They also helped farmers in Bulgaria to manage pastures for the benefit of the species and insulated over 400 electricity pylons in Greece and Bulgaria. A network of experts from 26 countries was created and International Species action plan was developed for the conservation of the Egyptian vulture along its flyway.

This year, the European Citizens’ Award went to the School of Nature in Portugal. developed by the Centre of Environmental Monitoring and Interpretation of Viana do Castelo Town Hall. In order to bring local schoolchildren closer to their unique natural heritage in Natura 2000, the project organises field trips for pupils to learn about nature first hand and training courses for teachers on sustainability and nature conservation. Over 20 000 people have already benefited from the communication programme.

Two new EU Guides on hydropower, energy transmission infrastructure and Natura 2000

As part of the "EU Action plan for nature, people and the economy" the European Commission has issued two guidance documents on energy transmission infrastructure and on hydropower.

The documents: Energy transmission infrastructure and EU nature policy and The requirements for hydropower in relation to EU Nature legislation, are designed to explain the steps that need to be taken under EU nature legislation to ensure that all energy plans and projects are carried out in a way that safeguards Natura 2000 sites and EU protected species. They aim to improve the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives on the ground while ensuring a safe, sustainable and affordable energy supply across Europe.

New EU Species Action Plans adopted for 16 bird species

On the 24 May a conference was held to present the final action plans that have been developed under the LIFE EuroSAP project for 16 threatened bird species in Europe.

LIFE EuroSAP has been studying the birds’ entire life-cycle, migratory routes and threats in order to define better-adapted conservation actions.  The 16 new Action Plans were adopted by the European Commission and Member States at the Habitats Committee meeting on the 23^rd May. They mark the beginning of a new era for bird conservation in Europe.

European Natura 2000 Day

In May over 140 local events took place across Europe to celebrate the EU Natura 2000 day. From art exhibitions, guided walks, games for kids and others, to dedicated workshops and seminars, many people had the opportunity to find out more about Natura 2000, discover nature close to them and learn about the important role it plays for our lives, economy and well-being.

Last year, the European Commission together with the European Parliament, the Council Presidency and the Committee of the Regions, declared the 21 May as the European Natura 2000 day. The day is an occasion to celebrate the tremendous achievements of EU nature legislation and encourage the general public to visit a Natura 2000 site near them in order to discover more about Natura 2000.

To explore the EU Natura 2000 day events use the #Natura2000Day or visit the dedicated Natura 2000 day website.