The Natura 2000 Award celebrates excellent initiatives linked to Natura 2000 sites across the EU. On May 29, the European Commission held the Natura 2000 Award ceremony. The high-level Jury chose the winner for each of five different categories, and the winner of the European Citizens’ Award was chosen by the public. For more details on the event and photos, you can visit the official ceremony page here.

The Polish initiative to protect the black stork came in first for the Natura 2000 Citizens' Award, closely followed by the Belgian Wolf Fencing Team for promoting peaceful coexistence with wolves, a Natura 2000 Award finalist in the category "Working together for nature".

The Wolf Fencing Team Belgium supports livestock owners since 2019 by providing practical help in setting up appropriate fences to prevent wolf attacks on livestock as well as providing expert advice such as on fences’ maintenance. The initiative has not only directly led to reduced conflict around the wolf in Belgium but also convinced a broader European public that cast their vote for this project.