The LIFE Northern Bald Ibis project builds on earlier successes to help one of the world’s most endangered bird species return to Central Europe’s skies. Once native to the region, the Northern Bald Ibis suffered dramatic declines due to intense hunting pressure and electrocution on power lines, and is now on the brink of extinction. As a follow-up to the Reason for Hope LIFE project, the current initiative works in Austria, Italy, Germany and Switzerland to reduce bird mortality, grow the wild population and strengthen public awareness and policy support. This involves close collaboration with hunters, conservation organisations, electricity providers, farmers and policy-makers to make flyways safer, secure key habitats and embed protection of the species in relevant sectoral decisions.
In 2023, experts of Greenformation delivered the project’s baseline socio-economic and ecosystem services assessment, providing a structured picture of how local communities and stakeholders perceive the species and related conservation measures. The baseline results of the project – thanks to previous projects and ongoing efforts – already show high awareness of the Northern Bald Ibis, strong support for nature conservation projects and broad backing for stricter regulations on both hunting and electrocution risks. Local communities and representatives of the general public consider biodiversity a priority for society, and the Northern Bald Ibis an important cultural and ecological value. These elements will be re-assessed with the same data collection and evaluation protocol in 2028, allowing the project to track changes in attitudes, knowledge, tourism, cultural significance, education outcomes and wider socio-economic benefits, and to demonstrate how targeted conservation action can reinforce both ecological recovery and local well-being.
