The conservation of Europe's birdlife has been an EU policy priority since the 1970s (the Birds Directive was first enacted in 1979, in fact). Since the establishment of the LIFE programme in 1992, which replaced the earlier ACNAT funding mechanism, EU-level support for endangered bird species and their habitats has focused on targeted practical conservation, restoration and management actions in Natura 2000 network sites throughout the Union. The objective of this publication is to highlight some specific examples of habitat management for birds funded by LIFE. Examples cover a range of different habitats (principally wetlands, grasslands and forests), species and bio-geographical regions across the EU. Given the importance of sites all along the routes of migratory birds, there are also examples of how LIFE co-funding has been used for transnational cooperation projects managing habitats in multiple locations, as well as to track species to wintering spots in Africa and elsewhere in the EU. This will allow the development of a more integrated approach to conservation in future. What is clear from reading the publication is that, whilst much has already been achieved in terms of implementing those cornerstones of EU nature conservation policy, the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive, we are now entering a new phase in which the goal is moving from designating and establishing Natura 2000 network sites to establishing mechanisms by which long-term management of the habitats and species found in those sites can be guaranteed. For many of Europe's most endangered bird species, such as the aquatic warbler, without repeated human intervention (e.g. regular mowing and grazing) their preferred habitats would soon become over grown and uninhabitable. LIFE Nature & Biodiversity has repeatedly shown that it is possible to engage the support of farmers, land managers and landowners to implement farming methods that also benefit the habitats in which Europe's threatened bird populations thrive. As this publication shows, lessons from the current funding period (2007-2013) can be taken forward by the LIFE programme during 2014-2020. They can also be used to inform the design of agri-environmental schemes that will provide farmers with the financial security necessary to persuade them to manage land in ways that also support rare birdlife and other endangered species and habitats.
