Breakthrough agreement for Europe’s most threatened wildlife

21/11/2007 00:00:00 March 2007. Negotiators in Brussels announced a breakthrough agreement for a new €785 million scheme aimed at saving Europe’s most threatened wildlife. The fund aims to restore and protect mammal species which might include Brown Bear and European Bison, majestic birds such as the Lammergeier or the Gyrfalcon. It will also help less obvious gems of nature like tiny mosses and liverworts, fishes, snakes and beautiful endemic flowers.

Europe’s richest habitats are also in line for help. Mediterranean salt steppes, and exotic-sounding Sub-Pannonic steppic grasslands, deciduous swamp woods in Scandinavia, Endemic macronesian heaths on the Atlantic islands, Caledonian forest, and the Irish Machair are to be priorities for funding.

A particular target for the money will be to fund the extension of protected areas into our seas. These would safeguard marine wildlife such as cold water coral reefs and rich meadows of Neptune grass that act as nurseries for fish.