📋 Tender Overview
Start Date: 01/10/2021
End Date: 31/12/2026
Total Budget: 2,448,489 €
EU Contribution: 1,833,239 €
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Saker falcon (Falco cherrug) was uplisted by the IUCN to globally ‘Endangered’ in 2012 due to an evaluated decline of around 50% in its global population within the last 20 years. In Europe, the species has declined markedly since 1945, its historical range becoming severely reduced and fragmented. In Bulgaria, the Saker falcon was widespread during the 20th century, but a considerable decline was recorded in the 1950s. Since 2010, only a few occupied territories have been reported and only one nest found (representing a 90% decline over the last 40 years). In Romania, the species has also declined significantly during the 20th century. Following the implementation of the cross-border project LIFE09 NAT/HU/000384, a minimum of 23 breeding pairs were located in the last 5 years. At least 5 nests are known to exist in Romanian/Bulgarian border regions.
OBJECTIVES
The overarching goal of the LIFE for Falcons project is to enable the recovery of the endangered Saker falcon’s population in Bulgaria and southern Romania, in line with the International Species Action Plan. By implementing a series of proven best practices, the project will provide safe dispersal areas, stopover sites, wintering grounds, and potential breeding territories with suitable habitats for individuals from the larger population in the Carpathian basin in Hungary and Slovakia that frequently visit Bulgaria and Romania.
