Donald Trump has been re-elected President of the United States of America, which means that the USA is once again set to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change. There is no end in sight to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the biodiversity conference in Colombia has failed. There was hardly anything positive to report from the European Union either: The results of the European elections do not bode well for nature conservation. 2024 was not a good year for the global community and it is not easy to look to the future with optimism…
Perhaps it will help to look back on the small miracles, beautiful moments and good news that nonetheless did occur in 2024, and which show us that we can still achieve a lot for the preservation of Europe's natural heritage thanks to your support. Let us take a look back at the past year.
A belated Christmas miracle
Maja was caught in the snare trap for several days. Her survival was nothing short of a minor miracle.
When we returned from our Christmas holidays at the beginning of 2024, we were greeted by a sad story but one with a happy ending: a female brown bear had been caught in a snare trap in Albania. Thanks to the rapid rescue efforts of our Albanian partners from PPNEA and the Greek bear intervention team, the bear was rescued and tagged. Maja, as the female bear was christened, recovered quickly from the scare and provided valuable data on the territorial behaviour of brown bears for ten months until the tracking transmitter was detached from her remotely in October.
Better protection for Europe's lynx
Good news from the Silk Road: the Conference of the Parties to the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) met in Samarkand in February. There, the European lynx and its subspecies, the Balkan lynx, were added to the CMS list. In so doing, the governments of the countries committed themselves to creating the best possible conditions for the conservation of lynx populations. In the Dinarides, much has already been done for the return of the lynx. As part of the ‘LIFE Lynx’ project, the small Dinarides population was replenished with lynx from the Carpathians. This extremely successful project came to an end in spring 2024.
When the seal conservationists from the Balkans and EuroNatur convene at the annual partners’ meeting, one of the highlights is always the excursion to the seal colonies. And when this meeting takes place in Germany, seals are most likely to be observed on the Helgoländer Düne, an island of dunes that became separated in 1721 from Heligoland itself. Read our report to find out how the seal conservationists from the Balkans coped with the choppy sea and the stiff north German breeze, and how they reacted to the seals.
Disillusionment from Albania
A natural idyll on Albania's coast: It is right here that Jared Kushner wants to build his resorts.
Just one year earlier, in March 2023, there had been great joy when the Vjosa National Park was finally declared. However, the enthusiasm was quickly followed by disillusionment: the Albanian government pressed ahead with the construction of Vlora Airport last year and diverted the water of the Shushica, an important tributary of the Vjosa, in order to supply fresh water to the booming tourist resorts on the Adriatic. It was also revealed in March 2024 that Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is planning several luxury construction projects on Albania's last unspoilt stretches of coastline. Can Albania's nature still be saved?
Early summer is probably the best time to explore and experience Livanjsko Polje: Carpets of winter savory, trousers coloured yellow by pollen, incredible birdsong from early in the morning until late at night. The Polje karsts in Bosnia-Herzegovina are natural and cultural landscapes of international importance. We want to preserve their diversity and therefore support local farmers in their work. We visited them at the beginning of June.
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Disillusionment pervaded the election evening of 9 June: in the European elections, it was particularly parties campaigning for climate, biodiversity and ecological transformation that suffered significant losses, while the far right gained seats. This was not good news for nature conservation in Europe. The long-term consequences of the election can only really be predicted in the coming year.
The climate crisis and species extinction are jeopardising our livelihoods, as this year's climate-related floods in many parts of Europe have shown. Anyone who does too little to protect biodiversity and the climate against their better judgement is wilfully putting our future and security at risk.
Gabriel Schwaderer, CEO EuroNatur
Science week on the Sarantaporos
From 28 June to 5 July, more than 60 scientists and river researchers from nine countries explored the hidden life of the Sarantaporos. The Sarantaporos is an important tributary of the Aoos/Vjosa river basin which lies on both sides of the borders between Greece and Albania. In the Greek municipality of Konitsa, the researchers examined more than 50 kilometres of river for animal species of all classes. They also investigated the physical, chemical and hydromorphological characteristics of the river. The initial on-site investigations have already strengthened the basis for our calls for stricter protection of the Sarantaporos.
Frosty reindeer antlers in the middle of summer? The cool atmosphere in Felipe Menzella's highly aesthetic photo proved irresistible in this hot summer to the jury of the EuroNatur photo competition ‘European Treasures of Nature’. They had no hesitation in choosing a picture from the far north of Europe as the winner of this year's photo competition. Other fantastic shots featuring battling starlings, athletic bearded tits and puzzled-looking gnomes prove that the competition was fierce.
See all the winning pictures:
Dramatic weeks on the Una
Construction of the power plant began in July 2024, although the area is protected nationally and internationally.
The whole of Europe is on holiday! The whole of Europe? No, a dodgy Croatian businessman is taking advantage of the summer break and starting to build a small hydropower plant near the source of the River Una as secretly as possible. The Una is famous for its beautiful waterfalls and great underwater biodiversity. The consequences of building the power plant for the river would be disastrous. However, the people of the local communities have been resisting the project, supported by river conservationists from all over Europe. And with success: the construction has been halted in court!
Wolf conservation in Europe weakened
Bleak prospects for Europe's wolves: at the end of September, a majority of EU member states voted in favour of the European Commission's proposal to downgrade the protection status of wolves under the Bern Convention. This change opens the door to the shooting of wolves - and is merely a sham solution to wolf attacks on livestock.
The EU's decision will not only destabilise the still fragile wolf populations in large parts of Europe, but also undermine the significant progress made towards a low-conflict coexistence of humans and wolves. Only efficient herd protection can prevent livestock kills. Instead, the EU is focussing on symbolic but inefficient culls.
Antje Henkelmann, EuroNatur Wolf & Bear Project Manager
EuroNatur Award as a beacon for nature-friendly agriculture
Cows, whose digestive process produces a lot of methane, have a serious impact on the climate. In her successful non-fiction book ‘Die Kuh ist kein Klima-Killer!’ (The cow is not a climate killer!), Dr Anita Idel has convincingly explained that the situation is not quite so black and white. The importance of grassland and the associated sustainable and animal welfare-friendly form of agriculture has played a central role in Dr Anita Idel's more than 40 years of work. The veterinarian, agricultural expert and author was awarded the EuroNatur Prize 2024 on 10 October in recognition of her contribution.
At the end of the year, the focus was once again on our nature conservation policy work. EuroNatur is playing an important role in the accession process of the Western Balkan states to the European Union. We are critically examining how the governments of the six countries are working to protect the environment and biodiversity in this region. Importantly we drawing the EU's attention to areas and sectors where there is a need to catch up. At the end of October, we initially used the EU Enlargement Report as an opportunity to highlight existing shortcomings. On 21 November, our EU Policy Officer Viktor Berishaj then presented our own biodiversity report on the Western Balkans in the EU Parliament at the invitation of MEP Thomas Waitz (Greens). In addition to identifying deficits in selected areas of the region, the report also identifies the measures that need to be taken to effectively protect animals and landscapes.
