In July 2020, three young owls born earlier this year at the Odessa Zoo were released in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta into the Danube Biosphere Reserve. This was the second phase of the owl reintroduction program to the Danube Delta, lead by Rewilding Ukraine together with partners. Two birds were tagged by GPS transmitters, to track how they would move around the delta.

At the end of May, a field expedition organized by Rewilding Ukraine to conduct scientific counts of the Dalmatian pelican and a photo mission took place in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta, as part of the “Pelican Way of LIFE” project. The counts were conducted by Maxim Yakovlev, an ornithologist at the Danube Biosphere Reserve, who has been photographing nature and the inhabitants of this picturesque region for more than 15 years. He was assisted by zoologist Alexander Gaidash.

Mykhailo Nesterenko, a biologist and leader of the rewilding team in Ukraine, explains what rewilding is, what this new approach can give to the nature and people of the Danube Delta, and what challenges and hopes the Ukrainian team faces. He also shares some of his own background and what rewilding means for him personally.

Supporting wildlife comeback is a core element of our work at Rewilding Europe. The story of how wild animals are returning across Europe, spontaneously or with human help, will soon captivate millions of television viewers around the world. The new six-part documentary series called “Europe’s New Wild” will begin a global rollout in early September.

An ongoing eagle owl reintroduction programme has just seen three juvenile birds released in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta. As part of scaled-up rewilding efforts in the delta, the programme should boost trophic complexity and reestablish a viable local population of the species.

As part of a vision for a wilder Danube Delta, a herd of 20 kulan were translocated yesterday to the Tarutino Steppe in Ukraine. Their eventual release into the wild will enhance biodiversity, reduce wildfire risk and boost nature-based tourism.

Ongoing measures to reconnect Lake Kartal with neighbouring lakes and the River Danube are seeing wildlife populations rebound and driving the development of the local economy.

A message from Rewilding Europe’s Managing Director Frans Schepers on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and our relationship with nature.

Olivia-Petra Coman is a traveler and writer from Romania with a great passion for the outdoors and animals. She tells the story of paddling the last spring together with her boyfriend across the Ukrainian and Romanian parts of the Danube Delta, a story about chasing pelicans, recalling traditions, and connecting the two lands.

At the end of the year, our team wants to summarize the work in 2019 and thank all partners and supporters – together we made this year exciting, productive and set a basis for further rewilding and restoration of the Danube Delta. Here are TOP 5 joint successes of 2019.