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  • Winter Wild Oat, Avena ludoviciana, and Escher’s Blue butterfly, Polyommatus escheri.<br />
Stenje region,  Lake Macro Prespa (850m) <br />
Galicica National Park, Macedonia, June 2009<br />
Mission: Macedonia, Lake Macro Prespa /  Lake Ohrid, Transnational Park<br />
David Maitland / Wild Wonders of Europe
    DMA 20090705 140033 Wild_oat.jpg
  • Arctic fox<br />
Alopex lagopus<br />
NORWAY / SVALBARD<br />
The Arctic fox comes in two colour schemes<br />
– light grey and bluish-black. It is an opportunist<br />
that eats almost anything, but when it has a<br />
choice, it specialises in small rodents and birds.<br />
It is a common animal on Greenland, Iceland,<br />
Svalbard and in the Russian Arctic.<br />
In Finland and Scandinavia, it was driven close<br />
to extinction by being hunted and trapped for its<br />
valuable fur. Despite over 75 years of protection,<br />
the mainland Scandinavian population still<br />
remains on the brink of extinction, with only<br />
some 200 adult individuals left in the wild. Supplementary<br />
feeding programmes during winter, and<br />
reintroductions from captive breeding facilities<br />
finally seem to be having some real success. <br />
In 2011 no less than 700 pups were born in the wild.<br />
Nature conservation works!<br />
This is one of the species that Rewilding Europe wants considers <br />
to help reintroduce and restock in the huge Greater Laponia region in Sweden and Norway.<br />
<br />
Photo: Mireille de la Lez / Wild Wonders of Europe
    MLL-2008-07-30-4574-Outdoor.jpg
  • Arctic fox<br />
Alopex lagopus<br />
NORWAY / SVALBARD<br />
The Arctic fox comes in two colour schemes<br />
– light grey and bluish-black. It is an opportunist<br />
that eats almost anything, but when it has a<br />
choice, it specialises in small rodents and birds.<br />
It is a common animal on Greenland, Iceland,<br />
Svalbard and in the Russian Arctic.<br />
In Finland and Scandinavia, it was driven close<br />
to extinction by being hunted and trapped for its<br />
valuable fur. Despite over 75 years of protection,<br />
the mainland Scandinavian population still<br />
remains on the brink of extinction, with only<br />
some 200 adult individuals left in the wild. Supplementary<br />
feeding programmes during winter, and<br />
reintroductions from captive breeding facilities<br />
finally seem to be having some real success. <br />
In 2011 no less than 700 pups were born in the wild.<br />
Nature conservation works!<br />
This is one of the species that Rewilding Europe wants considers <br />
to help reintroduce and restock in the huge Greater Laponia region in Sweden and Norway.<br />
<br />
Photo: Mireille de la Lez / Wild Wonders of Europe
    MLL-2008-07-30-4574-Outdoor.jpg
  • Steindor Kristinn Jonsson (pilot), Mark Carwardine (photographer) and Heimir Hardarson (whale spotter) with plane used for Wild Wonders of Europe mission, Husavik, northern Iceland
    MCA-2009-07-02-071842.jpg
  • Volcanic landscape south-east of Lake Myvatn, northern Iceland - aerial
    MCA-2009-07-01-115724.jpg
  • European Pond Terrapin (Emys orbicularis) and Balkan Terrapin (Mauremys rivulata) in the ruins of the ancient city of Butrint, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-24-121136.jpg
  • The ancient city of Butrint, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-23-184629.jpg
  • Drive the flock of sheep out in the morning. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-10-055247.jpg
  • Farmer women drive the flock of sheep home in the evening. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-09-190647.jpg
  • Volcanic landscape south-east of Lake Myvatn, northern Iceland - aerial
    MCA-2009-07-01-124548.jpg
  • Volcanic landscape south-east of Lake Myvatn, northern Iceland - aerial
    MCA-2009-07-01-124512.jpg
  • Volcanic landscape south-east of Lake Myvatn, northern Iceland - aerial
    MCA-2009-07-01-124501.jpg
  • Aerial view of mountainous terrain between Akureryi and Husavik, northern Iceland
    MCA-2009-07-01-112226.jpg
  • Aerial view of mountainous terrain between Akureryi and Husavik, northern Iceland
    MCA-2009-07-01-112031.jpg
  • Grimsey - northernmost point of Iceland (split in two by Arctic Circle) - aerial
    MCA-2009-06-29-024408.jpg
  • The remote village of Thethi. Thethi National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-07-02-182131.jpg
  • The city of Vlora. Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-26-153404.jpg
  • Morning-light over the old city of Gjirokastra. Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-20-060647.jpg
  • In the flock of sheep. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-10-190911.jpg
  • Bringing the flock of sheep home in the evening. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-10-190839.jpg
  • Bringing the flock of sheep home in the evening. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-10-190411.jpg
  • Working farmer on the shore of Lake Prespa. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-10-065010.jpg
  • Drive the flock of sheep home in the evening. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-09-190711.jpg
  • Volcanic landscape south-east of Lake Myvatn, northern Iceland - aerial
    MCA-2009-07-01-124937.jpg
  • Volcanic landscape south-east of Lake Myvatn, northern Iceland - aerial
    MCA-2009-07-01-115624.jpg
  • Aerial view of mountainous terrain between Akureryi and Husavik, northern Iceland
    MCA-2009-07-01-111939.jpg
  • Portrait of photographer Anders Geidemark
    AGE-2009-07-07-151540.jpg
  • The ancient city of Butrint, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-23-184909.jpg
  • Driving the flock of sheep out in the morning. Lesser Lake Prespa, Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-12-063323.jpg
  • Driving the flock of sheep home in the evening. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-10-191341.jpg
  • Drive the flock of sheep home in the evening. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-09-190738.jpg
  • Grimsey - northernmost point of Iceland (split in two by Arctic Circle) - aerial
    MCA-2009-06-29-033111.jpg
  • A field of poppy (Papaver rhoeas). Lesser Lake Prespa, Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-12 093618.jpg
  • Drive the flock of cows out in the morning. Lake Prespa National Park, Albania June 2009
    AGE-2009-06-10-062521.jpg
  • Grasslands of Halicz, Bieszczady National Park, Poland
    GLE_2010-07-12_124.jpg
  • Flock of Mediterranean Gulls (Larus melanocephalus) flying over reeds on Bagerova Steppe, Kerch Peninsula, Crimea, Ukraine
    GLE_2009-07-17_1878.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-04-075337.jpg
  • Mountain impression at base of Paternkofel - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-03-155143.jpg
  • Mountain impression south of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Forenoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-04-090414.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-04-081130.jpg
  • Mountain impression at base of Paternkofel - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-03-183504.jpg
  • Mountain impression west of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-02-192253.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-02-091136.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-02-090547.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-02-085407.jpg
  • Flock of Mediterranean and Yellow-legged Gulls resting on a salt lake at Bagerova steppe
    GLE_2009-07-17_1911.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-03-111555.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-03-101544.jpg
  • Mountain impression west of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-02-172832.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-02-093111.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-02-090352.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-04-092146.jpg
  • Mountain impression at base of Paternkofel - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-03-183623.jpg
  • Mountain impression southwest of Tre Cime - Europe, Italy, South Tyrol, Sexten Dolomites, Tre Cime - Afternoon - July 2009 - Mission Dolomites Tre Cime
    FKR-2009-07-03-113412.jpg
  • Wild boars (Sus scrofa) in early fog feeding on swamp plants during low water tide in flood plains of the Danube, Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, Serbia
    RSM-20090619-052638.jpg
  • Wild boars (Sus scrofa) in early fog feeding on swamp plants during low water tide in flood plains of the Danube, Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, Serbia
    RSM-20090619-052638A.jpg
  • Wild boars (Sus scrofa) in early fog feeding on swamp plants during low water tide in flood plains of the Danube, Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, Serbia
    RSM-20090619-052459.jpg
  • Wild boars (Sus scrofa) in early fog feeding on swamp plants during low water tide in flood plains of the Danube, Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, Serbia
    RSM-20090619-052639.jpg
  • Wild boars (Sus scrofa) in early fog feeding on swamp plants during low water tide in flood plains of the Danube, Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, Serbia
    RSM-20090619-052502.jpg
  • Wild carrot (Daucus carota subsp. carota) with Common red soldier beetle ( Rhagonycha fulva), Denmark
    SBA_09-07-13_170953.jpg
  • Wild carrot (Daucus carota subsp. carota) with Common red soldier beetle ( Rhagonycha fulva), Denmark
    SBA_09-07-13_170816.jpg
  • Wild carrot (Daucus carota subsp. carota), Denmark
    SBA_09-07-13_170608.jpg
  • Wild boars (Sus scrofa) crossing swamp, Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, Serbia
    RSM-20090617-193801.jpg
  • Wild boars (Sus scrofa) in early fog feeding on swamp plants during low water tide in flood plains of the Danube, Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, Serbia
    RSM-20090619-052843 LARGE.jpg
  • Seeds of Meadow Salsify (Tragopogon pratensis), Denmark
    SBA_09-07-13_174744.jpg
  • Raven (Corvus corax) against sky Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
    PHE-2009-06-08-195703.jpg
  • Ship in front of Aran Islands, Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
    PHE-2009-06-08-214617.jpg
  • Ireland western coast Burren region Cliffs of Moher limestone landscape
    PHE-2009-06-08-185424.jpg
  • Raven (Corvus corax) Cliffs of Moher Ireland
    PHE-2009-06-09-075456.jpg
  • Cliffs of Moher Burren region Ireland
    PHE-2009-06-08-202433.jpg
  • Reflection of chalk cliff in water at Gråryg Fald - Møns Klint, Denmark
    SBA_09-07-14_062125.jpg
  • Reflection of chalk cliff in water at Gråryg Fald - Møns Klint, Denmark
    SBA_09-07-14_063110.jpg
  • Raven (Corvus corax) Ireland western coast Burren region Cliffs of Moher
    PHE-2009-06-08-203239.jpg
  • Cliffs of Moher Burren Ireland
    PHE-2009-06-08-190254.jpg
  • Reflection of chalk cliff in water at Gråryg Fald - Møns Klint, Denmark
    SBA_09-07-14_062123.jpg
  • Seeds of Meadow Salsify (Tragopogon pratensis), Denmark
    SBA_09-07-13_174744.jpg
  • Birds of prey  centre Aillwee Burren Ireland
    PHE-2009-06-09-121339.jpg
  • Cliffs of Moher Burren, Ireland
    PHE-2009-06-08-195943.jpg
  • Cork oak mosaique landscape PORTUGAL/FAIA BRAVA NATURE RESERVE, CÔA VALLEY, DOURO The Faia Brava reserve is part of the greater Côa valley and one of the wildest areas in Portugal. Here the traditional small-scale agriculture and shepherd life is rapidly disappearing and lands are becoming abandoned. In 2011, Portugal had some 2 million hectares of abandoned farmland, and across the EU each year another million hectares of low-yield farm and pasture lands are being abandoned. This has many reasons, but mainly it seems to be because young Europeans simply don’t want to be goatherds, shepherds or subsistence farmers any more, instead preferring the more comfortable life in a town or a city. The old farm and pasture lands now rapidly turn into dense bush, and a lot of species disappear that are connected to the open landscapes. The risk for devastating forest fires also increases a lot with much more dry bush matter available in the landscape. The Rewilding Europe initiative is about trying to turn these problems into opportunities instead. Can we use nature in new ways, that might be even more respectful to nature itself and at the same time more profitable for man? Especially since several of the traditional ways most obviously are not working anymore in quite large areas of Europe. The Faia Brava nature reserve is part of the Rewilding Europe initiative and it is owned and run by Associação Transumância e Natureza (ATN). The Côa valley is the largest outdoor rock carving site in Europe, with carvings dating from 35,000 years ago up to present. The main theme of these carvings is very clear: aurochs, wild horses, ibex and red deer. All of them extinct today in the area, but also all on the list for reintroduction through the Rewilding Europe initiative. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2011-05-12-210830 outdoor.jpg
  • Panorpa communis<br />
<br />
IFTE-NB-007821; Niall Benvie; Panorpa communis; scorpion fly; Europe; Austria; Tirol; Fliesser Sonnenhänge; insect invertebrate arthropod; vertical; high key; black white; controlled; adult; one; upland grasssland meadow woodland edge; 2008; July; summer; strobe backlight; Wild Wonders of Europe Naturpark Kaunergrat
    NBE-2008-07-05-007821.jpg
  • Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica SPAIN/PEÑA DE FRANCIA MONASTERY, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN The Iberian ibex are rare and shy all across the Sierra de Francia mountain chain, but suddenly, when you reach the lands of the Monastery of Peña de Francia, they are instead very numerous and very tame. Why is that? Because here they are not hunted. Which also means that what you see here is probably the normal, natural numbers of ibex, and that means hundreds. It also shows that wild animals quickly learn where they are not hunted and then can become much more relaxed in their relation with humans. Hunted to near-extinction, the Iberian ibex is now returning in strong numbers and slowly spreading, all due to strictly enforced protection measures. The ibex population in Spain has increased from fewer than 5,000 individuals in 1980, to an estimated 50–60,000 today. A major conservation success! The first Iberian ibex are now also returning to Portugal, where the local subspecies was wiped out as recently as the year 2000. Many areas in Portugal and Spain are still waiting for reintroductions to speed up that recovery – among them Rewilding Europe’s focus areas Sierra de Gata and Campanarios de Azába in Spain, together with Faia Brava and the Côa Valley in Portugal. The ibex was once one of the most important browsers and grazers all across Southern and Alpine Europe, living comfortably from sea level all the way up to the highest Alps, filling an ecological niche which for the last 5,000 years has been occupied by the domestic sheep. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2011-05-17-135821 outdoor.jpg
  • Spanish fighting bull Bos primigenius taurus SPAIN/CIUDAD RODRIGO, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN The Eurasian aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius) is the ancestor of every cow and bull on our planet today, but it was unfortunately hunted to extinction in 1627, when the last one died in Poland. The Aurochs were the heaviest land mammals of our continent, and they used to move around in herds, possibly of up to thousands of animals, a bit like the African buffaloes still do today in parts of Africa. Several cattle breeds in Europe still have quite a lot of genes remaining from the Aurochs, which makes them look similar to the Aurochs pictured by artists 15-20,000 years ago in the cave paintings from the Lascaux caves in France, the Altamira caves in Spain, and the rock carvings from the Coa valley in Portugal. The Aurochs bull was dark with a whitish muzzle, often with a brownish mantle, long, lyre-shaped, forward-pointing horns, a straight back and a distinct shoulder hump.The lack of grazing aurochs in the European wilderness ecosystems is one of the missing links of our natural heritage. Rewilding Europe therefore supports the ”Tauros Project” which has the aim to re-create the aurochs, using cattle races like the Maremmana, the Pajuna, the Podolica, the Sayaguesa and a few others, and then let it live like a wild species again. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2011-05-08-212136_02.outdoor.jpg
  • Nature Photographer Konrad Wothe at work for Wild Wonders of Europe in Slovakia, Naturfotograf Konrad Wothe bei der Arbeit für Wild Wonders of Europe in der Slowakei
    KWO-2009-05-28-103240.jpg
  • Nature Photographer Konrad Wothe at work for Wild Wonders of Europe in Slovakia, Naturfotograf Konrad Wothe bei der Arbeit für Wild Wonders of Europe in der Slowakei
    KWO-2009-05-28-103450.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, and Black vulture, Aegypius monachus,  SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-112944.jpg
  • Black vulture, Aegypius monachus,  SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-112000.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-112843crop.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-112838.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-112646 (1).jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-112843.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, and Black vulture, Aegypius monachus,  SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-112354.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-110925.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-110153.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, and Black vulture, Aegypius monachus,  SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-112953.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-112645.jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, and Black vulture, Aegypius monachus,  SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-111320 (1).jpg
  • Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, SPAIN/CAMPANARIOS DE AZÁBA RESERVE, SALAMANCA PROVINCE, CASTILLA Y LEÓN Vulture watching has become increasingly popular and can now be done at several sites in Spain and Portugal, where you can see these amazing birds up close from purpose-built hides. This photo is from a hide in the Campanarios de Azába reserve, run by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative. For the first time in European history, live, wild vultures can be worth serious money for the land owners.The comeback of the griffon vulture in Spain is a great conservation success story – from 7,000 pairs in 1980 to approx. 18,000 in 2009. Griffons now breed in 16 European countries and have recently been seen in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  But it’s not all good news. Each year, around 1,000 vultures are killed in Spain as a result of collisions with poorly placed wind turbines. EU veterinary regulations also mean that fewer dead domestic animals are left out in the open, and this has spelled disaster for all four European vulture species. Particularly in Greece and the Balkans, vultures still also fall victim to some shepherds bad old habit of poisoning carcasses to kill wolves – inevitably, all other scavengers then die off too. Photo: Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of Europe
    SWD-2012-06-30-110651crop.jpg
  • IFTE-NB-007347; Niall Benvie; Common spotted orchid; Austria; Dactylorhiza; fuchsii; Europ; Tirol; Fliesser Sonnenhänge; vegetation flowering plant; vertical; high key; white purple; wild; two; grassland meadow woodland edge; 2008; July; summer; strobe backlight; Wild Wonders of Europe Naturpark Kaunergrat
    NBE-2008-07-05-007347.jpg
  • IFTE-NB-007335; Niall Benvie; Common spotted orchid; Austria; Dactylorhiza; fuchsii; Europ; Tirol; Fliesser Sonnenhänge; vegetation flowering plant; vertical; high key; white purple; wild; grassland meadow woodland edge; 2008; July; summer; strobe backlight; Wild Wonders of Europe Naturpark Kaunergrat
    NBE-2008-07-05-007335.jpg
  • IFTE-NB-007741; Niall Benvie; Traveller’s joy; wild clematis; Clematis; vitalba; Europe; Austria; Tirol; Fliesser Sonnenhänge; vegetation flowering plant climber woody; vertical; high key; yellow white green; wild; hedgerow woodland forest edge; 2008; July; summer; strobe backlight; Wild Wonders of Europe Naturpark Kaunergrat
    NBE-2008-07-05-007741.jpg
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