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Activities

Protection of the Eurasian Curlew

A program to protect the Curlew in Poland was initiated in 2013 by the Wildlife Society “Stork”. In the following years, more individuals joined the program, who are not indifferent to the fate of this endangered species: The Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) in Poznań, the Polish Society for Bird Protection (PTOP), Biebrza National Park and the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) in Warsaw. As of 2024, the five partners are jointly implementing a single nationwide project to protect the Eurasian Curlew, co-financed by the European Commission from the LIFE Fund and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. Conservation efforts cover 14 of the species’ most important refuges, where more than 75% of the national population nests. 

Project objectives

The main goal of the project is to stabilize the Polish population of the Eurasian Curlew and restore it in the long term. Specific objectives include:

  • Improving the habitat quality of the Eurasian Curlew,
  • Increasing the productivity of the Eurasian Curlew population by reducing breeding losses caused by agrotechnical operations and predators,
  • Increasing the efficiency of the species management system,
  • Verification of the effectiveness of the protective measures taken,
  • Increase social knowledge of the Eurasian Curlew, especially among farmers
  • Increasing expert knowledge of the species.

Tasks of the project

  • Habitat utilization in accordance with the requirements of the great curlew, including through the execution and implementation of agri-environmental plans.
  • Acquisition of land crucial to the protection of Curlew habitats.
  • Restoration of open areas through initial mowing and clearing of individual trees and shrubs that provide perches for birds of prey and habitats for predatory mammals.
  • Shaping feeding grounds — creating shallow ponds.
  • Improving water conditions through the construction of damming facilities.
  • Actively protecting Eurasian Curlew nests with portable electric fences and delaying mowing dates.
  • Collection of eggs from endangered nests and artificial incubation and aviary rearing of young Curlews.
  • Reducing the number of predatory mammals.
  • Development of a Eurasian Curlew habitat coverage layer for the national agro-environmental-climate program.
  • Verification and updating of the provisions of conservation task plans for Natura 2000 areas in which the Eurasian Curlew is a subject of protection.
  • Updating the National Conservation Program for the Eurasian Curlew.
  • Monitoring the nesting and breeding success of the Eurasian Curlew and monitoring the survival rate of aviary-bred birds.
  • Hydrological monitoring.
  • Monitoring predation pressure.
  • Organization of community activation events.
  • Education, project promotion, exchange of experience domestically and internationally.