Official project title: BalkanDetox LIFE Project (LIFE19 GIE/NL/001016)
Duration: 10/01/2020 – 09/30/2025
Funding programme: Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE)
Co-funding organizations to FWFF: Whitley Fund for Nature and Vulture Conservation Foundation
Project budget: €1.856.936
FWFF budget: € 103.771,76
Project website: https://balkandetoxlife.eu/sq/project/overview/
Partners: Vulture Conservation Foundation as the coordinating beneficiary, and the Albanian Ornithological Society, Association BIOM, Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia, Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, Hellenic Ornithological Society, Macedonian Ecological Society, Ornitološko društvo NAŠE Ptice and the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania as associated beneficiaries. Furthermore, this project relies on Spanish best practice experience in combating illegal wildlife poisoning and counts on support from the Junta de Andalucía and the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Project funders:
The project received funding from the EU’s LIFE Programme, and it is co-financed by the Vulture Conservation Foundation, the MAVA Foundation and Euronatur, as well as by the Green Fund, Whitley Fund for Nature, and Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund for specific actions.
The main goal of the project is to strengthen national capacities to fight wildlife poisoning and raise awareness about the problem in the Balkan countries.
In this five-year endeavor, the BalkanDetox LIFE project intends to improve the management of poisoning incidents and significantly reduce the mortality of vultures and other affected species caused by the illegal use of poison baits across Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Republic of North Macedonia and Serbia. The project team attempts to fight the threat of wildlife poisoning by raising awareness and strengthening national capacities by primarily ensuring the real and continued engagement of relevant governmental authorities in combating this issue and labeling it as a socially unacceptable occurrence in the general public’s eyes across seven Balkan countries.
FDFF’s main task in the project is the deploying of the 25 GPS transmitters. Tracking tagged vultures and monitoring of movements and behavior of marked birds and its relevance in detecting poisoning incidents. Alarm the partners for suspicious cases on time. Provide training and support to partners in tracking alarming signals on the field.
