An inaugural grant from the newly established Endangered Landscapes Programme will enable Rewilding Europe and local partners to develop a 120,000-hectare wildlife corridor in the Greater Côa Valley in northern Portugal. By scaling up current rewilding efforts in Western Iberia, this will transform a region with high levels of rural depopulation and species loss into one with new opportunities for both wild nature and people. The 2.6 million euro grant complements another for 2.1 million euros for a record-breaking wetland and steppe restoration project in the Danube Delta.
Rewilding Europe is delighted to announce that a grant of 2.6 million euros (3 million USD) from the Endangered Landscapes Programme (ELP) will enable rewilding activities to be significantly scaled up in Western Iberia. The funding will be used to develop the Greater Côa Valley as a 120,000-hectare (1200 square-kilometre) wildlife corridor. Located in northern Portugal, this will connect the Malcata mountain range in the south with the larger Douro Valley in the north.
“We are thrilled and deeply grateful to be receiving this new funding from the ELP,” says Rewilding Western Iberia team leader Pedro Prata. “This project, which represents a huge step forward for rewilding in this dramatically beautiful and unique area, will transform a region with high levels of rural depopulation and species loss into one where biodiverse natural landscapes deliver ecosystem services such as fire prevention, local products and wildlife tourism.”
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