LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats is one of the largest meadow bird conservation projects in Europe and is funded under the EU LIFE programme. The aim of this ten-year project (2020–2030) is to restore and secure habitats for meadow birds such as the lapwing in the long term. The focus is on improving breeding grounds for meadow waders in Lower Saxony and the Netherlands and securing suitable stopover and wintering areas along the East Atlantic flyway. This is being carried out through close international cooperation, particularly between Germany, the Netherlands and Senegal.
In Lower Saxony, the project is implementing specific measures to protect meadow birds across 27 Natura 2000 sites. These include the rewetting of wet grassland, optimising the water balance, meadow-bird-friendly land management and targeted predator management. These measures are complemented by extensive monitoring carried out in close collaboration with land users and other project partners. In cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, and the University of Groningen, scientific research is being conducted into, amongst other things, the behaviour of the birds, their use of space, migration strategies and the diet of lapwings.
(Photo: H. Prüter/NLWKN)
For the lapwing, the project creates and maintains valuable breeding and foraging habitats, thereby improving the conditions for successful breeding. At the same time, the experience gained from the project areas in Lower Saxony is being incorporated into an international conservation plan designed to strengthen the protection of meadow birds along the entire migration route.
Published: 07/2026
Authors:
Heinrich Belting, Dr. Hanna Prüter, Giulia La Spina
NLWKN, Nature Conservation Station Dümmer, Am Ochsenmoor 52, 49448 Hüde
E-Mail: Hanna.Prueter@nlwkn.niedersachsen.de
Website: GrassBirdHabitats: Home (www.grassbirdhabitats.eu)