A new LIFE initiative will begin on 1 October 2026. The project “Return of the Griffon and Cinereous Vultures to the Southern Carpathians for a Wilder, More Connected Europe” (LIFE for Vultures), coordinated by the Rewilding Romania Foundation, aims to bring vultures back into Romania’s wildlife and restore their ecological role.
Georgi Kurtev
The project is implemented in partnership with GREFA (Spain), the Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR), and the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF, the Netherlands), organizations with extensive experience in vulture conservation and reintroduction at the European level.
The initiative’s main objective is the reintroduction and establishment of viable vulture populations in the Southern Carpathians by reducing the threats these species face and by creating the conditions needed for their return to Romania’s wildlife. At the same time, we aim to raise awareness and strengthen local communities’ involvement in vulture conservation.
Bogdan Boev / Rewilding Europe
Until about a century ago, four vulture species were present in Romania’s wildlife: the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), the cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), and the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus).
Today, all of them have disappeared as breeding species from our country, mainly due to direct persecution, poisoning, the reduction of food resources, and habitat change.
Georgi Kurtev
Vultures play an essential role in how ecosystems function. They feed on animal carcasses, help limit the spread of disease, recycle nutrients, and support the natural balance of landscapes.
For this reason, they are considered nature’s true “sanitation workers,” and their return to Romania’s wildlife would help restore these ecological processes and reconnect vulture populations across southeastern Europe.
Juan Carlos Muñoz / Rewilding Europe
Although the project officially begins in October 2026, preparations started a few years earlier. Here are some of the milestones reached so far:
- In 2023, we carried out the feasibility study.
- Also in 2023, we signed a partnership with Domogled – Valea Cernei National Park.
- Throughout 2024, 8 meetings were held with representatives of the municipalities within Domogled – Valea Cernei National Park.
- The sociological study on public attitudes toward vultures and its action recommendations was conducted in 2024.
- We identified potential reintroduction areas and selected the final site, within the Obârșia-Cloșani administrative territory.
- We signed a partnership with the GREFA Association in Spain, which will handle the selection, preparation, and transport of the birds.
Juan Carlos Muñoz / Rewilding Europe
- In 2025, we entered into a partnership with the Town Hall of Obârșia-Cloșani Commune.
- We officially secured the support of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests for implementing the reintroduction program for the griffon vulture and the cinereous vulture in 2025.
- We finalized the construction permit for the aviary and began its construction in February 2026.
- In 2026, we signed a partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests for the communication and awareness campaign dedicated to the return of vultures to Romania.
- An official meeting with 10 municipalities in the vulture reintroduction area was held in June 2026.
Through the LIFE for Vultures project, Rewilding Romania and its partners are taking a concrete step in this direction: so that vultures can reclaim their rightful place in the landscape, and nature in the Carpathians can once again function as a whole, for the benefit of biodiversity and communities alike. This effort joins the other rewilding initiatives carried out by Rewilding Romania, united by a shared vision: restoring the natural balance, in which every species regains its place and role within the ecosystem.
Funding Partners
Disclaimer: The project “Return of the Griffon and Cinereous Vultures to the Southern Carpathians for a Wilder, More Connected Europe” (LIFE for Vulture) is co-funded by the European Union through the LIFE Program. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
