Press

Press kit

Our project in the media

As of March 2026, the LIFE project GrassBirdHabitats has been featured in more than 100 external media reports. The full list of our own press releases can be found here in our outputs section.

A press kit is available for download below. It includes project information, logos, and high-resolution photos. Please use the offered material to report about the project. For further media requests feel free to contact us. 

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People sitting in front of information roll-ups of the project LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats.
LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats presents its conservation activities using the project roll-ups. Photo: Janina Ahrendt-Hitzegrad/NLWKN

Press kit

Background information on the LIFE Integrated Project "GrassBirdHabitats" (LIFE19 IPE/DE/000004)

The protection of meadow birds such as Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing and Curlew and their habitats is the focus of this project, funded by the European Union as part of the LIFE programme. The aim is to create and connect optimal breeding areas. To this end, land use must be extensified and water levels optimised. A Strategic Conservation Plan for meadow bird habitats in Western Europe is being developed in order to network activities more closely in the future and coordinate measures for successful meadow bird conservation.

The total budget for the ten-year project is around 27 million euros, including 12 million euros from the State of Lower Saxony. The Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, as the project organiser, has commissioned the State Agency for Bird Conservation of the Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal and Nature Protection Agency (NLWKN) to implement the project. Partners in Lower Saxony are the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park Administration and the planning office BIO-CONSULT OS. Project partners in the Netherlands are the Province of Fryslân, the University of Groningen, the agricultural collective Collectief Súdwestkust and the nature conservation organisation Bond Friese VogelWachten.

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Logos: Project & project partners

High-resolution photos

A selection of high-resolution images is available for editorial purposes below, with the request to use image credits for “GrassBirdHabitats”. Image authors and further information can be found in the metadata.

Five people stand in a pasture and look into the distance. One of the people is pointing...
NLWKN site managers observe birds during a meeting in the project area Unterelbe. Photo: J. Ahrendt-Hitzegrad/NLWKN
Two people talking are standing in front of a tractor.
Cooperation with regional farmers is crucial for extensive farming, and thus for successful conservation measures. Photo: U. Andreas
Two people are standing on a meadow and operating a rack together.
In order to monitor their clutches, a bird trap is used to briefly capture Black-tailed Godwits at their nesting sites. Photo: J. Ahrendt-Hitzegrad/NLWKN
One person holding up a Black-tailed Godwit in the background and another person writing...
Employees of BIO-CONSULT OS and NLWKN are tagging a Black-tailed Godwit. In the process, the Black-tailed Godwit is also being weighed and measured. All information is recorded and later entered into a database. Photo: H. Lemke/NLWKN
Five people stand with their backs to the camera and look into the landscape.
The international project partners visit the project areas Butjadingen and Marschen am Jadebusen, together with the external monitoring team. Photo: NLWKN
Around 10 persons standing on a dirt road surrounded by grassland. Most of them use...
Meeting of the NLWKN site managers and other project members in the project area Diepholzer Moorniederung. Photo: S. Haack/NLWKN
About 10 people are standing in grassland. In the background are wet grassland areas.
Meeting of the NLWKN site managers and other project members in the project area Unterelbe. Photo: J. Ahrendt-Hitzegrad/NLWKN
Close-up of the back of a bird. Two cropped people attach a small electronic device to...
Close-up of the installation of a GPS transmitter on a Black-tailed Godwit. The transmitters are used for monitoring the migration routes of individual birds. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
Two men in bright orange jackets stand on a road between fields. One of them is...
The data of this drone flight was used to create a digital terrain model of this area in the Rheiderland. Afterwards, the terrain model was used to develop rewetting measures. Photo: S. Haack/NLWKN
A bird standing in shallow water. Patches of grass emerge from the water.
Adult Black-tailed Godwit on wet grassland. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
A small bird standing in high vegetation.
Common Snipe in high vegetation in the project area Dümmer. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
A brown bird walking on a green meadow with flowers. On its back a small technical device...
Eurasian Curlew with visible GPS transmitter on its back. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
A large group of Black-tailed Godwits stands in shallow water. Some fly above.
A large group of Black-tailed Godwits in their wintering grounds in West Africa. Photo: J. Ludwig/NLWKN
Close-up of four greenish bird eggs lying in the grass of a meadow.
Black-tailed Godwit clutch. This clutch is an exception, as meadow birds usually lay only four eggs. Photo: J. Ahrendt-Hitzegrad/NLWKN
A bird stands on a post with six coloured rings on its legs.
Black-tailed Godwit portrait with clearly visible colour rings. The rings are used for individual identification. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
Close-up of a bird with a red beak and red legs on a post.
Common Redshank portrait. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
A small brown bird standing in green vegetation.
Corncrake in high vegetation. Photo: J. Ludwig/NLWKN
A group of birds standing widely spread on a meadow.
Adult and juvenile Black-tailed Godwits on a mown meadow. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
A young bird standing in grassland. On its back a small technical device is visible.
Juvenile Black-tailed Godwit with visible colour rings and the antenna of its GPS transmitter. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
A black-and-white bird standing on grass. In the background is a body of water.
Northern Lapwing portrait. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
A Black-tailed Godwit standing in grassland. A long antenna emerges from the feathers on...
Black-tailed Godwit with clearly visible colour rings and the antenna of its GPS transmitter. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN
Aerial view of an open grassland with bodies of water.
Open rewetted landscape with extensive grassland in the Dümmer project area – habitat for meadow birds. Photo: O. Lange/NLWKN
Several people look at an information board in a national park. One person points to the...
International collaboration with the Djoudj National Park in Senegal. Meadow birds migrate to West Africa to spend the winter there. Photo: J. Ludwig/NLWKN
Excavator working in a ditch next to a field.
This ditch in the Butjadingen project area is being cleared and prepared for the installation of a weir. Weirs are used to retain water in the project areas. Photo: S. Haack/NLWKN
A flat grassland landscape from a bird's eye view. There are multiple flooded areas...
Open rewetted landscape with extensive grassland in the Unterelbe project area – habitat for meadow birds. In this area, water levels are regulated by using wind pumps. Photo: J. Ludwig/NLWKN.
Aerial view of an excavator and a tractor working in a field next to a river.
A tidal pond is being created in the Unterelbe project area. Photo: J. Ludwig/NLWKN
Aerial view of a depression in grassland next to a river. There is water in the...
Aerial view of the finished tidal pond in the Unterelbe project area. Photo: L. Ludwig/NLWKN
A small wind water pump next to a body of water. The body of water is surrounded by...
In multiple project areas, wind pumps are used for raising water levels when needed. Photo: J. Ludwig/NLWKN