Start up of the LIFE FALKON Project!

LIFE FALKON – Fostering the breeding rAnge expansion of central-eastern Mediterranean Lesser Kestrel pOpulatioNs has been co financed by the LIFE PROGRAMME!

LIFE FALKON is an almost 5-year LIFE Project which aims at fostering the resilience of the central-eastern European lesser kestrel population to climate change, improving the conservation status of Italian and Greek populations breeding at the north-eastern margin of breeding distribution range.

The project aims at:

• Fostering the resilience of the central-eastern European population to climate change, improving the conservation status of Italian and Greek populations breeding at the north-eastern margin of breeding distribution range;
• Improving foraging and nesting habitat quality in intensive farmland areas and SPAs where the species breeds in the project areas;
• Establishing a collaborative international network;
• Promoting public awareness concerning the lesser kestrel and biodiversity conservation, with emphasis on environmental education;
• Obtaining an accurate assessment of the conservation status of those populations crucial for the northward breeding expansion.

General actions of the project:

• Providing nestboxes and nesting towers to foster the settlement of lesser kestrel breeding colonies within the context of population reinforcement programs;
• Implementing communication actions addressed to key stakeholders (architects, geometricians, farmers) and decision makers;
• Sharing experiences with conservation experts and beneficiaries of previous LIFE projects targeting lesser kestrel;
• Organising public awareness campaign;Setting up standardized monitoring protocols providing maps of breeding sites, suitability maps for both breeding and foraging needs.

1 July 2018