Presentation of the LIFE for Mauremys project

The four-year project "LIFE for Mauremys" begins this month. Preparations for implementation are already underway, and the project will be implemented until October 2026. The project was designed as a contribution to the conservation efforts for the Balkan stripe-necked turtle (Mauremys rivulata) within all Natura 2000 areas in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County where this endangered species has been monitored since 2004.

The value of the project is EUR 2,131,407.11. EUR 1,278,844.26 is financed from the LIFE program of the European Union, and the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund co-finances the implementation of the project in the amount of EUR 267,731.00.

The University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture is the coordinator of the project, and the key partners for the implementation are the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Nature Areas of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the Zagreb Zoo Institution, Hrvatske vode and the Hyla association.

Project activities are focused on the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, i.e. five NATURA 2000 protected areas where the target species lives, often on high-quality agricultural areas such as Stonsko and Konavosko polje, and the Neretva river delta. In accordance with the Green Plan of the European Union and the EU Strategy for Biodiversity 2030, supported by the EU Parliament, the project will deal with agricultural areas of high biodiversity, such as the wetlands of the Mediterranean habitat.
The project deals with the coexistence of sustainable food production and biodiversity and includes restoration of the Mauremys habitat, conservation breeding of the endangered terrapin, removal of invasive species of animals and plants that disrupt the ecological balance and introduction of management of the species and NATURA 2000 areas in accordance with its requirements.