This joint initiative aims to expand the European bison population in the Southwestern Carpathians and ensure its long-term persistence by enabling successful coexistence through a national bison plan and “bison-smart communities” that are learning to live alongside Europe’s largest free-roaming land mammals once more.

Daniel Mirlea

The story of bison in Europe

The comeback of the European bison is one of Europe’s most heartening wildlife recovery stories. Once widespread across the continent, this magnificent animal was driven to the edge of extinction in the early twentieth century by hunting and habitat loss.

When the last wild European bison was shot in the Caucasus in 1927, there were less than 60 individuals alive in zoo and private parks. From the 1950s onwards, European bison began to be reintroduced back into the wild.

Sergio Pitamitz

An unlikely Comeback

It is from this low point that the European bison has slowly but surely inched its way back, supported by various breeding programmes and reintroductions, with the first bison released back into the wild in Poland’s Białowieża Forest in 1954.

Over the last 10 years the estimated number of free-roaming European bison has increased from 2579 to around 8000 individuals, with the largest herds found in Belarus and Poland.

10 years after the first release in the Țarcu Mountains (2014), the population counts 194 free-roaming bison. 14 bison have already been translocated in the frame of the new LIFE with Bison project by Rewilding Europe, WWF Romania, Rewilding Romania, WeWilder, Research and Development Institute for Wildlife and Mountain Resources, and Municipalities of Armeniș, Teregova and Cornereva.

The European Bison – A keystone species

The European bison is a keystone species since it plays a distinct ecological role in shaping the landscape it inhabits. In addition to consuming significant quantities of grasses and feeding on shrubs, bison influence the vegetation by de-barking trees, breaking open dense undergrowth (simply by walking right through it), and creating bare soil patches (by wallowing), which allows pioneer plants to move in. In addition, bison disperse nutrients (dung) and seeds across their territory (they scatter over 200 species of plants, which helps to increase floral biodiversity and supports pollinators). Breeding birds use bison winter fur as nesting material, and magpies follow the bison herd to pick off ticks and other parasites.

In the Southern Carpathians rewilding landscape, the reintroduced bison are already helping to create and maintain a half-wooded, half-open landscape, with the animals grazing excess vegetation from forest openings, meadows and forested meadows. As the diversity of the landscape and vegetation increases, so a range of habitats are created that are suitable for other grazers, small mammals, birds and invertebrates. In this way, bison conservation has wide-ranging ecological benefits for the entire region.

illustration by Jeroen Helmer/ Ark Rewilding Netherlands

  • The LIFE Programme

    The LIFE Programme began in 1992 and has co-financed thousands of projects in the field of environmental protection. The financial instrument for the environment or L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement (LIFE) started thanks to European Parliament support. Throughout the 90s, LIFE Programme helped develop inventories of potential Natura 2000 sites, creating a long-lasting connection between the two, resulting in a network of nature protection areas across the European Union.

    LIFE Programme Flag
  • LIFE RE-Bison

    The Bison Reintroduction Programme in the Țarcu Mountains started in 2012 with a feasibility study and in 2014 has been supported by the European Union’s LIFE programme, through the five-year LIFE Bison initiative, as well as the Dutch Postcode Lottery.

    Following the favourable outcome of the study and collaboration between Rewilding Europe, in partnership with WWF Romania, Municipality of Armeniș, and with the support of Environmental Authorities, the first bison were brought into the Southern Carpathians in 2014.

    After two years of close monitoring and acclimatisation, the first release into the wild took place in 2016. More releases followed, the free bison population reaching more than 180 individuals by 2023, with approximately half born in the wild.

    This May, Rewilding Europe and WWF Romania successfully reintroduced 23 more European bison to two sites in the Southern Carpathian mountains of Romania.
  • Boosting rewilding efforts

    Rewilding is a progressive approach towards conservation that focuses on restoring nature and creating livelihood opportunities for the communities inhabiting the landscape.

    In Europe, a growing number of initiatives help ecosystems recover their natural processes with the help of keystone species. With the support of EU financing (LIFE Programmes) and donors such as Cartier for Nature, Fondation Ensemble, Ecological Restoration fund, and other organisations from all around Europe, the bison are bringing benefits to both nature and people in the Southern Carpathians.

    Group picture after a successful bison release
  • A new era

    LIFE with Bison is a continuation of the previous efforts of LIFE RE-Bison.

    Thanks to these efforts, a thriving bison population has settled in the Țarcu Mountains and shifts our focus beyond reintroductions and on the bigger picture as well as fostering more close cooperation with local communities.

    LIFE with Bison is carried out by a strong partnership of dedicated organisations working on implementing rewilding measures in the area. Rewilding Europe is leading the efforts together in partnership with Rewidling Romania, WWF Romania, WeWilder, the Research and Development Institute for Wildlife and Mountain Resources and the municipalities of Armenis, Teregova and Cornereva.

    Measures are funded by the LIFE Programme, Cartier for Nature and Fondation Ensemble.

    A new era
  • LIFE with Bison

    A bison count from 2023 reveals 180 individuals in the area. Within LIFE with Bison, 40 more bison will be translocated to join the existing herds to bring them closer to a viable population (around 250 breeding individuals).

    In addition, new coexistence measures will be implemented to kick-start the first ”bison-smart community” in the area, within which we empower locals to become bison stewards and ambassadors. As the bison population continues to grow, livelihood opportunities increase, and more people benefit from nature tourism.

    Lastly, a National Action Plan for bison management will be created to secure a unified approach for all bison reintroduction initiatives in Romania.

    Hiker exploring the Carpathian Mountains
  • The LIFE Programme

    The LIFE Programme began in 1992 and has co-financed thousands of projects in the field of environmental protection. The financial instrument for the environment or L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement (LIFE) started thanks to European Parliament support. Throughout the 90s, LIFE Programme helped develop inventories of potential Natura 2000 sites, creating a long-lasting connection between the two, resulting in a network of nature protection areas across the European Union.

    LIFE Programme Flag
  • LIFE RE-Bison

    The Bison Reintroduction Programme in the Țarcu Mountains started in 2012 with a feasibility study and in 2014 has been supported by the European Union’s LIFE programme, through the five-year LIFE Bison initiative, as well as the Dutch Postcode Lottery.

    Following the favourable outcome of the study and collaboration between Rewilding Europe, in partnership with WWF Romania, Municipality of Armeniș, and with the support of Environmental Authorities, the first bison were brought into the Southern Carpathians in 2014.

    After two years of close monitoring and acclimatisation, the first release into the wild took place in 2016. More releases followed, the free bison population reaching more than 180 individuals by 2023, with approximately half born in the wild.

    This May, Rewilding Europe and WWF Romania successfully reintroduced 23 more European bison to two sites in the Southern Carpathian mountains of Romania.
  • Boosting rewilding efforts

    Rewilding is a progressive approach towards conservation that focuses on restoring nature and creating livelihood opportunities for the communities inhabiting the landscape.

    In Europe, a growing number of initiatives help ecosystems recover their natural processes with the help of keystone species. With the support of EU financing (LIFE Programmes) and donors such as Cartier for Nature, Fondation Ensemble, Ecological Restoration fund, and other organisations from all around Europe, the bison are bringing benefits to both nature and people in the Southern Carpathians.

    Group picture after a successful bison release
  • A new era

    LIFE with Bison is a continuation of the previous efforts of LIFE RE-Bison.

    Thanks to these efforts, a thriving bison population has settled in the Țarcu Mountains and shifts our focus beyond reintroductions and on the bigger picture as well as fostering more close cooperation with local communities.

    LIFE with Bison is carried out by a strong partnership of dedicated organisations working on implementing rewilding measures in the area. Rewilding Europe is leading the efforts together in partnership with Rewidling Romania, WWF Romania, WeWilder, the Research and Development Institute for Wildlife and Mountain Resources and the municipalities of Armenis, Teregova and Cornereva.

    Measures are funded by the LIFE Programme, Cartier for Nature and Fondation Ensemble.

    A new era
  • LIFE with Bison

    A bison count from 2023 reveals 180 individuals in the area. Within LIFE with Bison, 40 more bison will be translocated to join the existing herds to bring them closer to a viable population (around 250 breeding individuals).

    In addition, new coexistence measures will be implemented to kick-start the first ”bison-smart community” in the area, within which we empower locals to become bison stewards and ambassadors. As the bison population continues to grow, livelihood opportunities increase, and more people benefit from nature tourism.

    Lastly, a National Action Plan for bison management will be created to secure a unified approach for all bison reintroduction initiatives in Romania.

    Hiker exploring the Carpathian Mountains

Objectives

Group picture after a successful bison release

Setting the base

Ensuring effective and result-oriented implementation of the intervention through management and coordination.

Explore

National context

Prepare a national Strategy and Action Plan and create an enabling environment for the management of wild bison in Romania.

Explore

Growing the population

Grow and expand the range of the bison population in the Țarcu Mountains by translocating at least 40 individuals.

Explore

Anghel Drasovean - field officer Rewilding Romania

Supporting coexistence

Empower local people to mitigate potential conflicts through new governance and intervention models.

Explore

Supporting business

Create livelihood opportunities for local people and communities from the bison’s comeback to the region.

Explore

Engage

High-quality engagement and public awareness that showcases coexistence success and the benefits of the bison’s comeback.

Explore

Monitor and analyse

Keep track of achievements and impacts of the overall intervention and analyse its results in preparation of dissemination.

Explore

Sharing knowledge

Inspire and support others to replicate success and expand the bison population in the Carpathians.

Explore

Beneficiaries

Funding Partners

Disclaimer: “Funded by the European Union. 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 CINEA can be held responsible for them.”

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.