Milvus Group is known to the public primarily for its bird and wildlife protection activities, most of which take place in the field. While this is true, a very important part of our work also involves influencing legislation that impacts nature. 

It is crucial to intervene in a well-targeted way when it comes to saving rare and endangered species – our conservation programme for the Saker falcon is a good example. However, we must also recognize that a single law or agricultural subsidy scheme, whether good or bad, can have a significant impact on the condition of all grasslands and arable lands in Romania, and consequently on the species that inhabit these areas. We are not talking about a small area, as over 60% of Romania’s territory is used for some form of agriculture. Unfortunately, most of the political decisions in recent decades that have affected agriculture have not been nature-friendly. As a result, it is no coincidence that bird species associated in any way with agriculture, whether they nest or feed there, are in decline.

This is why we believe that influencing political decisions that can significantly alter the state of nature, even if it is a less visible or popular activity, is an extremely important task for effective nature conservation. 

• For the third year in a row, the Nature Restoration Law has been the most important part of the law-related chapter of our annual report – and for good reason, as it is the most significant EU nature conservation law of the past 30 years. This year, we were not able to do much to support its adoption; for the most part, we were “sitting on the sidelines” and hoping that, after so many delays and setbacks, it wouldn’t fail and would finally pass the last hurdle – approval by the EU Environment Council. After a highly suspenseful and eventful process, the Council voted in favour of it on July 17, which meant that the Nature Restoration Law officially came into force.
• The broad deployment of green energy (especially solar and wind power) is critically important to halt the climate crisis threatening humanity. At the same time, we must not forget that nature – the foundation of our existence – is also in a state of severe crisis. Our efforts to address the climate crisis must not further endanger nature. That’s why we have used every means available to us, including attending meetings, offering expert advice, and even submitting official complaints, to try to steer green energy developments in ways that minimize their harm to the natural environment.
• At the European level, the process of designating so-called Strictly Protected Areas is underway, which aims to cover 10% of the EU’s terrestrial and marine territory, according to EU targets. We compiled a proposal package identifying areas within the regions we know more thoroughly that should be included in this protection category. 
• We remained active in protecting designated conservation areas and endangered species. With the help of our members, volunteers, and staff, we received reports of numerous cases of environmental damage, which we then reported to the responsible authorities. As a result, we reported several cases of illegal grassland burning, the cutting of trees containing crow nests, plowing of protected meadows, poisoning of birds and mammals, as well as the capture and keeping of wild birds. For example, we succeeded in preventing the cutting down of a tree row in Arad County that serves as a nesting site for several endangered species, such as the Red-footed falcon and the European roller. Furthermore, a substantial financial penalty imposed on a perpetrator involved in a poisoning case might serve as a deterrent to others in the future.

If you want to know all that we have done in 2024, you can flit thrue our online Annual Report for 2024.