You will find below a description of our the project’s work will be divided among the project partners.
Work Package 1: coordination and management
led by Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU)
This work package is set up to coordinate the project’s activities in an effective way, and to ensure funding resources in the best possible way to reach the project’s objectives and deliverables.
Work Package 2: cormorant inventory and study
led by Aarhus University (AU)
This work package will provide the best possible overview of the status and trends in cormorant numbers and their distribution throughout the European Union in collaboration with experts on this field. Data will be collected on how the EU’s cormorant population have developed in breeding and wintering areas and the geographical variation in population trends during breeding and winter times will be described. This work will contribute to a discussion around what “favourable conservation status” means for big predators such as cormorants.
Work Package 3: cormorants and habitats – ecosystem effect and protection of river fish
under supervision of the University of Koblenz (UK)
This work package will provide an updated and detailed evaluation on the conservation status of listed river fish species in Europe, it will work on the definition of what “favourable conservation status” of European river-fish means and test if predation-block measures can help in reaching the Good Ecological Status in European rivers as required by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD).
Work Package 4: field experiments to study the environmental
led by the BOKU University (BOKU)
This work package will elaborate extensive field studies in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Poland, covering diverse biogeographical regions and a wide range of river landscapes. It will assess how the modification of cormorant predation pressure interacts with the conservation status of riverine fish populations. The experts will also study the reactions of cormorants to fish protection measures, the effects of landscape on predation intensity and how habitat quality and complexity could support fish protection.
Work Package 5: communication and dissemination of the project’s results
under supervision of Aliénor (AEU)
This work package aims to lay down the basis for the wide dissemination of the project’s results. An important feature is the objective to raise awareness and promote the project results and recommendations to help achieve a balanced, integrative and adaptive management of river biodiversity to interested stakeholders across the local, national and European administrations.