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: inventory of the EU cormorant population and behaviour 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 in this field. Data on the development of EU’s cormorant population both 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, mobile 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 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 anti-predation 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 effect of a decreased population pressure

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. The link between habitat quality (hiding places) and vulnerability to cormorant predation is being tested in the field and under controlled conditions with caged birds. Foraging range of non-breeding cormorants around their night roost site, will be studies by use of GPS telemetry.

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.