The project

The  University of Groningen is a public Dutch university with diverse research themes. Research on the conservation of Black-tailed Godwits along the East Atlantic Flyway has been continuing for over 20 years, with focus on demographics, breeding success and viability of bird populations, among others.

The RUG staff members are well-connected and work closely with local farmers, citizens, authorities, NGOs, and farmer collectives to ensure that their knowledge informs policymakers to promote the conservation of meadow birds and sustainable agricultural practices.

Within the LIFE project Godwit Flyway, RUG is working on the following actions:

• Increasing and optimising habitat quality at core areas in Lower Saxony, including monitoring insect abundance and food availability for meadow bird chicks in the Netherlands and Germany
• Impact monitoring and evaluation: Evaluating the response of Black-tailed Godwits to concrete conservation measures implemented by the Godwit Flyway project along the East Atlantic Flyway
• Capacity building, including training of international students
• Regional and flyway-scale meadow bird demographics, conservation, and migration