Dear LIFE Lynx followers, yesterday the LIFE Awards expert jury recognized the project as the best in Europe in the nature conservation and biodiversity category and also the public voted us as the audience award winners. Thank you all for your support, we wouldn’t be here without you!
The awards were accepted by Gregor Danev, Director of the Slovenia Forest Service, and Rok Černe, coordinator of the LIFE Lynx project. The jury, which has been presenting these awards for 19 consecutive years, honors the most innovative, inspiring, and effective LIFE projects in three categories: Nature Protection & Biodiversity, Circular Economy & Quality of Life, and Climate Action. Gregor Danev expressed pride that this prestigious European award has now been won by a second project led by the Slovenia Forest Service: “This award is a confirmation of the hard work and dedication of all project partners committed to preserving healthy forests, where lynxes are an indispensable part. I am pleased that the LIFE mechanism has enabled the survival of lynxes in our forests.” In 2020, the LIFE DINALP BEAR project received the award in Nature protection Category.
Gregor Danev and Rok Černe at the LIFE 2025 awards ceremony. Photo: Slovenia Forest Service
Rok Černe from the Slovenia Forest Service also emphasized at the ceremony that “the LIFE Lynx project would not have been possible without the historic efforts of hunters and foresters who reintroduced the lynx in 1973 after it had been extinct in the region. The conservation journey started then, and today’s award recognizes everyone who has contributed in any way to this important nature conservation success.”
Among the first to congratulate the award winners was Janez Poročnik, the first Slovenian European Commissioner. Photo: Slovenia Forest Service
The expert jury was particularly impressed by the Project’s active involvement of stakeholders, especially hunters, in preventing the lynx from another extinction. In almost seven years, the project translocated 18 lynxes to Slovenia and Croatia and recorded more than 50 offspring by the end of last year. In the Southeastern Alps, the introduced lynxes have established a connecting population, which is the first step towards the long-term conservation of lynxes in this part of Europe.
The award comes at a timely moment, as International Lynx Day is celebrated on June 11. Since 2018, this day has been marked on the initiative of the 3Lynx project, as lynxes are endangered across much of Europe and would struggle to survive without human assistance. The efforts of the LIFE Lynx project are featured in the short documentary Together for Lynx https://youtu.be/mEtSekXFpAA, more information about the project is available at www.lifelynx.eu.
Anita Fassio, project supervisor from the European Commission, also shared the excitement of LIFE Lynx receiving two awards.