Rewilding Apennines among eight new European initiatives selected by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme to drive large-scale ecological restoration.

What is the real value of rewilding for the communities that live it every day? In the case of Rewilding Apennines, the answer is not only environmental, but also deeply economic: €431,000 generated for local economies, largely over the past two years.

2025 has taken us through many key milestones: from rivers flowing freely once again to communities choosing to move forward together. Season after season, these results show how rewilding becomes a tangible reality through people, patience and collective action.

The Abruzzo Region has allocated around €10 million to the five regional parks and eleven municipalities as part of the 2021–2027 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This long-awaited measure is now more necessary than ever to reduce wildlife mortality, mitigate human–wildlife conflict, and support the restoration of Abruzzo’s ecosystems.

From the breeding and rearing centres for native crayfish and Mediterranean trout, where the animals are raised and prepared for their return to the wild, to the removal of river barriers, the work of Rewilding Apennines is changing the fate of the Apennine rivers.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has published the first Guidelines for Rewilding, an international reference document that defines the principles, methods, and objectives for the rewilding of landscapes.

A participatory meeting to envision the future of the Liri River and the removal of the Cesapresa weir by Rewilding Apennines.

A delegation from the esteemed U.S. organization “People & Carnivores” is visiting the Central Apennines. Since 1992, this organization has worked to promote coexistence between rural communities in North America and large carnivores such as black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, and mountain lions. The purpose of this visit is to engage in constructive dialogue with the international organization to evaluate and exchange best practices, with the aim of improving human-bear coexistence strategies in the Central Apennines.

Following the experience on the Giovenco River last year, a new initiative is about to take shape to remove an unused and obsolete weir on the Liri River, in the territory of San Vincenzo Valle Roveto. This project is part of “Wild Lyric,” conducted by Rewilding Apennines and funded by the Open Rivers Programme and Rewilding Europe.

On the weekend of September 13–14, Aspropotamos once again echoed with voices, laughter, and stories, as it hosted two days of experiential activities organized by the Bear-Smart Community, within the framework of the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors project.