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

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.

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.

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

The second edition of the international literary contest launched by Rewilding Apennines awards three works that celebrate rivers and river restoration.

On Saturday, February 1st, a well-attended dissemination event took place in Pettorano sul Gizio, where trout, crayfish, and river environments were the undisputed stars, along with a discussion on the relationship and impact our species has on them.

The white-clawed crayfish, which is a keystone species in freshwater ecosystems, is in decline across much of Europe. A positive feasibility study carried out on streams in the Central Apennines rewilding area means a restocking programme can now be carried out, thereby enhancing the ecological condition of these waterways.