Background The European population of white stork (Ciconia ciconia) is over 180 000 pairs. Before this LIFE project, the Lithuanian population was estimated at between 12 500 and 13 000 pairs (approximately 7% of the European population). Lithuania has the third largest white stork population in the EU (after Poland and Spain) and as a result has an important role to play in its conservation. Specific Natura 2000 network sites have not been designated for this species in Lithuania because it is so widespread, but the number of breeding pairs in SPAs established for other species of birds is unknown. Therefore, species-based conservation measures should be implemented for the white stork. Objectives The White Stork Conservation project aimed to prepare a Species Action Plan for white stork in Lithuania, carry out a detailed inventory of white stork nests and create a GIS-based white stork nest database, erect nesting platforms on electricity pylons and roofs, identify the most valuable areas for the species, and increase public awareness of white stork conservation. The project aimed to implement these actions over the entire territory of Lithuania. Results The White Stork Conservation project carried out a comprehensive white stork nest inventory across all of Lithuania, prepared a Species Action Plan that was officially endorsed by the Ministry of Environment, identified priority areas for white stork protection, built artificial nests and made electricity infrastructure safer for the birds, and raised public awareness of white stork conservation. The results of the project’s nest inventory revealed the presence of around 22 000 white stork nests in Lithuania. This data was collated in a specially-designed GIS database. An on-line GIS database portal (http://ecogis.ekoi.lt/ciconia) for the white stork nest data was created with open access to the public, which also enabled people to give feedback (e.g. report nests or upload photographs). The data showed that almost every Natura 2000 network site in Lithuania has breeding white stork. Proposals for the necessary legislation amendments related to the protection of white stork nests were prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Environment. The project prepared criteria for the selection of the most valuable breeding sites for white stork. The most suitable five sites were proposed for designation as Special Protected Areas (SPAs). All of these were located in Regional Parks, with some areas in Natura 2000 sites. Among the measures outlined in the Species Action Plan were ones for the protection of electricity lines from corrosion induced by bird faeces around nests, which are now being used in practice by electricity company AB LESTO. The project installed 3 260 special nesting platforms on overhead electricity power line poles (double the original project target) to replace problematic nests. This improved both the safety of the nests, making them more stable, and reduced the risk of bird injury or mortality. It also replaced 500 nests in poor condition on the roofs of buildings with wooden nesting platforms, which help reduce damage to buildings. Monitoring results showed an 86% occupancy rate for the nesting platforms set up on the electricity poles, and around a 29% occupancy rate for the platforms installed on roofs. The project team estimated that nest management on electricity lines improved breeding conditions for at least 6 502 adult and about 10 000 juvenile birds annually. In addition, 20 nests in trees, in particularly poor condition, were managed as a demonstration activity. The comprehensive website (www.ciconia.lt) includes all the project’s results and information on white stork ecology and conservation. The website includes the film ‘Gandrai visada grįžta namo...’ (‘White storks always come back...’), which was produced and widely broadcasted on local, regional and national TV channels. A total of 2 700 copies of the film on DVD were distributed among schools over the whole country and sent to relevant stakeholders, including BirdLife partners across Europe. A book on the white stork, ‘Baltasis gandras Lietuvoje. Lizdų atlasas’ (‘White Stork in Lithuania. Nest Atlas’), was published and distributed to various stakeholders, and can be read on the website. The project team organised a live webcam broadcast from a white stork nest over three breeding seasons, and organised four public events and participated in two national festivals. In addition, three project leaflets were published (9 000 copies in total), project badges distributed at events, and the project achieved good media coverage in newspapers, magazines, on the Internet, radio and TV. The project team produced two publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, and presented their results at two international conferences. A doctoral dissertation, partly based on the LIFE project data, was successfully defended. Implementation of this LIFE project in Lithuania has made a significant contribution to white stork conservation at the EU scale because the actions positively affected the entire Lithuanian population, which the new inventory reveals is up to 10% of the EU population. In neighbouring Poland, similar conservation measures were initiated more than ten years ago and yielded excellent results. Implementation of these measures in Lithuania will expand the area of effective and targeted protection across the Lithuanian-Polish border, thus ensuring a continuous range with favourable breeding conditions. The project’s methods could easily be replicated in other EU countries with white stork populations. Replacing nests on power lines also helps ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply. Based on their experience of installing nesting platforms, associated beneficiary AB LESTO calculated that their erection is economically worthwhile for the company, because it reduces financial losses caused by nests on the electricity lines. At the same time, a few jobs are created at companies manufacturing the platforms. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).