Background The ‘Lower Rhine Area’ Natura 2000 site in North Rhine-Westphalia, is a special protection area (SPA) according to the EU Birds Directive, holding populations of rare and endangered European breeding and wintering bird species that need protecting. Primarily, the conservation measures are concentrated in the "Düffel, Kellener Altrhein und Flussmarschen“ nature reserve in the northwestern part of the SPA. Objectives The project's overall objectives are twofold: Firstly, the aim is to increase both the number of breeding and wintering birds, as well as of the area used by meadow bird species, such as the black-tailed godwit, redshank, Eurasian curlew, golden plover, ruff, lapwing, white stork and meadow pipit. Thus the project aims to contribute to the preservation of a good conservation status of these species in the project area. Secondly, the project aims to improve acceptance and knowledge of the Natura 2000 network in the mainly agricultural parts of the project area. To date, the relationship between farming and nature protection activities has been difficult. An increasing acceptance of Natura 2000 requires continuous and wide-ranging communication. Therefore, public relations activities will target local people, and especially farmers. Specific actions will focus on the development of core areas for the protection of meadow bird species within the SPA; and existing key areas of nature protection will be improved and optimised for the target bird species. These areas contribute to the conservation of the target species in the Natura 2000 site because of their ecological management, soil wetness and specific landscape structure (e.g. pools and depressions) and management instruments (adjustable weirs). It is also expected that conditions for many wetland breeding and migrating bird species will improve with the planned optimisation measures within these areas. In the longer term it is hoped that re-wetting measures will counteract the impact of drainage of the land, which has taken place over the centuries, and in particular the development of increased watering (in dry periods) of the grasslands should also play an important role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and further drying up of the landscape in future years. Expected results The purchase of 190 ha of grasslands to safeguard endangered breeding birds in the long term and to encourage sustainable management of the grassland areas; The purchase of 25 ha of cropland and its transformation into less intensively-managed grasslands to safeguard endangered breeding birds in the long term; Some 20 ha of state-owned land will be transferred into the core project areas to be managed in an extensive manner more suitable to the targeted meadow bird protections; Securing of new tenancy agreements for some 235 ha of grasslands for their long-term ecological management by local farmers; Actions for surface water retention along a minimum stretch of 5 km of existing drainage ditches and grassland watering actions in drought years; The creation of at least 25 temporary water holding depressions and 15 pools and improvement of existing pools; Increased acceptance of Natura 2000 via a direct approach PR campaign, targeting especially land users and locals; An economic analysis of the agricultural structure of the area, with accompanying studies of different water and grassland management methods in relation to the number of breeding birds and their spatial distribution, nest sites and hatching success of selected target species; and Exchange of experiences and networking via the project symposiums and other information events.