Background The bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a bird species listed in Annex I of the European Birds Directive. Its habitat are extensive reedbeds in shallow waters. Due to its secretive nature, it is more often heard than seen. Most people never forget the moment they hear a booming male for the first time - the deep eerie voice is very evocative of its wetland home. Despite its almost mythical status, little was known about the eoclogy of this elusive bird, until the beginnings of the 1990s. At the same time, the bittern has become severely threatened in the EU after a severe decline of the population during 1970-1990. In recent years, the bittern has benefited from numerous conservation actions in many European countries, mostly financed within the LIFE-Nature program. These included scientific programmes to fill the gap between the conservationist's knowledge and the bittern's ecological requirements. Indeed, the bittern is the most-often targeted species in LIFE-Nature projects. The positve results of these actions are now unfolding with the populations stable or even increasing in most countries. Objectives This LIFE Co-op project has been launched in 2004 to collect, interpret, prepare and disseminate the experiences, results and know-how of Bittern EU-LIFE Projects. The project is run in close co-operation between three projects partners from Germany, the UK and France: the Brandenburg State Office for Environment, the Royal Society for Protecting of Birds and the Ligue Royale pour la protection des Oiseaux. It is the first time that the wealth of experience from across Europe is brought together and made easily accessible to a European audience. Results The Handbook "The bittern in Europe" offers detailed guidelines for actions to promote bittern protection, enriched by many vivid practical examples from all over Europe. The Handbook has a very practical focus and is aimed at land managers, advisors and interested groups in wetland conservation. The Handbook is also aimed at Government departments and agencies, water suppliers and Local Authorities. Future bittern conservation projects will be avle to draw upon the results and experiences of the recent LIFE projects in the United Kingdon, France, Germany and other countries. All these projects are proving that it is possible to reverse the decline of bittern populations. The Handbook can be downloaded as a pdf file from this website.