Background The use of poisoned bait is forbidden under annex VI of the Habitats Directive. However, its use is deeply rooted in many European rural areas where natural predation by feral dogs and cats can have an effect on rural economic activities. Baits are commonly though not exclusively used in hunting (normally for small game). Some livestock owners, shepherds, hunters and staff in hunting areas use poison baits to kill predators in order to minimise the loss of hunting species or cattle because of predation. This practice presents a common threat to EU biodiversity, and there is a distinct lack of public awareness about the impact of such illegal poisoning and a shortage of long-term and wide-scale data. While the incidence of this practice varies greatly from country to country, it is considered to be more common in Mediterranean countries. The selection of the pilot areas has been made on the basis of four variables: i) the presence of highly endangered affected species; ii) comparable intensity in the use of illegal poisoned baits (based on information about the occurrence of poisoning and its impact on the most sensitive species); iii) the presence of well-established local biodiversity conservation organisations with strong social acceptance at regional and local level and with significant experience of fighting illegal poisoning and/or improving the conservation status of species most affected by illegal poisoning; iv) all pilot areas are located in Mediterranean areas and have common characteristics – e.g. a medium-high density rural population and an economic reliance on rural activities. In all the pilot areas, hunting and stockbreeding is also important. Illegal poisoning has developed in secret. Detecting its use requires extremely specialised, methodological, complex and long-term work. Such specialist knowledge (chemical analysis, canine teams, procedures for carcass removal and so on) has been developed in only a few places. Local target groups (stockbreeders and hunters) have to date not been heavily involved in the fight against poisoned bait and have indeed colluded with the poisoners. Changes to the law and to social attitudes are leading to a better understanding of problems related to the use of poisoned baits, such as the threat to public health threat and pets. Legal sanctions (closure of hunting areas, jail sentences) have also helped. Illegal poisoning greatly affects raptors and carnivores, especially scavengers. The following species listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive are among those harmed by the practice: the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti), eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), Bonelli’s eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus), cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), black kite (Milvus migrans), red kite (Milvus milvus), griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) between others. All of these species are listed in the Annex I of Birds Directive. The brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus) and Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) are species cited in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive as having fragmented and small populations that are highly affected by this practice. Objectives The overall aim of this LIFE+ Biodiversity project aims is to implement, monitor, assess and spread innovative and demonstrative actions that significantly improve current strategies for combating illegal poisoning in the EU. Expected results: High quality information about illegal poisoning activities in the eight pilot areas (1 029 742 ha); Production of specific indicators to assess: the direct use of poison and related aspects; social perceptions of and social participation in poison cases; and the results of the canine team samplings and radio-tagged bio-indicator species; 30 selected stockbreeders in each pilot area to adhere to the guidelines of the European Network of Stockbreeders against Illegal Poisoning (ENSAIP); All 89 municipalities within the pilot areas to adhere to guidelines of the European Network of Municipalities against Illegal Poisoning (ENMAIP); 18 hunting zones in each pilot area to adhere to the guidelines of the European Network of Hunting Areas against Illegal Poisoning; Four technical guidelines on combating illegal poisoning to be published; Implementation of a common methodology to work on a bio-indicator species as an illegal poisoning indicator, and the trapping and tagging of this bio-indicator species; Development of a communication plan that includes a dissemination and awareness-rising tool; An 80% decrease in poisoning cases related to stockbreeders in the pilot areas; Development of awareness and dissemination activities; and Assessment of the anti-poisoning tool implemented during the project.