CFPs: Uncovering the Causes of Species’ Rapid Decline and Developing Actionable Solutions

The focus areas of this initiative include assessing and improving the understanding of the drivers of decline of common or widespread species present in the EU or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, developing and testing innovative approaches and actionable solutions to address the decline, supporting future uptake and upscaling of successful tools and methods across different regions and contexts, considering long-term ecological monitoring of species populations and habitats, and, if relevant, providing policy recommendations.

Human activities have caused a dramatic decrease in wild species populations globally, with estimates showing a drop of more than 70% over the last fifty years, and Europe has seen a major decline in biodiversity, including significant losses in bird populations. Species once considered common are now being assessed as threatened or endangered, signaling the urgency to understand the underlying causes and implement corrective measures.

Proposals under this initiative are expected to contribute directly to the implementation of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, particularly targeting the restoration of degraded and carbon-rich ecosystems, ensuring habitats and species show no further deterioration, and enabling at least 30% of species to reach favourable conservation status or demonstrate a positive trend. They should also align with EU legislation on biodiversity protection and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, focusing on halting species extinction, protecting genetic diversity, and managing human-wildlife conflicts.

Eligible participants include any legal entity, regardless of its country of establishment, including those from non-associated third countries or international organizations, provided they meet the conditions set out in the Horizon Europe Regulation and any specific call requirements. Participating entities must register in the Participant Register to obtain a validated Participant Identification Code (PIC) before signing the grant agreement, though validation is not required to submit an application. The total budget for 2026 is €12,000,000, with maximum funding per project of around €3,000,000.

Successful projects will provide practical, fast, and effective measures for policymakers, land, water, and sea managers, national agencies, and other stakeholders, ultimately contributing to nature protection, climate mitigation, and adaptation objectives. Long-term monitoring plans and recommendations will help ensure the sustained recovery of affected species populations while supporting the broader goals of biodiversity conservation across the EU and associated regions.

For more information, visit EC.