Nature and Biodiversity · Standard Action Project
LIFE Boat 4 Sturgeon
LIFE Boat to rescue four Danube sturgeon species from extinction
About the project
Sturgeons are among the most threatened animal groups in the world, and all European species are in a critical state with little sign of recovery; earlier efforts failed or were too short for such long-lived, late-maturing fish. Two of the six Danube sturgeon species are already extinct. The project aims to prevent the extinction of the remaining four, sterlet, Russian sturgeon, stellate sturgeon and beluga, by securing their genetic diversity through captive keeping and breeding of genetically diverse native broodstock. Healthy juveniles will be raised and released to support wild populations, with targets of at least 2,000 additional adults of the three migratory species in the Lower Danube and 2,000 adult sterlets in each of several stretches of the Danube basin.
Danube sturgeon species targeted
additional adults of the three migratory species in the Lower Danube (target)
Ukrainian participation
Ukraine takes part through WWF-Ukraine, an active beneficiary of the project. The official project summary does not describe Ukraine-specific activities.
| Organisation | Role | EU contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Public Union World Wide Fund for Nature Ukraine (WWF-Ukraine) | Beneficiary | EU contribution: €114,283 |
Consortium
Coordinator
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (BOKU University)
Austria
Ukraine
- Public Union World Wide Fund for Nature Ukraine (WWF-Ukraine)
- See “Ukrainian participation”
Austria
- Stadt Wien
- via donau – Österreichische Wasserstraßen-Gesellschaft mbH
Bulgaria
- Association WWF Bulgaria
Hungary
- Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem (MATE)
Romania
- Asociatia WWF Romania
Slovakia
- Centrum biológie rastlín a biodiverzity Slovenskej akadémie vied (participation terminated)
Slovenia
- Institut za ihtiološke in ekološke raziskave, Zavod Revivo Grobelno
Links
Sources and verification
Data verified on 19 Oct 2026 against official sources: