Despite war, political turbulence, and economic strain across Central and Eastern Europe, nature continued to recover, and people stepped up to protect it. WWF-CEE’s 2024 Annual Report offers a clear-eyed yet hopeful look at a year of hard-won progress for biodiversity, communities, and climate resilience.
Reflecting on the year, some standout moments we proudly recall include:
Restoring Floodplains for Climate Resilience: In response to increasing droughts and floods, WWF-CEE advanced floodplain and wetland restoration in six countries. In Hungary, six pilot projects have the potential to scale up to include over 150,000 hectares of restored floodplains along the Tisza River. At Mahmudia in Romania’s Danube Delta, 2,500 hectares of restored floodplain were preserved to maintain natural conditions through strong local engagement.
Living with Large Carnivores: Conflicts with bears and wolves increased across the region due to growing human pressure on wild habitats. In Slovakia and Romania, politicians proposed simplistic, unsustainable responses. We helped maintain protections for wolves and lynx in Slovakia, though not for bears. WWF has piloted coexistence measures in Tusnad, Romania, and supported electric fences for livestock in Hungary. In Bulgaria, our Bear Rescue Team rehabilitated and released three orphan bear cubs back into the wild.
Ukraine: Conservation in a Time of War: Most of WWF’s environmental recommendations were included in the EU’s €50 billion Ukraine Facility and the Environmental Compact under President Zelenskiy’s peace formula. WWF recommendations on freshwater management were also included in seven out of nine river basin management plans under the EU Water Framework Directive.
Towards 10% Strict Forest Protection: In Romania, WWF’s criteria for designating 10% of forests to receive strict protection were accepted by key stakeholders and incorporated into the methodology for identifying protected areas. In Bulgaria, WWF partnered with companies and other organisations to establish the “Sustainable Forests” association to promote and support the work and mission of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – a role that to date has been filled by WWF-Bulgaria.
Europe’s Sturgeon Action Plan Moves Forward: After years of pushing by WWF, 18 European sturgeon range countries finally nominated national sturgeon focal points to drive the implementation of the Pan-European Sturgeon Action Plan that WWF had leveraged under the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive. At a Council of Europe meeting, WWF-CEE and partners presented the evaluation of how the Action Plan has been implemented so far (result: there is room for improvement).
Water Stewardship as a Business Imperative: We launched the next phase of the Living Danube Partnership, focusing on promoting and demonstrating climate resilience, nature-based solutions, and water stewardship across the Danube Basin. Through a series of trainings, events, and an international conference on water stewardship, we raised awareness and deepened understanding among businesses and consultancies in the CEE region about the risks and opportunities related to water.
WWF Opens Office in Czechia: WWF International approved the establishment of WWF Czechia in early 2025. The team is advancing work on sustainable food systems, landscape restoration, and climate-adapted supply chains—filling an important niche in the Czech environmental space.
Flip through the pages of the full WWF-CEE FY2024 Annual Report and discover more inside.
