In the remote Țarcu Mountains of Southwestern Romania, a quiet conservation success is unfolding. Heavy footfalls through undergrowth, the rustle of grazing in the morning mist — a herd of European bison, long absent from these lands, has returned. Nearly a decade after reintroduction efforts began, over 200 bison now roam freely in the Southern Carpathians. This is one of the most ambitious and successful rewilding initiatives in Europe — not just for the numbers, but for what these animals represent: resilience, restoration, and the reweaving of a once-broken ecological thread.
Bringing a species back to the wild is not just about the release — it’s about what happens next, and whether the animals can truly thrive in their natural environment.
Once extinct in the wild, European bison now display natural behaviours reminiscent of their ancestors, relying entirely on the landscape’s natural resources. In the mosaic terrain of forests, meadows, they are not only surviving — they are reclaiming their ecological niche. Looking beyond the scenes of this visible success lies a critical piece of long-term conservation work.
Genetic monitoring at the heart of rewilding success
Genetic diversity is essential to the survival of any species. It supports resilience to disease, adaptation to environmental changes, and overall health of the population.
Understanding how European bison shape their environment — and whether they can truly thrive — depends on careful, ongoing monitoring. Conservation teams from WWF and partners use GPS collars to track how the animals move through the landscape, mapping their routes as they graze, roam, and settle.
At the same time, rangers on the ground follow more traditional clues: hoofprints in the mud, rub marks on tree bark, tufts of shed hair and, very important, bison dung. These are then analyzed in partnership with the Senckenberg Institute, with two batches of samples already submitted. The dung samples helps identify individual bison, monitor population structure, assess health risks, and even understand their diet — offering insights into how the bison are influencing their habitat.
© WWF-Romania
Such knowledge is crucial for managing the herd, guiding relocation strategies, and ensuring long-term genetic vitality.
Under the EU-funded “LIFE with Bison” project, WWF-Romania and its partners — including Rewilding Romania, Rewilding Europe, WeWilder, scientific institutions, and the municipalities of Armeniș, Teregova, and Cornereva — aim to reinforce the genetic base by relocating at least 40 more bison to the region. The project also supports improved coexistence with local communities and the creation of a national working group to develop a formal Action Plan for bison conservation in Romania.
The “LIFE with Bison” project is co-funded by the European Union through the LIFE Programme. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union or CINEA. Through these collective efforts, the European bison’s future in the Southern Carpathians is becoming more secure — offering a powerful example of how a species once driven to extinction in the wild can return to restore balance to Europe’s natural landscapes.
