A €2.1 million project designed to improve the protection of the local population of endangered griffon vultures will be launched in Croatia in 2023, state agency Hina said on Tuesday, citing a press release from the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.

In the past, griffon vultures used to nest throughout the country, from the eastern region of Slavonia to the Adriatic region. Over time, their populations dwindled, and today smaller groups live n the islands of Cres, Krk, Plavnik, and Prvic. This year, however, they have been observed nesting on the mainland again, on Mt. Ucka, after a 100-year hiatus.

Estimates say that there are currently about 120 pairs nesting on islands in the Kvarner Bay area in northern Adriatic. The new project includes various elements designed to help these birds get food and protect their habitats from human interference.

The European Union will provide 60 percent of the funding for this project. Other partners in the project are the environmentalist association Biom, local authorities, the farming cooperative Otok KRK, the national power board HEP, and the Vulture Conservation Foundation.

There is also a hospital for griffon vultures in the village of Beli on the northern Adriatic island of Cres. The facility has an indoor and an outdoor enclosure for intensive care and it currently caters for 10 fledgling birds.