The project "Nature conservation and regional development in South-East Europe" aims to prepare and implement ten projects in the field of nature conservation and regional development in Romania and Bulgaria.

The rich asset of natural areas in the two EU states Romania and Bulgaria have considerably increased species and habitat diversity in the European Union. Nonetheless, both countries are subject to extensive demands both in technical and legal respect when it comes to implementing and transferring the Common legal framework in the field of nature conservation into the existing legal systems. As experiences from the former EU accession states show external programs to support the accession process are essential.

This project aims to prepare and implement ten nature conservation projects in the south-eastern EU states Romania and Bulgaria. Ten "young professionals" from the Romanian and Bulgarian sector of nature conservation shall be prepared in theoretical as well as in practical respect for the planning and implementation of an individual project by working in German large-scale protected areas or other nature conservation institutions for a period of two by two months, and by attending six accompanying seminars.

In addition to an introductory language training (esp. technical terms for nature conservation), the focus of the topics to be imparted lies on the Common system of nature conservation and on an extensive tool box with many tools to successfully plan and implement projects. Two of the ten project ideas are going to be especially awarded and funded in the course of a competition of ideas.

At the same time the project shall support the installation of a transboundary network of Romanian, Bulgarian and German "young professionals" in the field of nature conservation, which promises to better get nature conservation interests accepted in the course of EU integration in the long term.

The results of an intensive and accompanying project evaluation shall make clear, whether the methodical approach of this project is suitable to sustainably and successfully strengthen nature conservation in Romania and Bulgaria.