Background The project site is located in a biodiversity hotspot in the Iberian Peninsula, which represents one of the best examples of Mediterranean ranges and foothills to be found in Spain and Portugal. The site includes well-preserved forests of holm oak, cork oak and Mediterranean scrub with a low density of human presence. It is home to important populations of imperial eagle, black vulture and black stork among many other relevant species and held, until very recently, populations of Iberian lynx. The area is currently threatened by over-exploitation, unsuitable farming and forestry practices, and man-made forest fires. Objectives The aim of this project was the overall enhancement of biodiversity on around 133 000 ha of Mediterranean woodland ecosystems in the Natura 2000 network sites (SCIs-SPAs) of Campo de Azaba, Campo de Argañán and Malcata (the former two in Spain, the latter in Portugal). An estate of nearly 500 ha was to be purchased, creating a reserve area for the introduction of suitable management practices. Several species of the EU Birds and Habitats directives would be targeted, such as the black vulture (Aegypius monachus), black stork (Ciconia nigra), imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo Bubo), great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo) and the marsh fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia). Restoration actions to improve the conservation status of valuable habitat types of the Habitats Directive would also be undertaken, especially in the case of holm oak forests, river gallery forests and temporary Mediterranean ponds. Finally, a series of biodiversity indicators would be developed for habitats showing a clear demonstrative value for similar areas. All the measures would be implemented in the framework of a management plan for the estate, which would provide a pilot experience for the management of these valuable habitats. Several public use infrastructures and a series of dissemination activities, as well as specific awareness-raising campaigns, would enable the transmission of the project’s objectives to relevant stakeholders and the general public. Results As planned, the project created a natural area in Natura 2000 network site that works as a biodiversity source for the nearby areas. And also as envisaged, the Campanarios de Azaba estate was bought in 2009-2010. The project enabled the recovery of Mediterranean forestry habitats by the sustainable management of the natural resources. Several management techniques were implemented to recover from the threats of past actions. For instance, the intensive use of the estate for cattle production had caused the degradation of natural resources and a significant loss of biodiversity. Some innovative tools, e.g. studies on insects and funghi, provided useful results for sustainable management actions, as well as ensuring compatibility of biodiversity conservation with rural activities. Thus, for instance, non-intensive, traditional pruning methods proved to be especially advantageous for vulnerable insect species. A study of invertebrates, meanwhile demonstrated that the use of non-intensive, farming/grazing of land was especially beneficial for the promotion of insect biodiversity. As a result of the fungi study, the beneficiary made the following recommendations to: Reduce the intensive farming of forest- and grassland areas; Increase the use of native livestock breeds to reduce the pressure on the habitats using their resources more efficiently; Control the scrub areas by use of animal grazing; Promote the forested areas, especially on steep slopes (i.e. to combat problems of erosion); Renew trees in the forested areas, especially Q. pyrenaica; and Avoid levels of high organic matter in grassland areas.Habitat restoration activities focused on the recovering the soils, reducing erosion, improving water quality, enhancing rabbit populations and increasing the forestry areas. A ‘midden’ for feeding scavenger birds was created. Eleven artificial nests were installed for black stork and black vultures, six ‘pre-release’ refuge structures for rabbits and in each of them four additional refuge structures were built. Six water ponds were restored/created and more than 4 000 trees were planted. As a result, some vulnerable and threatened bird species e.g. golden eagle, black stork, black vulture and Egyptian vulture, were observed on the estate. Also recorded were the great capricorn beetle and the marsh fritillary butterfly species. Although conservation actions generally need considerable periods of time to be assessed as successfully implemented, the foundations were certainly laid for an increase of the targeted populations. Detailed monitoring actions were also carried out in order to assess the degree of the conservation problems within the three Natura 2000 areas affected by the project. These clearly identified how certain management activities e.g. excessive pruning and intensive cattle usage had resulted in the degradation of the Mediterranean habitats. An important deliverable, therefore, was the project’s “Manual for the sustainable management of open Mediterranean forest”. It details the experiences gathered over the course of the project and the resulting conservation and management actions. It should serve as a useful tool to promote the management of similar land areas in line with conservation priorities. Public awareness actions and dissemination of results were targeted in particular at the local population. An environmental awareness programme was organised around three groups: schools, adult locals and university students. A guided visit programme began in spring 2011 and was used by around 2 000 visitors. All of the schools situated in the area around the estate participated in the environmental activities. For the local adult population, the awareness raising activities included events (environmental workshops, exhibitions, guided visits and talks) as well as leaflets and a volunteer programme for university students. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).