Background The whole of the Fizes River basin, located in the Transylvania Plain, Romania, is an important bird area. Situated along an important migratory route, it has a high value as a nesting and staging place for a great number of bird species listed in Annex 1 of the EU Birds Directive. The area also harbours many habitat types of Community interest, some of them listed as priority in the Habitats Directive. For example, significant populations of bats, reptiles, amphibians and fish species are present in the area, as well as 38 bird species listed in the Birds Directive, including two priority bird species, the great Bittern, (Botaurus stellaris) and the Corncrake (Crex crex). The main threats to the area are from deforestation and aridisation due to poor management of forests, soil erosion and organic diffuse pollution causing eutrophication of waters. Overgrazing and uncontrolled exploitation of wood, reed and game by the local populations have also caused important deterioration of the natural values in the area. Objectives The project aimed to set up a network of protected areas along the Fizes River basin. The recovery of the characteristic habitats was planned in order to establish a green corridor and a functional network of wetlands and riparian ecosystems. To attain this objective, the recovery of wetlands over a total surface of 250 ha was planned, including small ponds, marshes, swamps and fens. The project also planned to carry out reforestation over a surface of 400 ha to recover mainly alluvial forests. Around 250-300 ha of land would be acquired in order to implement the planned recovery works. Inventories and monitoring of the high nature value of the area, together with continuing assessment of the effectiveness of the project measures would also be carried out. A suitable management plan would be adopted for the whole area, and new nature reserves would be established in the sites targeted for habitat recovery. Finally, an important awareness raising campaign would be implemented, and local people would be involved in the implementation of the project. Results The project partially fulfilled its objectives. Concerning the establishment of a network of natural protected areas, the results were satisfactory, since several areas were significantly enlarged and legally protected under national law. The area of nature reserves increased from 50 ha to 782 ha (four areas). Furthermore, agreements were signed with the main local authorities to promote the conservation management of these areas and management plans were elaborated for two main sites. However, owing to difficulties in obtaining permits for works to be carried out on the land during the complex land privatisation process started in Romania at the beginning of the project, most of the planned on-site activities experienced severe delays and were not completed. Only around 3 ha of wetland was recovered, compared with an initial target of 250 ha. Concerning the recovery of forest habitats, the results were also very limited (only approximately 70 ha out of the planned 450 ha). To conclude, despite its shortcoming, the targeted area harbours significant natural assets, and this project has undoubtedly contributed to the protection, conservation and increased knowledge (through the inventories and studies undertaken) of the habitats and species found there. Moreover two management plans drawn up by the project have been endorsed by the relevant local authorities.