Background The project area encompasses calcareous and extensively used grassland and meadows, and woodland across 3 554 ha in the Nördlinger Ries and the Wörnitz river valley. It is situated in the transition area from the Franconian Jura to the Swabian Jura mountains and is a reduced and isolated part of the network of dry habitats at national and international levels, and thus is of Europe-wide importance. Dispersal routes for many plant and animal species overlap here, resulting in the co-occurrence of species with western/Mediterranean, eastern/continental and alpine distributions. These factors render the project area a biodiversity hot-spot. Although there have been numerous stakeholder activities, habitats and species in the area remain threatened. Dry, open habitats and the species dependent on them are maintained by regular low-intensity grazing, traditionally by large semi-nomadic sheep flocks. This kind of pastoralism is in danger of being abandoned for economic reasons, resulting in the overgrowing of open habitats. In addition, within the region, there is a greater density of biogas plants than anywhere else in (central) Europe, resulting in incentives for intensified land use. There is a very strong competition for agricultural land. Sheep farmers and other farmers using low-productivity land (e.g. for cattle rearing) often cannot compete successfully for economic reasons. Objectives The project will seek to restore the region as an internationally important habitat corridor and a biodiversity hotspot. Project actions will include: Purchase of land for the restoration of calcareous grassland and hay meadow habitats, and development of areas for grazing; Restoration of calcareous grassland hay meadows and fens (6410, 7230); Restoration of shallow areas in water bodies that are habitats for the dusky large blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche nausithous) and other species characteristic of river valleys; Securing spawning habitats for the great crested newt and yellow-bellied toad; Tree and scrub removal (including the removal of invasive neophyte plant species) from dry open grassland habitats and preparation of these areas for grazing in order to permanently secure their open character; Improvement of native woodland and their avifauna by increasing the amount of mature trees and deadwood in forest habitats; Optimisation and creation of woodland edge vegetation for the integration of open and wooded habitats; Implementation of visitor direction measures and targeted information for visitors about the Natura 2000 network and this LIFE Nature project; other awareness raising activities such as participation in exhibitions. Expected results: The project expects to achieve the following: Optimisation and restoration of 79 ha of calcareous grassland; Creation of 2 500m of woodland edge vegetation, 1.5 ha of fen, 600 m of regraded ditch contours and 2 ha of shallow water areas; Restoration of 17 ha of extensively used grassland; Scrub removal from 10 rocky slopes; Restoration of a sheep grazing network covering 35 ha; Securing of 100 biotope trees and 20 ha of woodland with a large amount of deadwood; Improvement of the conservation status of habitat types 3150, 5130, 6110, 6210, 6230, 6410, 6510, 7230, 8210, 8220, 9130, 9150, and 9170 and of the yellow-bellied toad and dusky large blue butterfly; Securing and increasing the number of breeding pairs of woodland birds; Greater public awareness of the Natura 2000 network and the LIFE programme.