Background The River Lippe is a tributary of the Rhine. It runs westwards along the southern edge of the Westphalia lowlands. The river floodplain has been heavily modified by water engineering works and agricultural use, but it still hosts some areas with high potential conservation value. One of these areas is the Natura 2000 network Site of Community Interest (SCI) "Lippeaue zwischen Hamm and Hangfort". This SCI is characterised by grassland, backwaters and oxbows, and small pockets of alluvial forests, which are a priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive. Part of the area is also designated as a Natura 2000 Special Protection Area ("Lippeaue zwischen Hamm und Lippstadt mit den Ahsewiesen") for its breeding populations of corncrake (Crex crex), kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) and marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus). Objectives The project aimed to restore the natural river and floodplain dynamics in the pSCI. Along a 5 500 m section of the River Lippe, the river bank reinforcement would be removed in order to promote the re-instatement of natural erosion and sedimentation processes. Additionally, a 585 m stretch of a small side stream would be renaturalised. As a result, new natural river habitats would be established and the frequency of flooding would be increased on 110 ha of land. Several weirs and small barriers in the River Lippe were planned to be removed, to facilitate the migration of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) and asp (Aspius aspius). On 40 hectares of wet grasslands, the restoration of the natural hydrology would be achieved by blocking ditches, and 2.6 ha of arable land would be converted into grassland. For the general public, a nature trail and an observation tower would be created, along with guided access to the nature area. Results The project achieved all the main objectives: it restored the floodplain of the river Lippe at a length of some 17 Km in an area close to a large city. New oxbows, flood channels and shallow ponds were created and the bank stabilisations at the river Lippe were removed. As a consequence, typical alluvial habitats for a high number of threatened species were created. Moreover, areas of intensive land use were transformed to more ‘natural’ extensive grassland areas and alluvial forests. All restoration measures were accompanied through intensive media work, both at local and regional level. In fact, the success of the project is very much the result of intensive public relation measures, the very good co-operation with local stakeholders (especially with farmers) and the initiation of additional conservation measures. The beneficiary organised two large public relation events (Lippeauenfest) in the project site together with various local associations. The first event attracted more than 3000 locals.The project produced a high number of information materials, including 12 volumes of the newsletter “Auenpost” which was distributed during information events and via wooden boxes on site. Temporary information boards at the construction sites provided detailed information to the local population during the implementation of the large-scale project measures. The local and regional press reported on the project more than 200 times. School and kindergarten classes were reached with specific events. The good co-operation with farmers (both land owners and tenants) was crucial for the success of the project. This ensured that the necessary land parcels could be purchased and that the change of land use (from intensive grassland management to alluvial forests, extensive grazing and extensive meadow use) was accepted. No serious conflicts with farmers arose, even though some 25 ha of agricultural land was transformed to water bodies or forests and all remaining arable land was transformed to grassland through the project. It was very important that before the detailed restoration works began a detailed agricultural study was carried out in order to assess which farmers would be affected by the project and how the impacts on the project on farmers can be minimised. The project was able take into account the results of this study without reducing the targets of the project. The long-term sustainability of the project measures is ensured. Lease contracts were signed that ensure that the grasslands are ecologically managed, which will promote the development of typical floodplain meadows and the occurrence of rare bird species. Local authorities are responsibility for the maintenance of the new infrastructure for natural observation, such as the observation tower and the nature trail, and the general public relation activities will be continued. The project can serve as a best practise example for many other LIFE Nature projects. Conservation efforts will continue through the beneficiary and its partners in the same floodplain. These actions will further improve the ecological connectivity of the Lippe floodplain. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).