Background Latvia's Engure and Pape nature parks are feeding and breeding grounds for the bittern (Botaurus stellaris). Lake Engure is the most important Natura 2000 site for the bittern in Latvia, with 30-50 breeding pairs, while Lake Pape is the second most important site, with 25-30 breeding pairs. Between them, these sites are estimated to host between 2% and 15% of the country’s total bittern population. In both lakes, there is sufficient coverage of reed beds, but because of reed-stand spread, overgrowing and drying up, their quality is deteriorating and they are becoming unsuitable for the bittern. To maintain the bittern population, it is necessary to maintain the mosaic of open water and wet reed swamps with shallow waters. Objectives The long-term objective of the project is to improve the conservation status of the bittern Botaurus stellaris in Latvia, according to the framework for species conservation set out in the EU Species Action Plan. The short term objectives of the project are: To improve the conservation status of the bittern and to improve ecosystem functions in the two most important coastal lakes for the species – Lake Engure and Lake Pape; To reduce the impact of direct and indirect threats to the bittern population by securing sustainable lake habitat management, including the restoration of currently degraded breeding and feeding sites; To monitor and evaluate the effects of the lake habitat restoration measures on the species during the project and to feed this information into future site management plans and species management recommendations; To establish a demonstration area for species conservation at Lake Engure, in order to eliminate gaps in knowledge about the habitat requirements of the bittern, and to establish widely applicable and regionally tested habitat restoration methods, thus laying the foundations for further bittern conservation work in Latvia and the Boreal region; To enhance public understanding of the ecological, economic and social values of coastal wetlands. Expected results: Conservation of 300 ha of bittern habitat in a demonstration area at Lake Engure; An improvement in the quality of bittern habitat on 1100 ha at Lake Engure and 600 ha at Lake Pape, sustaining a total population of 55-85 pairs in each area; The identification of the requirements of bittern habitat and the additional actions needed in Latvia; A wide range of stakeholders (from local decision makers to national nature conservation professionals in Latvia and the Boreal region) will be involved, and their understanding of the linkage between the health of the bittern and the wellbeing of wetlands and related ecosystem services will be enhanced; Results of the project will be promoted to the general public; The long-term sustainability of the project's activities will be ensured, by linking nature conservation measures with business initiatives.