Background The wetlands of Wieden and Weerribben belong to some of the most valuable wetland ecosystems in Western Europe. The complete wetland area of Wieden en Weerribben, which covers around 9000 ha, was formed after the last glacial event that deposited peat in undeep lagunes that were isolated from the sea by coastal dunes. This mechanism was once very frequent in Europe (especialy the north of Germany, The Netherlands, Flanders and the northeast of the UK and East Anglia) but Wieden and Weerribben is the most extended lowland fen area in north western Europe. Mowing, grazing and peat extraction has modified the landscape and created a region of high biodiversity by maintaining areas of open water, acidic bogs and forests. But with the abandonment of these practices, natural succession and eutrophication has begun. Management efforts are thus needed to maintain all rare habitats in the course of succession from open water to wet forest continuous. Objectives The Wetland succession management project aimed to enhance biodiversity by creating more open water, especially in areas with good water quality, by encouraging the recovery of floating trembling bogs and by improving reed beds by removing the top soil. These measures would improve the habitats and the conditions for the plants and animals that depend on them. Another key focus would be the recovery of natural gradients between open water and the surrounding vegetation. Specifically, the project aimed to increase the area and quality of the following habitats: oligo-mesotrophic water with benthic vegetation of Chara spp. (3140), natural eutrophic lakes with Magnopotamion or Hydrocharition vegetation (3150), calcareous fens with Cladium mariscus and species of the Caricion davallianae (7210), transition mires and quaking bogs (7140), Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils (6410), wet heath with Erica tetralix (4010), hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities (6430) and bog woodland (91D0). Results The Wetland succession project resulted in the restoration of a total of 129.42 ha of highly valuable habitats. Measures included the removal of forest and scrubs on 18.7 ha for the restoration of quaking bogs. Monitoring is showing that the natural vegetation is recovering well. The recurrent management following the restoration phase consists of mowing of the reed and grassland and removing the clippings. Other restoration measures included: The digging of peat extraction trenches on 7.8 ha; Restoration of sphagnum reed beds by removing top soil on 17.5 ha and creating 8 km ditches; Improvement of habitats and banks for marsh birds on 22.2 ha; around 16.9 ha of reedbeds were improved and 5.3 ha of degraded grasslands were transformed into wetland suitable for marsh birds; Creation of new peat extraction trenches; around 20.21 ha of new peat trenches were dug out and 26 ha of forest were cut down in order to obtain open banks that allow more light to reach the open water; Conversion of forest into reed beds for species diversity over 7.15 ha; Shaping of banks for marsh birds over 11.97 ha; Restoration of quaking bogs and sphagnum reed beds on 18.1 ha.The project carried out numerous training sessions and held several guided visits to encourage the transfer of the project results. Moreover, it held a successful three-day international symposium that attracted 75 attendees from seven countries. Furthermore, one of the project sub-contractors developed a innovative new tool during the project: the Waterking. It is a heavy crane that can navigate shallow waters and very wet and peaty soils thanks to the extra large caterpillars installed on big floaters. It is thus able to access difficult-to-reach marshes and operate in challenging areas. Finally, the project led to more money being assigned by the public authorities to the protected area. In fact, the National Park was extended to include the whole of the Wieden and Weerribben area (partially a result of an earlier LIFE project), ensuring more structural funding for its management. The area attracts more than a million visitors every year (around 80 000 people visit the visitors centre of Natuurmonumenten and more than 100 000 visit the visitors centre of Staatsbosbeheer) for recreational purposes (such as fishing, yachting and biking). It is thus economically advantageous to maintain the region in a good condition. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).