New Sturgeons Call for Proposals – Apply Now!

23 sturgeon species out of 27 are threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In order to protect these charismatic freshwater fish, IUCN Save Our Species is launching a new Call for Proposals.
Sturgeon illustration

This Call for Proposals aims to support on-the-ground conservation actions by funding projects that can protect threatened sturgeon species and their habitats, as well as improve the livelihoods of the people who depend on them.

Projects in the Black Sea Basin are eligible, in particular those located in the Rioni and Lower Danube rivers in Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia. Up to CHF 150’000 will be awarded per project, for a maximum duration of 36 months. This Call for Proposals is open to local Civil Society Organisations, local or international Non-Governmental Organisations, research institutions and universities.

Sturgeons are “living fossils”, and one of the oldest animal groups on Earth. It is also one of the most threatened group of animals assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, mainly due to overexploitation and poaching. Sturgeons have slow reproduction cycles and are slow in maturing, which makes them particularly vulnerable to unsustainable exploitation. Their current extinction risk is highly alarming, and many species are already gone from previously occupied habitats.