German farmers leading the race(nl translation)(de translation)

On 12 December 2025, also our German partners Biostation Bonn/Rhein-Erft and Biostation Rhein-Kreis Neuss hosted the first LIFE Cricetus meeting with farmers from the hamster areas around Pulheim and Rommerskirchen.

During the meeting, the latest figures and developments of the local European hamster populations were shared, followed by an introduction to the LIFE Cricetus project. This led to an open and constructive discussion with everyone attending.

Although the number of farmers currently implementing agri-environment-climate measures (AECMs) in the region remains limited, the existing measures are spread across a relatively large and well-distributed area. This landscape-level approach has already proven its value: it has enabled the successful maintenance of hamster populations following the release of captive-bred individuals.

LIFE Cricetus aims to build on these foundations by strengthening cooperation with farmers, expanding participation, and improving the effectiveness of existing measures for the benefit of the European hamster, farmland biodiversity, and resilient farming systems.