The Sighisoara Tarnava Mare Natura 2000 area (pSCI) is about 85,000 ha with about 25,000 people. Of the 8 communes, 5 are in Mures, 1 in Brasov and 1 in Sibiu judet. The centre of the project is in Sachiz (Mures Judat).

The area contains a broad area of mixed landscape whose species-rich grassland (about 30,000 ha) is of international importance. The area is included in the Romanian government?s list of pSCI N2000 sites, on the basis of 50-60% of the area being EU Habitats Directive Annex II habitats, with many EU Habitats Directive species. The biodiversity of the area is actually the result of the land management over centuries, and its survival depends on continued traditional land management. The biodiversity of the area is threatened by lack of economic return for continued traditional management of the land, and lack of awareness of the value of the area, which are leading toabandonment of traditional land management.

The aim of the project is to promote integrated management of this N2000 area, using a range of methods, some of them innovative (community meetings using LEADER groups, publications and panels, school classes and summer camps, demonstration grassland plot, etc) to build community capacity to design their own management plan for the N2000 area, and to make this management plan economically viable in the long term by helping to integrate into the management plan commercial and grant incentives for biodiversity conservation - marketing, branding, adding value to products, diversifaction of income for example agrotourism.

Thus the objectives of Natura 2000 will be met through a community-based approach, enjoying community support. Through this process sustainable development of the area consistent with N2000 will deliver local benefits. In addition to concrete measurable benefits, the project will build up local capacity in the area to bid for, absorb and manage the various forms of project funding to which the areas will have access; lack of such capacity is a major block in the development of many rural areas of Romania.

This application would fund community benefit and community capacity building that are complementary with, but not overlapping with, exisiting Fundatia ADEPT activities funded by Darwin Initiative, Orange Romania and Fondul de Mediu.

Specific activities will include:
- raising awareness locally of climate change
- influence on local and national policies,
- awareness raising and education in regarding importance of biodiversity and capacity building
- design, printing and distribution of agri-environment and Natura 2000-related training materials.
- farmers assisted, though Adept office in Saschiz, to enter agri-environment schemes
- 50 ha experimental/demonstration site to demonstrate good practice to farmers.
- Training of community groups. Local capacity to formulate projects and management of project funding will be raised by ?learning by doing?.
- contact with media to promote stories, village presentations, local TV broadcasts.
- local producers will be assisted to develop the market. Has already been a success in Muzeul Taranului in Bucharest (May and June 2007).

Monitoring and Evaluation.
M&E will be carried out by Adept specialists and by Ecotur Sibiu, who have considerable international experience in design, establishment, implementation and analysis of M&E of biodiversity-connected projects. The monitoring and evaluation process will be designed to include the active participation of the local community.

Dissemination of results
Dissemination of results will be achieved by a quarterly local newsletter, website, local TV and radio broadcasts, and local and national newspaper coverge.