At its 30th Anniversary on 5th November 2019 in Monticiano, Italy, Eurosite’s general assembly voted unanimously to change the organisation’s name to “Eurosite – the European Land Conservation Network” and to amend its mission accordingly, thereby laying the groundwork for a formal merger of the ELCN with Eurosite.

Eurosite president Stefan Versweyveld of Natuurpunt congratulated the representatives of the ELCN attending the meeting to this important strategic step: “Eurosite and the ELCN have already been working very closely together in the last years. The merger of the two networks is a logical continuation of this cooperation. Joining forces will enable us to provide our members even better service and to be more efficient in our work. I am looking forward to working together with the entire land conservation community to advance the protection and restoration of our natural heritage in Europe.” The ongoing LIFE ELCN project is currently coordinated by NABU, the German Birdlife partner. The coordinator of the ELCN, Dr. Tilmann Disselhoff, was voted to become a board member of Eurosite, ensuring a smooth transition of the ELCN to the Eurosite secretariat in the next months.