The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation is a higher Federal authority reporting to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). We advise the Ministry on all issues relating to national and international nature conservation and landscape management, promote nature conservation activities, support research projects and act as the authority permitting the import and export of protected species of animals and plants.

Project Support

The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) implements a number of Federal Government support programmes and measures for nature conservation:

• As part of the Environmental Research Plan (UFOPLAN), the Agency commissions research and development projects (R+D Projects) in the field of nature conservation and ecology. These underpin and assist decision-making processes for the Federal Government's conservation and environmental policies.
• The purpose of testing and development projects ("E+E-Vorhaben") is to realize promising ideas for conservation measures and to implement important research results in practical conservation work. These projects trial and refine new methods and procedures in nature conservation.
• Large-scale conservation projects aim to preserve natural landscapes and sustain and develop cultural landscapes containing outstanding habitats of plant and animal species requiring protection. With this programme Germany safeguards nationally important landscapes as a contribution to protecting the country's natural heritage and in order to meet supranational conservation commitments.
• In the context of support for associations individual conservation projects carried out by non-governmental associations can receive support. To this end the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) will again provide funding in the 2004 budgetary year. 

www.bfn.de