It was announced on Thursday that the European Commission has approved funding for 77 nature conservation projects under the LIFE Nature programme 2004. These projects will further contribute to the establishment of the EU-wide Natura 2000 network of areas safeguarding important wildlife habitats and threatened species. The projects will physically restore protected areas and their fauna and flora, establish sustainable management structures and strengthen public awareness.
Of the selected projects, 75 will be carried out in EU Member States and two in Romania. LIFE Nature is one of three funding strands under the EU's environmental programme LIFE whose goal is to support the implementation of EU environmental policies and legislation. Funding under LIFE approved in 2004 totals €160 million.
“The Natura 2000 network is the EU's key contribution to stopping the erosion of Europe's biodiversity”, said Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström. “With LIFE we are able to provide funding to strengthen Natura 2000 and to help threatened animals and plants recover. We need biodiversity – for emotional and ethical, economic and ecological reasons – and LIFE makes an important financial contribution to preserving it.”
From the 250 proposals submitted for LIFE Nature funding, the Commission has selected 77. Together, they represent a total investment of €140 million in nature conservation, of which the EU will cover €76 million. The rest of the funding will come from the beneficiaries, project partners and co-financers.
Most of the selected LIFE Nature projects will directly target the conservation or restoration of particular Natura 2000 sites or networks of sites. Others aim to protect threatened or vulnerable animal or plant species.
The most common project activities deal with the development and implementation of management plans; management of water courses; land purchase (especially in northern Europe); grazing management; elimination of alien species and site restoration and improvement. Part of all the projects are measures to disseminate the results and lessons learnt to stakeholders and the general public.
If relevant, the projects will also monitor and document the impact of their actions.
Among the programmes which were approved there are no less than 12 from Italy, seven from France and four from The Netherlands.
Furthermore, on the same day the Commission announced it will be funding 20 new environmental projects in third countries costing e8 million.
The 20 selected projects focus on capacity building and the establishment of administrative structures, as well as the development of environmental policies and action programmes in Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Russia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the West Bank and Gaza.
LIFE Third Countries is one of three funding strands under the EU's environmental funding programme LIFE whose goal is to support the implementation of EU environmental policies and legislation. Funding under LIFE approved in 2004 totals €160 million.
It has recently been claimed that Malta failed to apply for the Argo Action Programme which will provide administrative cooperation in border control, visas, immigration and related maters. The Argo programme amounts to e21 million.