Annex: LIFE Strategic Nature Projects / LIFE Strategic Integrated Projects
A compilation of project summaries from the LIFE 2021 Call for proposals. Projects are listed by the country of the project leader (coordinating beneficiary).
Table of contents
LIFE Strategic Nature Project
Bringing Natura 2000 to the people (B4B LIFE)
Coordinated by Flanders Region, B4B LIFE will contribute to implementing EU policy on biodiversity and protected areas in Belgium. The project team will protect and restore biodiversity by improving the integrity of Natura 2000 sites. They will do this by enlarging protected areas, improving connectivity, enhancing management, and devising action plans for critical habitats and species. They will also reduce pressures, such as light pollution, effluents and climate change, via pilot actions that can subsequently be upscaled. These actions will enhance the ecosystem services provided by protected areas. The team will promote societal involvement in the process and communicate the benefits of biodiversity and Natura 2000 to the public.
LIFE Strategic Integrated Project Climate
Planning for climate change resilience in Estonia (LIFE-SIP AdaptEst)
The Estonian Development Plan for Climate Change Adaptation aims to increase the country’s readiness and capacity for climate change adaptation. The Plan to 2030 sets eight sub-goals, of which LIFE-SIP AdaptEst will support five:
- health and rescue capacity.
- land use and planning, including areas at risk of flooding and landslides.
- the natural environment, including terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.
- the bioeconomy, including agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting and tourism, to achieve sustainability in important economic sectors
- raising societal awareness and enhancing preparedness for the impacts of climate change.
LIFE Strategic Integrated Project Climate
Supporting local climate adaptation in Catalonia, Spain (LIFE eCOadapt50)
Climate change adaptation (CCA) rarely informs local investment decisions, and its role in lowering future costs for climate-vulnerable economic activities is underappreciated. The team behind LIFE eCOadapt50 will raise awareness of CCA and involve governments and businesses in setting up so-called Local Climate Adaptation Strategies in Catalonia, Spain. These Strategies will help mobilise local investment and shift political and social agendas to help make local economies more resilient. They will also identify the most climate-vulnerable territories and develop actions to increase their resilience while providing training to stakeholders to achieve this goal. The involvement of the banking and insurance sectors in Catalonia is foreseen.
LIFE Strategic Integrated Project Climate
Integrated climate-smart water management for river basins (LIFE CLIMAX PO)
LIFE CLIMAX PO, coordinated by the National Po River Basin District Authority, will demonstrate climate-smart water management at the river basin scale. The project team will improve the governance of water resource management and foster integrated planning at national, regional and local levels. They will coordinate and mobilise funding, share tools and methodologies, and raise awareness through communications. They will also increase the capacity for adaptation and involve stakeholders with water use interests. Water security and climate resilience will be improved through replicable measures such as flood prevention and river system renaturalisation.
LIFE Strategic Integrated Project Climate
Promoting a just energy transition in Poland’s coal regions (LIFE AFTER COAL PL)
Poland’s Wielkopolska Region is coordinating a just energy transition through its ‘Strategy for Climate Neutrality Eastern Wielkopolska 2040’ (RSCN). The team behind LIFE AFTER COAL PL will provide favourable conditions for the full and rapid implementation of the RSCN, particularly for the utility and transport sectors and SMEs. They will build a governance system to achieve climate neutrality at regional and local levels, help to gain societal acceptance for the transformation to a zero-emission economy, and mobilise funds for the RSCN’s implementation. They will standardise solutions to enable transfer to other regions, including the Łódzkie Region in Poland and two coal regions in Bulgaria.
LIFE Strategic Nature Project
Restoring wetlands in Poland (WETLANDS GREEN LIFE)
In Poland, the WETLANDS GREEN LIFE team will help implement EU policy for protected nature areas and the habitats and species they support. The focus will be on Natura 2000 sites and green infrastructure in marshes, peatlands and wetlands. Partners will define and apply measures to improve habitat conditions in these locations and designated buffer zones. Key actions will reverse degradation due to changes in hydrological conditions that have lowered groundwater levels. Also, the team will monitor the actions’ success in restoring the hydrological regime, improving biodiversity, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
LIFE Strategic Integrated Project for the Environment
Integrated water management for nature and the economy (LIFE Living Rivers)
Effective water management requires an integrated approach, which underlines the importance of River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). LIFE Living Rivers will contribute to implementing the 3rd RBMP for the Danube (2021-2027) in Slovakia. The project team, led by the Slovakian Water Research Institute, will involve public bodies, companies and organisations, who often have contradictory interests. Together, they will develop and demonstrate integrated and collaborative river management in pilot sub-basins. This work will maintain water quality, protect natural habitats and native species, and promote sustainable forestry and fisheries management while facilitating hydrological engineering solutions.
LIFE Strategic Integrated Project for the Environment
Building a sustainable circular economy for plastics (PlastLIFE)
There is an urgent need for a global transition to a circular economy for plastics. To this end, PlastLIFE will implement the four objectives of the Plastic Roadmap for Finland (PRfF):
- reduce plastic litter.
- decrease waste and unnecessary plastic consumption.
- increase recycling of all plastics.
- replace plastics made using fossil fuels with bio-based materials.
The team will apply safe and sustainable plastic production, consumption and recycling solutions and develop policy tools and monitoring indicators. The project partners, coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute, will also mobilise funding and change attitudes to help fully implement the PRfF by 2035.
