LIFE programme awards 2022 winners for boosting biodiversity, environmental and climate action resilience and awareness raising

Yesterday afternoon during EU Green Week, Europe’s largest annual environmental event, the LIFE Programme for environment and climate action announced the five winners of this year’s LIFE Awards. The LIFE Award for Nature goes to a project from Cyprus for enhancing the conservation status and resilience of cedar forests; for Climate Action to Germany for boosting biodiversity on vineyards; and for Environment to Italy for awareness-raising about reducing marine litter. This Italian project also won the Citizens’ Prize and this year’s additional special prize on ‘LIFE and Natura 2000′, which has been created to celebrate the 30 years anniversary of the two, goes to Estonia for restoring alvar grassland. Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, said: “While the climate crisis progresses, we are also losing species at an alarming rate. Nature restoration is an incredibly powerful tool to tackle both the climate and the biodiversity crisis. We need to protect and restore nature, so it can protect us. My sincere congratulations to the winners and finalists of this year’s LIFE awards: you are at the forefront of this fight, proving how resilient nature is, if we just allow it to recover. Your successes are an inspiration to all and give us hope for the future.” Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: “All of today’s finalists and winners are true trailblazers. They take real action on the ground, resulting in more biodiversity, less pollution, and more climate action. Their dedication and hard work are helping us achieve the ambitious environmental goals set out under the European Green Deal.” The annual LIFE Awards recognise the most innovative, inspirational and effective LIFE projects in three categories: nature protection, environment and climate action. The LIFE Citizen’s Prize is awarded to the public’s favourite project. More information about the winners is in the news item.