LIFE
What is a LIFE Biodiversity project?
LIFE is the acronym for L'Instrument Financier pour l'Environnement (The Financial Instrument for the Environment). This tool was developed by Europe in 1992 to co-finance projects relating to the environment and nature conservation.
These projects are for Member States, candidate states and third countries.
There are three types of LIFE projects:
- LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity: this finances projects that contribute to implementing "Birds" and "Habitats" Directives and which help to bring about Europe's wish to halt the erosion of biodiversity from now until 2020.
- LIFE+ Politics and Governance on Environmental Issues: this finances projects that present significant environmental benefits. This component of LIFE+ also helps projects that improve the implementation of European environmental legislations, projects which allow frames of reference in environmental policy to be established and projects which develop sources of environmental information through monitoring.
- LIFE+ Information and Communication: this finances projects that circulate environmental information, on aspects such as climate change or nature conservation. These projects may be co-financed up to 50%.
The proposers of Life Environment projects are quite often companies, universities and research centres. The proposers of Life Nature and Biodiversity projects most often come from the world of environmental NGOs.
LIFE ELIA = LIFE Biodiversity
In their overall objective of participating in halting the erosion of biodiversity in 2020 the LIFE Biodiversity projects may be put in place both within the N2000 network and outside of it. As for the LIFE Nature projects, they can only be carried out within the N2000 network (Natura 2000 areas).
The LIFE Biodiversity projects must also demonstrate an innovative nature. In other words, they must have a driving vocation allowing their expertise to be exported to the other Member States.
The LIFE ELIA project will therefore include three important constituent parts:
- restoration of natural habitats within and outside the N2000 network
- training and providing information for a target audience (electrical companies and forestry managers) in as many Member States as possible on innovative management techniques
- raising awareness among the general public