LIFE Improves NATURE
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
LIFE improves NATURE Environment EUROPEAN COMMISSION GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE EU ENVIRONMENT DIRECTORATE-GENERAL In person LIFE (“The Financial Instrument for the Environment and All over the European Union there are hundreds of Eu- Climate Action”) is a programme launched by the Europe- rope Direct information centres. You can find the address an Commission and coordinated by the Environment and of the centre nearest you at: http://europa.eu/contact Climate Action Directorates-General. The Commission has delegated the implementation of many components On the phone or by email of the LIFE programme to the Executive Agency for Small Europe Direct is a service that answers your questions and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). about the European Union. You can contact this service: The contents of the publication “LIFE improves nature” do – by freephone: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (certain operators not necessarily reflect the opinions of the institutions of may charge for these calls), the European Union. – at the following standard number: +32 22999696, or – by electronic mail via: http://europa.eu/contact Authors: João Pedro Silva (Nature & Biodiversity ex- pert), Justin Toland, Jon Eldridge, Stephen Nottingham, FINDING INFORMATION ABOUT THE EU (NEEMO EEIG), Carla Travagnin (NEEMO EEIG, Commu- nications Team Coordinator). Managing Editor: Jean- Claude Merciol (European Commission, Environment DG, Online Information about the European Union in all the official LIFE D.4). LIFE Focus series coordination: Santiago Urquijo Zamora (Environment DG, LIFE Programme Unit). languages of the EU is available on the Europa website at: http://europa.eu Technical assistance: John Houston, Edyta Owadowska- Cornil, Darline Velghe, Anita Cortés (NEEMO EEIG). The following people also worked on this issue: Frank EU publications Vassen (Environment DG, Nature Protection Unit) and You can download or order free and priced EU publica- Laszlo Becsy (Environment DG, LIFE Unit). Production: tions from EU Bookshop at: http://bookshop.europa.eu. Monique Braem (NEEMO EEIG). Graphic design: Daniel Multiple copies of free publications may be obtained by Kurth (Atelier Kurth). Photos database: Sophie Brynart contacting Europe Direct or your local information centre (NEEMO EEIG). Acknowledgements: Thanks to all LIFE (see http://europa.eu/contact). project beneficiaries who contributed comments, photos and other useful material for this report. Photos: Unless otherwise specified; photos are from the respective pro- jects. For reproduction or use of these photos, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. Cov- er photo: LIFE07 NAT/IT/000507/Matteo Caldarella Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2018 Print ISBN 978-92-79-98409-9 ISSN 1725-5619 doi: 10.2779/75202 KH-AJ-18-003-EN-C PDF ISBN 978-92-79-98410-5 ISSN 2314-9329 doi: 10.2779/97902 KH-AJ-18-003-EN-N © European Union, 2018 | Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. The reuse policy of European Commission documents is regulated by Decision 2011/833/EU (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39). For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not under the EU copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. on si is m m o C Foreword n a e p o r u E : o t o h P LIFE is a comparatively small EU financing programme. From the mid-90s onwards, LIFE supported the EU’s It accounts for less than 1% of the EU budget for 2014- Member States as they defined the Natura 2000 2020. Yet LIFE makes a big difference to EU nature. network on land. More recently, the programme has played an equally vital role as they designate the ma- It has supported more than 1 700 nature and biodi- rine Natura 2000 network. LIFE also helps countries versity projects since 1992. The €2 billion invested in meet their obligations to manage, conserve and pro- these projects has done much to implement EU biodi- tect Natura 2000 sites. versity policy, in particular the nature directives (the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive). LIFE Nature & Biodiversity in numbers The programme has also had a crucial part to play in • 50 000 project actions bringing the Natura 2000 network of protected are- • 95 000 training sessions as into being. Of the 27 500 individual Natura 2000 • 194 000 hectares of land purchased sites, more than 5 300 have at least once been tar- for conservation geted by LIFE project actions. • Millions of citizens have had their awareness raised LIFE has implemented many successful conservation measures for the habitats and species listed in the na- For the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the ture directives. The evidence is clear to see. EU Mem- Commission proposes to increase funding for LIFE by ber States and experts at the International Union for almost 60%. This will allow more to be spent on na- the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) regularly monitor ture and biodiversity. The new LIFE programme will the status of species and habitats. All the examples continue to support projects that implement concrete featured in this publication have been shown in those conservation on the ground and promote best practic- monitoring reports to have improved their conserva- es. It will also include new, dedicated ‘strategic nature tion status, thereby providing evidence that invest- projects’ for all Member States to improve their gov- ing into nature delivers tangible positive outcomes. ernance and help mainstream nature and biodiversity Thanks to LIFE, unique European species such as the policy objectives into other policies and financing pro- Azores bullfinch and the Iberian lynx have been res- grammes, such as agriculture and rural development. cued from certain extinction. This will ensure a more coherent approach across sec- tors, making sure that this small programme has an In essence, the successful recovery of species and even bigger impact in years to come. habitats depends on people. LIFE is great at putting different stakeholders together to manage the Natura 2000 network of sites. It also improves conservation knowhow, and raises awareness by actively involving citizens, and local and regional authorities. And LIFE is a catalyst for the integration of other funding sources Humberto Delgado Rosa which can ensure that Natura 2000 sites are man- Director for Natural Capital, aged well in the long term. DG Environment, European Commission 1 Photo: LIFE08 NAT/EE/000257/Mads Fjeldsoe Christensen Photo: LIFE08 NAT/EE/000257/Mads 2 Introduction 4 LIFE and EU biodiversity policy 4 LIFE and Natura 2000 hand in hand 6 Examples of LIFE making a difference to EU nature 9 Habitats 11 Belgian Ardennes (fens and heaths) 12 Atlantic open habitats (machair and Burren) 14 Semi-natural dry grasslands 16 Species 18 Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) 20 Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) 22 Hungarian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis) 24 Freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera Margaritifera) 26 Azores bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina) 28 Great bustard (Otis tarda) 30 Yelkouan shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) 32 Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) 34 List of featured projects 37 3 LIFE and EU biodiversity policy In 2011 the European Commission adopted a strategy to halt biodiversity loss and improve the state of species, habitats and ecosystems across the EU by 2020. LIFE has a key role to play in its implementation. The primary target of the biodiversity strategy - full implementation of EU nature legislation – is being measured against the reports on the status of protected species EU Contribution EU Contribution and habitats that EU Member States are Nature an Bioiversity IP Nature proects obliged to make under the terms of the 2 nature directives. By 2020, the assess- ments of species and habitats protect- ed by EU nature law should show better conservation or a secure status for 100% 164 M more habitats and 50% more species than at the start of the decade. However, the Member States’ most recent reports under Article 12 of the Birds Directive (for 2008- 2012) and Article 17 of the Habitats Direc- tive (for 2007-2012) show that the vast majority of species and habitats remain 141 M 198 M 437 M 874 M 397 M threatened, or in an ‘unfavourable’ conser- LIFE I LIFE II LIFE III LIFE LIFE vation status. 1992-1995 1996-1999 2000-2006 2007-2013 2014-2020 ONGOING LIFE’s role in implementation The EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 sets targets in 6 main areas: The LIFE programme is one of the main Since it was launched in 1992, LIFE has • the full implementation of sources of EU funding for implement- co-financed over 1 700 nature and bio- Forests ing the Birds and Habitats Directives and diversity projects. EU support to the tune EU nature legislation halting biodiversity loss. LIFE co-funds of more than €2.2 billion forms part of a • maintaining and restoring Natural an semi-natural rasslan ormations projects that work to conserve the species total investment of €3.8 billion in nature ecosystems and their services and habitats listed in the annexes of the 2 conservation made by these projects. For • more sustainable agriculture nature directives, across the entire Natura the 2014-2020 funding period, LIFE has a and forestry Freshater habitats 2000 network, including marine protected budget of some €3.4 billion. • more sustainable fishing and areas. It also supports activities targeting healthier seas threatened species or habitats that are not • tighter controls on included in the annexes of the Habitats Di- invasive alien species rective but have a status of ‘endangered’