Annex: LIFE Integrated Projects - Main contents
Annex to our Press Release - IP/21/501
A compilation of summaries of projects from the LIFE 2019 call for proposals. Projects are listed by country of the project leader (coordinator).
BELGIUM
LIFE Integrated Project Environment (waste management, circular economy)
Closing loops for less plastic waste (LIFE-IP C-MARTLIFE)
Flanders region in Belgium has high rates of recycling and reuse. But more innovation and better know-how on how to deal with plastic waste are required. In the circular economy, today's products are tomorrow's raw materials. This creates a closed loop or cycle where materials are recovered or recycled to various degrees.
This Integrated Project, led by the Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM), aims at closing material loops through recycling and reuse. They also plan on slowing down these loops by increasing product lifetimes. And more recycled materials and less raw materials will be used to narrow such loops.
In concrete terms, the team will increase recycling rates with closed loops for 80% of plastics in food packaging and construction waste, while significantly reducing litter through waste collection schemes. They also plan on restricting single-use catering material at events and within government departments. Partners will collaborate with adjacent regions, in Belgium and the Netherlands, to roll out the approach over a larger territory.
The team expects that this more efficient use of plastic will cut waste and reduce plastic litter. It will also create a sustainable recycling market for plastic and encourage its use as a secondary raw material.
GERMANY
LIFE Integrated Project Environment (nature conservation, wet grasslands breeding birds)
Bringing wintering birds back to Europe's wetlands (LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats)
The numbers of birds living in wetlands have declined dramatically across Europe. This is due to modern farming practices and land-use changes in the birds' wintering sites in West Africa. This Integrated Project will boost the breeding populations and reproduction rates of these birds in wet grasslands - in both Germany and the Netherlands. The team also aims to increase the numbers of migrating birds returning.
To do this, project partners, coordinated by the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment, Energy, Construction and Climate Protection, will develop better habitats for breeding by raising water levels and controlling invasive alien species. Work will take place on public and private land and will involve the team developing compensation agreements with farmers and other landowners. Overall, they aim to develop 21 000 hectares of suitable habitat for wetland breeding birds - an area around two-thirds as big as Munich.
IRELAND
LIFE Integrated Project Climate Action (Carbon sequestration, Peatlands)
Restoring Ireland's peatlands to their former glory (LIFE IP Peatlands and People)
Peatlands make up over 20% of Ireland's land area. They have many benefits such as locking away carbon and keeping it out of the atmosphere. In the past, Ireland's peatlands were harvested mainly for fuel: almost half of the original area has been lost as a result. Of those that remain, around 80% have been damaged. Ireland's goal is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through its Climate Action Plan 2019. This Integrated Project will see state-owned enterprise Bord na Móna helping to bring the plan to fruition. It will restore almost 10 000 hectares of peatlands - an area roughly the size of Dublin. Bord na Móna will also develop a model to encourage economic growth in the Irish Midlands through training, job creation and new value chains. Also, a discovery centre will be set up to help change people's perceptions of peat, from a fuel source to an important natural asset.
FRANCE
LIFE Integrated Project Environment (water resources protection)
Cleaner water for the Pays de la Loire region (LIFE-IP REVERS'EAU)
The Pays de la Loire region suffers from water pollution and extreme weather events like droughts and floods. Just 11% of its surface water bodies have a ‘good' status required by the EU Water Framework Directive, while 25% have a ‘bad' status. Moreover, many of the region's watercourses are in danger of missing their 2027 environmental targets. The Pays de la Loire regional council aims to improve the region's water quality by implementing the Loire Brittany River Basin Management Plan. This plan sets out ways to protect and improve the area's water bodies. The Integrated Project aims to effectively implement this plan. Work will include improving the shape and structure of watercourses and reducing pollution by tackling it at source.
HUNGARY
LIFE Integrated Project Climate Action (low carbon transition, renewable energies)
Replacing Hungary's brown coal with renewable energy sources (LIFE-IP North-HU-Trans)
Gradual phasing-out of lignite (brown coal) plays a key role in Hungary's National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). This coal is currently used to generate electricity in the country's Mátra Power Plant. It is the last remaining lignite power plant in Hungary, and it accounts for nearly 50% of the energy sector's CO2 emissions.
Under this Integrated Project Hungary's Ministry for Innovation and Technology - project coordinator - will decarbonise the Mátra Power Plant by 2030. All the existing lignite-fired power generation units will be replaced with low-carbon technology solutions. These include renewable energy and energy storage as well as natural gas technologies. This project will play a key role in enhancing the use of renewable energy technologies across the country.
ITALY
LIFE Integrated Project Environment (nature protection, Natura 2000 network)
Making the most of Umbria's Natura 2000 network (LIFE IMAGINE UMBRIA)
In Umbria, Italy, the Natura 2000 network is made up of 102 sites, covering around 140 000 hectares. This is around 20 times the size of San Marino. The region already has a strategic framework from a previous LIFE project setting out what measures are needed to run the Natura 2000 network. Through these measures, lead partner, Regione Umbria, aims to meet the conservation goals of the EU Habitats and Birds Directives. Work will include harmonising regional legislation on nature protection and improving the conservation status of various habitats and species. The team will also look at connecting strategic habitats, helping animals to move more freely. They also plan on managing the devastating impact of invasive alien species on other species and habitats. Sustainable tourism and green employment will also be fostered.
LATVIA
LIFE Integrated Project Environment (nature conservation, Natura 2000 network)
Better nature reserve management for Latvia (LIFE-IP LatViaNature)
The strategic framework - so called “Prioritised Action Framework” - for Latvia's Natura 2000 network provides a list of habitats and species for which actions should be taken to improve their conservation status. The Framework also includes a cost assessment of these actions. The country's Natura 2000 network comprises 326 terrestrial and seven marine sites. But shortcomings and gaps remain.
This Integrated Project will ensure that Latvia's Prioritised Action Framework runs according to plan. The project team, led by the Nature Conservation Agency, will address existing gaps and help to ensure the favourable conservation status of terrestrial and marine habitats and species, with a focus on protected marine habitats such as reefs and sandbanks. They will also develop better site management plans, new mechanisms for nature conservation on private land, and a centralised data portal for nature conservation. The control of invasive alien species is also a priority.
NETHERLANDS
LIFE Integrated Project Environment (biodiversity)
Boosting biodiversity with the help of land users (LIFE IP ALL4Biodiversity)
Biodiversity is declining in nature reserves in the Netherlands. This Integrated Project aims to restore this biodiversity in various Natura 2000 sites by reducing threats coming from land use in surrounding areas. These threats include excessive nutrients coming from farmland, land drying due to drainage, and pollution that reduces water quality for aquatic species. Project lead, Province Zuid Holland, will involve managers of Natura 2000 sites and users of surrounding land areas in activities. Close cooperation between relevant governmental organisations, nature conservation groups, farmers, businesses, scientific institutes and others is also foreseen. The team recognises that nature conservation to enhance biodiversity must be based on mutual benefits and new agricultural business models. This will be key when the team develops management plans for rural areas - a key feature of this project.
POLAND
LIFE Integrated Project Climate Action (climate and energy)
Getting ready for climate action in the Malopolska Region (LIFE-IP EKOMALOPOLSKA)
In February 2020, the Małopolska region adopted its Regional Action Plan for Climate and Energy (RAPCE). The plan aims to help this Polish region reach the EU's targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This Integrated Project will help to implement RAPCE, allowing the region to make the low-carbon transition. The team will mobilise national and EU public funds as well as those from the private sector. This money will be used to finance priority actions identified under RAPCE. Partners will boost institutional capacity and know-how by organising training courses. They will also look at how to make the heating appliance market more environmentally friendly. And they expect to create green jobs in the process. The team also wants to change negative perceptions of climate action and will therefore run educational campaigns to promote general climate awareness.
LIFE Integrated Project Environment (river basin management)
Cleaning up the Pilica river area (IP LIFE PL Pilica Basin CTRL)
The EU Water Framework Directive requires all of Europe's surface waters and groundwater to have a good conservation status. Despite this, the Pilica river in Poland has 126 surface water bodies but just 21 are in good condition. This Integrated Project, led by public water authority Państwowe Gospodarstwo Wodne Wody Polskie, aims to improve the river catchment area's water quality.
The team will address actions set out in the existing Vistula River Basin Management Plan. They will also invest in pilot blue and green infrastructure and biotechnology projects using living organisms. Their work will reduce pollution in rural areas and increase the retention and purification of stormwater in urban areas.
They also plan on curbing blue-green algal blooms in the Sulejów Reservoir and boosting ecosystem services (the benefits to people from nature) such as tourism in the Pilica catchment area. Training and information campaigns should help to reduce the pressure on water resources from agriculture.
PORTUGAL
LIFE Integrated Project Climate Action (climate change adaptation)
Getting to grips with climate change in the Azores (LIFE IP CLIMAZ)
Climate change is a big problem in Portugal's nine Azores islands. This Integrated Project will help local authority, Direção Regional do Ambiente (DRA), implement an existing regional climate change adaptation programme on the islands.
The team will encourage local communities to get involved in developing roadmaps for adapting to climate change. DRA will also promote its adaptation and mitigation measures into other policy areas, like energy, forestry and tourism, to increase climate resilience. Demonstration cases will help with the move towards carbon-neutral mobility. The team will also work with public authorities from the EU's outermost regions to find solutions to climate adaptation issues.
SLOVAKIA
LIFE Integrated Project Environment (nature conservation, Natura 2000 network)
Completing Slovakia's Natura 2000 network (LIFE- IP NATURA 2000 SVK)
Slovakia's Natura 2000 network of protected areas covers approximately 30% of the country but it is not yet complete. And although there are conservation targets for species and habitats, there is sometimes a lack of methodology for measuring conservation status.
The Ministry of Environment aims to implement the Prioritised Action Framework (PAF) through this Integrated Project. This PAF maps out the measures needed to run the Natura 2000 network. Doing this effectively will improve the conservation status of various species and habitats. It will also help the country meet the EU's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 targets. Actions include restoring peatlands and improving habitats that highly threatened species like the Western capercaillie and the European pond turtle depend on. Public awareness and acceptance of the Natura 2000 network should also improve.
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