Celebrating 31 years of LIFE and Natura 2000

To commemorate their 31st anniversary, we take you on a quick journey to rediscover LIFE and Natura 2000. 

The beginnings of LIFE and Natura 2000 

The story began on 21 May 1992, when two monumental laws were introduced in the European Union: the Habitats Directive and the LIFE Regulation.  

The Habitats Directive led to the creation of Natura 2000, a Europe-wide network of protected natural areas. And the LIFE Regulation laid the foundation for LIFE or L’Instrument Financier pour l'Environnement, the EU’s funding programme for environmental protection and climate action.  

In the 90s, LIFE played a vital role in preparing management plans and developing inventories of protected sites for the Natura 2000 network. Since then, LIFE and Natura 2000 have shared an unbreakable bond, which we celebrate today. 

Milestones and achievements 

Since 1992, the LIFE programme has co-financed more than 5600 projects across the EU and supported the conservation of more than 6000 sites within the Natura 2000 network. The European Commission has increased the LIFE budget to €5.4 billion for 2021 to 2027. The new LIFE programme covers four areas of action: nature and biodiversity, circular economy and quality of life, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and clean energy transition.  

Meanwhile, Natura 2000 has evolved into the largest coordinated network of protected sites in the whole world. The network protects nearly 27000 sites, which all together make up 18% of the land area and 9% of the seas in the EU.  

Celebrations all over Europe 

This year the #Natura2000 will be celebrated with a BioBlitz in 18 sites in 18 EU member states. At the same time, LIFE projects all over the EU participate in the festivities of the anniversary by organising local events and joining the #LIFEAmplifiers campaign on social media.

Want to join? Just follow the hashtags #LIFEis31 and #Natura2000Day to know what events and activities are taking place in your region. And don’t forget to share your pictures and stories with us.  

Stay tuned for more updates on our social media channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.