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European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
News article8 June 2022European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency

LIFE projects win at Natura 2000 Award 

European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius recently announced the winners of this year’s Natura 2000 Award. 

Natura 2000 Award

This sixth edition of the Award honoured leading nature conservation achievements connected to Europe's Natura 2000 network of protected areas. Natura 2000 is the largest such network in the world and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. 

A high-level jury decided on five winners in various categories. From the finalists, the public also chose the winner of the European Citizens’ Award. 

THE WINNERS 

LIFE project, Adaptation of Eleonora's falcon to climate change, won the Conservation on Land Award. The team helped the Eleonora's Falcon adapt to climate change, improving its breeding performance by 42% on seven Natura 2000 sites.  

The Bulgarian communication campaign Natura 2000 in Bulgaria: new horizons won the Communication Award. Co-funded by LIFE, this campaign raised awareness about Natura 2000 in Bulgaria by using flagship species and habitats to communicate key aspects of the network. 

The Socio-economic Benefits Award went to Social inclusion and managing invasive alien species. This initiative, implemented by the LIFE Stop Cortaderia team, promoted capacity-building and social integration of people with disabilities. It also provided concrete conservation benefits by removing an invasive alien species from five coastal Natura 2000 sites.  

The Marine Conservation Award went to Fishermen and seabirds, allies for the sea. Co-financed by LIFE, this initiative addressed the threats to seabirds posed by commercial fishing gears via various mitigation measures. 

Evaluate the dark side with the CaveLife app won the Cross-border Cooperation Award. The team developed the CaveLife smartphone app, which allows amateur cavers to contribute to the assessment of underground habitats and species by uploading data to a centralised database.  

The European Citizens’ Award went to Flora—Empowering Conservation Entrepreneurs in Austria. The team secured long-term management of high nature value farmland in Natura 2000 sites in Austria by forging partnerships with NGOs, communities and farmers. 

All of the Natura 2000 award winners support the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, aiming to put biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030, with benefits for people, climate and the planet. 

Find out more about the Natura 2000 Award winners and finalists 

Learn more about the Natura 2000 Award 

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