What is a "LIFE" project ?
LIFE is an acronym for "The Financial Instrument for the Environment". This European fund is a real godsend for the preservation and study of biodiversity. The aim of this programme is to support projects in the fields of nature, environment and climate. Created in 1992, it contributes to the implementation, development and strengthening of Community environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot actions and demonstrative projects of European interest.
More specifically, the European Union's "LIFE Nature" programme finances projects that contribute to the implementation of the 1979 European Birds Directive and the Habitats, Fauna and Flora Directive, which led to the creation of the Natura 2000 network. These projects must therefore be developed within the Natura 2000 network, which brings together natural sites in the European Union with a high heritage value, due to the exceptional flora and fauna they contain.
Projects are funded up to 75% by the European Union when they target priority species or habitats of Community interest. The remainder is financed by national funds (State, local authorities, private funds, other...).
What about Natura 2000 ?
Born of two European directives, the Birds Directive (1979) and the Habitat Directive (1992), the Natura 2000 network is the largest network of protected sites in the world covering almost 850,000 km², or more than 20% of the territory of the European Union. In Wallonia, 13% of the territory, or 220,944 ha, is covered.
This vast ecological network is the result of a European initiative to halt the decline in biodiversity. The aim is to ensure the conservation of endangered habitats and species in Europe. The Natura 2000 network also aims to ensure that the biological diversity of its territories and human activities coexist harmoniously. It's a major challenge that we all have to rise to.
In 2012, all the Natura 2000 sites in the Walloon Region were mapped. For each plot of land, a habitat and a management unit (MU) were defined. This MU determines the management to be applied to the habitat present on the parcel concerned. The management to be applied for each UG is defined on the Natagriwal website and more specifically in the farm management guide.