LIFE Programme Natura 2000 Network
LIFE Programme
The LIFE Programme - whose acronym translates as L'Instrument Financier pour l'Environment - is an EU financial instrument that was created in 1992 with the specific aim of contributing to the implementation, updating and development of European Environmental Policies and Strategies by co-financing projects with European added value. Since then it has co-financed more than 5,500 projects across the European Union.
The current Life Programme was established by Regulation (EU) No 2021/783 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2021, and was published in Official Journal L 172/53 of 17 May 2021, repealing Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013, and establishing the Environment and Climate Action Programme (Life) for the period 2021-2027. The overall objective is now to contribute to the transition to a sustainable, circular, energy-efficient, renewable energy-based, climate-neutral and resilient economy in order to protect, restore and improve the quality of the environment, including air, water and soil, and to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity and combat the degradation of ecosystems, including by supporting the implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network, thus contributing to sustainable development.
The budget for implementing the Life Programme for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027 is around 5.4 billion euros. This financial framework is intended to co-finance projects in 4 areas: Nature and Biodiversity; Circular Economy and Quality of Life; Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change and, finally, the Clean Energy Transition. Any entity legally incorporated in the EU, except individuals, can benefit from Life funding. To date, the organisations that have received the most funding are universities, NGOs and municipalities.
Natura 2000 Network
The Natura 2000 Network is an ecological network for the European Union's community territory resulting from the application of Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 (Birds Directive) - repealed by Directive 2009/147/EC of 30 November (Birds Directive) - and Directive 92/43/EEC (Habitats Directive), which aims to ensure the long-term conservation of Europe's most threatened species and habitats, helping to halt the loss of biodiversity.
The Natura 2000 Network also applies to the marine environment and is made up of two types of areas, namely Special Protection Areas (SPAs) - established under the Birds Directive, which are essentially intended to guarantee the conservation of bird species and their habitats listed in Annex I, and migratory bird species not listed in Annex I whose occurrence is regular; and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) - created under the Habitats Directive, with the express aim of "contributing to ensuring Biodiversity through the conservation of natural habitats (Annex I) and the habitats of species of wild flora and fauna (Annex II) considered threatened within the European Union". In these areas of Community importance for the conservation of certain habitats and species, human activities must be compatible with the preservation of these values, aiming for sustainable management from an ecological, economic and social point of view.
This network extends across the 27 countries of the European Union, covering around 4,131,000 square kilometres of land, which translates into 18.6% of European territory. In Portugal, the Natura 2000 Network is made up of 167 areas on the National List of Classified Areas.