LIFE 2019 awards best projects for nature, environment and climate action

LIFE AWARDS WINNERS

From 15 finalists, three exceptional projects have been selected as this year's LIFE Awards winners. The awards were presented by Mr Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate General for Environment, and Ms Yvon Slingenberg, Director of International Mainstreaming and Policy Coordination, Directorate General for Climate Action.

The winning projects were chosen for their contribution to environmental, economic and social improvements, paying special attention to their innovation, replicability, relevance to policy and cost effectiveness.

LIFE Award for Nature:

• LIFE WOLFALPS (Italy) – coordinated conservation actions in the Alpine regions of France, Italy and Slovenia. Minimising conflict with people has helped increase the number of wolf packs and the species' range.

LIFE Award for Environment:

• LIFEAGROINTEGRA (Spain) – showed that integrated pest management is a viable alternative to chemical pesticides on farms. Pesticide use was almost halved in pilot areas where farmers turned to natural predators, cover crops and other methods instead.

LIFE Award for Climate Action:

• oLIVE-CLIMA (Greece) – worked closely with farmers in Greece to boost the net ecosystem carbon balance through sustainable farming techniques that are adapted to climate change. Aspects of the country's rural development programme have been revised to take the project's lessons into account.

The other finalists were:

Nature category

• Lesser Kestrel Recovery (Bulgaria)
• TEN - T.E.N. (Trentino Ecological Network) (Italy)
• LIFE PODKOWIEC+ (Poland)
• PANNONICSK (Slovakia)

Environment category

• LIFE RURAL SUPPLIES (Spain)
• LIFE+ DIGITALIFE (Italy)
• LIFE BIOCOPACPlus (Italy)
• REPURPOSE LIFE (United Kingdom)

Climate Action category

• LIFE+ SmartPV (Cyprus)
• LIFE SMART HOSPITAL (Spain)
• LIFE GREEN GAS NETWORK (Italy)
• LIFE_WZROST_PL (Poland)