General information
The NatConnect2030 project has been approved under Call LIFE-2022-STRAT-two-stage - Strategic Nature and Integrated Projects (SNAP), one of 12 projects in which the European Commission has invested EUR 233 million.
It is a Strategic Nature LIFE project, aimed at achieving biodiversity conservation objectives through the development of the actions defined in the Prioritised Action Frameworks 2021-2027 (PAF) for the Natura 2000 Network and, in parallel, at implementing other plans or strategies adopted at international, national, multi-regional or regional level for environment and development.
The project, lasting 9 years (2024-2032, divided into three phases), sees the participation of 16 partners.
Territorial area: territory of the Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna Regions and of the Autonomous Province of Trento. with a total of 843 Natura2000 sites located in the Alpine, continental, Mediterranean and marine biogeographical regions.
Goals
The objective of the project is the consolidation of an integrated management system of the Natura 2000 network to ensure the achievement of the conservation objectives of the Habitats and Birds Directives, and will be pursued through the implementation of a set of actions considered strategic among those identified as priorities in the 5 PAFs concerned.
The project area is home to rich wildlife and more than 840 Natura 2000 sites, in an area of 100,000 square kilometres, characterised by the presence of the Alpine Arc and the Po River and with more than 24 million inhabitants (one of the most densely populated areas in Europe).
LIFE NatConnect 2030 also includes various multi-target and multi-level communication activities and capacity building actions.
The 5 strategic lines underpinning the project are:
- ecological restoration of habitats and species of conservation interest
- strengthening the connecting elements of the ecological network
- climate change mitigation and adaptation
- reducing the impact of invasive alien species
- strengthening the governance of the natura 2000 network and connecting areas
Expected impact
The ambition of LIFE NatConnect2030 is to have an impact at national and European level by demonstrating the feasibility of implementing 5 PAFs and contributing substantially to the objectives of the Green Deal:
- Expected impact 1: mobilising the necessary funds for the full implementation of the PAFs, following the end of the project
- Expected Impact 2: favour, in the long term, an improvement in the conservation status of species populations and habitats of community interest and the ecosystem services they provide
- Expected Impact 3: improvement of the ecological conditions and connectivity function of the Po River
- Expected impact 4: long-term improvement and strengthening of the role of the Regional Biodiversity Observatories in collecting, systematising, analysing and sharing data on habitats and species of community importance (art. 11 and 17 of the Habitats Directive), both inside and outside the Natura 2000 Network.
LIFE NatConnect2030, in addition to contributing to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, will contribute to several European policy objectives including
- EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030
- European Forestry Strategy 2030
- EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC
- EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species
- EU Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
- EU Nature Restoration Law
- EU Strategy on sustainable tourism
- EU Directive for the sustainable use of plant protection products
Milestones
14 March 2024: kick off meeting in Milan
Work Packages
The project is organised into 9 Work Packages (WP) and 61 tasks
WP 1: project coordination and management activities
WP 2: habitat and species restoration
WP 3: strengthening the ecological connection elements of the Ecological Network
WP 4: climate change impact reduction
WP 5: reducing impacts from IAS
WP 6: strengthening the governance of Natura 2000 Network and connecting areas
WP 7: communication and stakeholder involvement
WP 8: sustainability, replicability and exploitation of project results
WP 9: monitoring, coordination and mobilisation of complementary funds and integration with other policies.
Start date
01/01/2024
End date
31/12/2032
Project duration notes
The project has a duration of 9 years in three phases - start: 1 January 2024