Worldwide—Technical Support to the EU LIFE Programme

LIFE, the Financial Instrument for the Environment, is one of the spearheads of the European Union (EU)’s environmental policy. LIFE projects cover a wide scope—LIFE Environment projects address issues relating to the EU’s 6th Environmental Action Plan while LIFE Nature projects support the Natura 2000 network. LIFE provides funding for projects across all 28 member states. As part of the Astrale group of nine European partners, we supported the LIFE III Environment Programme from 2001 to 2005 and we have been supporting the whole LIFE III and LIFE + Programmes since 2005, in our role as the External Assistance Team.

One of the duties of the External Assistance Team is to assist LIFE beneficiaries in carrying out their projects and keeping them compliant with European Commission rules. The External Assistance Team also assists with the ongoing assessment and monitoring of projects and communication activities under each strand of the programme. We have responsibility for 41 projects in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as for certain cross-sectoral and thematic issues.

Sample Activities

• Support projects through all stages of the project cycle.
• Monitor and evaluate project performance and deliverables.
• Promote geographic and thematic networking.
• Disseminate lessons learned and success stories.

Select Results

• Successfully monitored more than 100 projects covering a range of technical themes including habitat restoration, species reintroductions, wastewater treatment, waste management, and energy efficiency.
• Completed ex-post evaluations on closed projects, helping to understand the impact of LIFE funding on environmental policy and long-term conservation benefits.
• Hosted and facilitated international events on invertebrate conservation and on ecosystem services approaches for adaptation and mitigation to climate change.