2020 LIFE call for proposals for traditional projects – nature and biodiversity

Date de clôture : 16 juil. 2020  
APPEL À PROJET CLÔTURÉ

1. Introduction to LIFE

1.1 What is LIFE?

LIFE is the European Programme for the Environment and Climate Action, for the period from 1 January 2014 until 31 December 2020. The legal basis for LIFE is Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 20131 (hereinafter "the LIFE Regulation").

The LIFE Programme is structured in two sub-programmes: the sub-programme for environment and the sub-programme for climate action.

The sub-programme for environment covers three priority areas:

•   LIFE Environment and Resource Efficiency

•   LIFE Nature and Biodiversity

•   LIFE Environmental Governance and Information

The thematic priorities for each priority area are further described in Annex III to the LIFE Regulation.

The sub-programme for climate action covers three priority areas:

•   LIFE Climate Change Mitigation

•   LIFE Climate Change Adaptation

•   LIFE Climate Governance and Information

The overall financial envelope for the implementation of the LIFE Programme is EUR 3.456.655.000, 75% of which is allocated to the sub-programme for environment (EUR 2.592.491.250).

According to Article 17(4) of the LIFE Regulation, at least 81% of the total budget shall be allocated to projects supported by way of action grants or, where appropriate, financial instruments. The second LIFE Multiannual Work Programme covering the period 2018-2020 foresees a budget of EUR 1.243.817.750 for the sub-programme for environment2.

During the period 2014-2020, the Contracting Authority will publish one call for LIFE project proposals per year under the LIFE Regulation.

 

 

1.2 "Traditional" Projects

Article 2 of the LIFE Regulation defines the various types of projects which may be supported by the LIFE 2014-2020 programme.

These "traditional" types of projects are:

•   "pilot projects" means projects that apply a technique or method that has not been applied or tested before, or elsewhere, and that offer potential environmental or climate advantages compared to current best practice and that can subsequently be applied on a larger scale to similar situations;

•   “demonstration projects” means projects that put into practice, test, evaluate and disseminate actions, methodologies or approaches that are new or unknown in the specific context of the project, such as the geographical, ecological, socio-economic context, and that could be applied elsewhere in similar circumstances;

•   “best practice projects” means projects that apply appropriate, cost-effective, state-of- the-art techniques, methods and approaches taking into account the specific context of the project;

•   "information, awareness and dissemination projects" means projects aimed at supporting communication, dissemination of information and awareness raising in the fields of the sub-programmes for Environment and Climate Action.

In order for a project to be considered pilot/demonstrative, the overall character of its core actions must be pilot/demonstrative. Although some best practice actions might be included in the project proposal, the overall approach must clearly have a pilot/demonstrative character and this should be justified in detail in the proposal.

The following table shows which type of project may be submitted to which priority area:

 

Priority Area

 

Environment

Environment and Resource Efficiency

Demonstration and pilot projects

 

Environment

Nature and Biodiversity

Best practice, demonstration, and pilot projects

 

Environment

Environmental Governance and Information

Information, awareness and dissemination projects

 

Climate Action

Climate Change Mitigation

Best practice, demonstration, and pilot projects

 

Climate Action

Climate Change Adaptation

Best practice, demonstration, and pilot projects

 

Climate Action

Climate Governance and Information

Information, awareness and dissemination projects

 

The amount available for co-financing action grants for all types of "traditional" projects under the Environment sub-programme is indicatively set at EUR 238 440 000

Projects financed by the LIFE Programme under one priority area shall avoid undermining environmental or climate objectives in another priority area and, where possible, promote synergies between different objectives as well as the use of green procurement.

1.3 Role of project topics

The LIFE multiannual work programme for 2018-2020 defines project topics implementing the thematic priorities for the sub-programme for environment listed in Annex III to the LIFE Regulation for pilot, demonstration, best practice and information, awareness and dissemination projects ("traditional" projects). They reflect the priorities on which projects should focus during the relevant period. Eligible proposals that reach or pass the minimum pass scores (see section 5.1.1 of the LIFE multiannual work programme for 2018-2020) and target a relevant project topic will be given priority over projects of comparable quality that do not fall under one of the project topics. See also the Guide for the evaluation of LIFE project proposals 2020 for further details on scoring of proposals.

1.4 How, where and when to submit a proposal?

Project submission procedure will be organised in two stages:

•   Stage 1: Concept note

•   Stage 2: Full proposal

Stage 1: Concept Note

Concept notes should be submitted through the online tool eProposal, available via the LIFE web page. The application tool contains all administrative (A), technical (B) and financial (F) forms required to submit a Concept Note.

For complete details regarding the application forms relevant at Stage 1, please refer to section 3 of this document. For complete details regarding the use of the eProposal tool, please refer to Annex 3 of this document.

The concept note can be modified, validated and (re)submitted as many times as needed until the deadline. You are recommended to submit your draft(s) regularly during the entire submission period to avoid last minutes issues with your internet connection of other IT related failures. Each subsequent submission overwrites the previously submitted version (earlier versions are not archived and are therefore not available anymore).

Applicants must submit their concept notes to the Contracting Authority via eProposal before 14/07/2020, 16:00 Brussels local time.

 

Stage 2: Full proposal

The applicants with the best ranked concept notes will be invited (in 10/2020) to submit a full proposal using the web tool eProposal available via the LIFE web page.

The application tool contains all administrative (A), technical (B and C) and financial (F) forms required, and functionalities to attach relevant documents (maps, photos, diagrams, graphs, mandatory administrative and financial annexes). For complete details regarding the application forms, please refer to section 3 of this document. For complete details regarding the use of the eProposal tool, please refer to Annex 3 of this document.

The proposal can be modified, validated and (re)submitted as many times as needed until the Stage 2 submission deadline. You are recommended to submit your draft(s) regularly during the entire submission period to avoid last minutes issues with your internet connection of other IT related failures. Each subsequent submission overwrites the previously submitted version (earlier versions are not archived and are therefore not available anymore).

For the proposals covered by these guidelines the Contracting Authority is the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME).

When preparing the proposal, the applicants may wish to consult the relevant LIFE National Contact Point; the complete list of the names and contact addresses of the national/regional authorities for LIFE in the Member States can be found on the LIFE website at

https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/section/life/life-national-contact-points

1.5 How will LIFE projects be selected?

The technical methodology for the project selection procedure and the selection and award criteria are described in section 5 of the LIFE multiannual work programme for 2018-2020. For a detailed description of how this procedure will be implemented, please refer to the 'Guide for the evaluation of LIFE project proposals 2020'.

Very important: Please note that the e-mail address specified by the applicant as the contact person's e-mail address in form A2 will be used by the Contracting Authority as the single contact point for all correspondence with the applicant during the evaluation procedure. It should therefore correspond to an e-mail account which is valid, active and checked on a daily basis throughout the duration of the evaluation procedure.

The earliest possible starting date of projects is defined in Annex 1.

Applicants invited to submit their full proposals to the Contracting Authority via eProposal will have to do it by the deadline communicated in Stage 2 invitation letter.

 

1.6 General Guidance to Applicants

The current chapter replies to some frequently asked questions on how to conceive a LIFE project proposal. For specific guidelines, see section 2; for recommendation on how to fill in the technical and financial forms, please refer to section 3 of this document.

1.6.1 In which language may the concept note/full proposal be submitted?

The concept note must be submitted in English.

As for the full proposal, the Contracting Authority strongly recommends that applicants fill in the technical part and especially the financial part of the proposal in clear English only, although they may also be submitted in any of the official EU languages, except Irish.

Note that the grant agreement, project management, formal reporting, key deliverables and all communication with the Contracting Authority will have to be in English.

The title of the proposal and form B1 ("Summary description of the project") must always be submitted in English. Form B1 may, in addition, also be submitted in the language of the proposal.

1.6.2 Who may submit a proposal?

A proposal may be submitted by any legal person registered in the European Union.

Entities participating in the proposal may fall into three types of beneficiaries: (1) public bodies, (2) private commercial organisations and (3) private non-commercial organisations (including NGOs).

The term "public bodies" is defined as referring to national public authorities, regardless of their form of organisation – central, regional or local structure – or the various bodies under their control, provided these operate on behalf of and under the responsibility of the national public authority concerned. In the case of entities registered as private law bodies wishing to be considered for the purpose of this call as equivalent to "public law bodies", they should provide evidence proving that they comply with all criteria applicable to bodies governed by public law and, in the event the organisation stops its activities, its rights and obligations, liability and debts will be transferred to a public body. For a complete definition, please refer to the annex "Public body declaration", which must be completed by all beneficiaries that wish to be considered and treated as a 'public body'. The only exception concerns those central (e.g. Ministry) and local administrations (e.g. Provinces, Municipalities, Regions etc.) whose nature of 'public body' is clear.

Please note that so called 'Sole traders' (i.e. entities owned and run by one individual and where there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business) are considered natural persons and are therefore not eligible to participate as beneficiary or affiliate in this call.

Please refer to the 'Guide for the evaluation of LIFE project proposals 2020 of Environment Sub-programme' for full details regarding the compulsory administrative documents which are required with the proposal depending on the legal status of the coordinating beneficiary.

 

Once a proposal has been accepted for co-funding, the applicant will become the coordinating beneficiary who is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the project. The coordinating beneficiary will be the single point of contact for the Contracting Authority and will be the only beneficiary to report directly to the Contracting Authority on the project's technical and financial progress.

The coordinating beneficiary receives the EU financial contribution from the Contracting Authority and ensures its distribution as specified in the partnership agreements established with the associated beneficiaries (if there are any – see below). The coordinating beneficiary must be directly involved in the technical implementation of the project and in the dissemination of the project results.

The coordinating beneficiary must bear part of the project costs and must thus contribute financially to the project budget. It cannot therefore be reimbursed for 100% of the costs that it incurs.

The coordinating beneficiary must show its legal status (by completing application form A2) confirming legal registration in the EU.

In addition to the coordinating beneficiary, a LIFE proposal may also involve one or more associated beneficiaries and/or one or more project co-financiers.

The associated beneficiary must always contribute technically and financially to the proposal and hence be responsible for the implementation of one or several project actions. Furthermore, it must provide the coordinator beneficiary with all the necessary documents required for the fulfilment of its reporting obligations to the Contracting Authority.

There is no pre-defined number of associated beneficiaries to be involved in a LIFE proposal. A proposal that is submitted without any participant other than the coordinating beneficiary itself is eligible. On the other hand, a beneficiary should not hesitate to associate other beneficiaries, if this would bring an added value to the project, such as when the partnership strengthens the feasibility or the demonstration character of the proposal, its European added value, its impact and/or the transfer of its results and lessons learnt.

Public undertakings whose capital is publicly owned and which are considered an instrument or a technical service of a public administration, and which are subject to the public administration's control, but are in effect separate legal entities, must become beneficiaries if a public administration intends to entrust the implementation of certain project actions to these undertakings3.

Exceptionally, an associated beneficiary may be legally registered outside the European Union if the actions outside the EU it is responsible for are (the coordinating beneficiary of the project shall in any case be based in the EU) necessary to achieve EU environmental objectives and to ensure the effectiveness of interventions carried out in the Member State territories to which the Treaties apply. In other words, the participation of an entity established outside the EU that will only contribute with the know-how or will collaborate to implement actions in the EU will not be considered as sufficient.

 

All associated beneficiaries must show their legal status (by completing application form A5), and provide full information on the Member State or third country in which they are registered. In addition all beneficiaries whether registered or not in the EU must declare that they are not in any of the situations foreseen under art. 136(1), 136(4) and 141 of the EU Financial Regulation4 (by signing the application form A3 or A4 – see instructions in section 3 of this document).

For private beneficiaries, the Contracting Authority may accept that affiliated entities to a beneficiary participate in a project as long as all conditions listed in the Model Grant Agreement and its Annex X (Financial and Administrative Guidelines) are fulfilled. However, the association of entities as affiliates may complicate the project structure and thus have a negative impact on the technical and financial coherence of the project. It is therefore entirely in the Contracting Authority's administrative discretion to accept affiliates, and in no case will affiliated entities be accepted for public beneficiaries or entities that do not comply with the description of affiliated entities hereafter.

Affiliated entities need to comply with the eligibility and exclusion criteria applying to applicants and should have a structural link with the beneficiary concerned (i.e. a legal or capital link) that is neither limited to the project nor established for the sole purpose of the project implementation (so the link would exist independently of the award of the grant; it should exist before the call for proposals and remain valid after the end of the project).

As affiliated entities could be accepted those directly controlled by the beneficiary (i.e. daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries), entities controlling the beneficiary (mother company) OR in case of Memberships, the beneficiary has to be legally defined as a network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities participate. However, if several beneficiaries want to work with the same 'affiliate', the 'affiliate' should be proposed as 'beneficiary' instead.

If you consider using young volunteers for specific actions, please consider applying for the European Solidarity Corps calls. The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) is conceived to offer young people between 18 and 30 in Europe the chance to support a non-governmental organisation (NGO), local authority or private company active in addressing challenging situations across the European Union. For further information: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity/organisation_info_en

A project co-financier only contributes to the project with financial resources, has no technical responsibilities, and cannot benefit from the EU financial contribution. Furthermore, it cannot act, in the context of the project, as a sub-contractor to any of the project's beneficiaries.

For specific tasks of a fixed duration, a proposal may foresee the use of sub-contractors. Sub-contractors provide external services to the project beneficiaries who fully pay for the services provided. Beneficiaries (including their affiliated entities) may not act as sub-contractors. Sub-contractors should normally not be identified by name in the proposal; if they are, the General Conditions of the Model LIFE Grant Agreement must still be respected.

For a more detailed description of the respective rules related to the coordinating beneficiary, associated beneficiaries, affiliates, co-financiers and sub-contractors, please refer to the General Conditions of the Model LIFE Grant Agreement.

For UK applicants:

Please be aware that following the entry into force of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement* on 1 February 2020 and in particular Articles 127(6), 137 and 138, the references to legal persons established in a Member State of the European Union are to be understood as including legal persons established in the United Kingdom.

UK legal persons are therefore eligible to participate under this call.

*Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community.

1.6.3 What is the optimal budget for a LIFE project?

There is no fixed minimum size for project budgets. While large ambitious projects (i.e. over 5,000,000 Euro total costs) have been financed several times in the past, small projects (i.e. below 500,000 Euro total costs) have seldom succeeded due to the limited output and consequently the low added value.

1.6.4 What is the maximum rate of EU co-financing under LIFE?

For the duration of the second LIFE multiannual work programme for 2018-2020, the maximum EU co-financing rate for "traditional" LIFE projects is 55% of the total eligible project costs. An exception is made for "traditional" LIFE projects in the priority area Nature and Biodiversity, under the sub-programme Environment for which the EU co-funding rate can go up to 60%, or 75% in specific cases.

 

2. LIFE Nature and Biodiversity
2.1 What is LIFE Nature and Biodiversity?

LIFE Nature & Biodiversity aims specifically at contributing to the development and implementation of EU policy and legislation in the area of nature and biodiversity. Projects financed must have a European added value and be complementary to those actions that can be financed under other EU funds during the period 2014–2020.

The priority area LIFE Nature & Biodiversity focuses on:

• -  contributing to the development and implementation of EU policy and legislation in the area of nature and biodiversity, in the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 202010, and the Birds and Habitats Directives11;

• -  supporting the further development, implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network; and

• -  improving the knowledge base for the development, implementation, assessment, monitoring and evaluation of EU nature and biodiversity policy and legislation, and for assessing and monitoring factors, pressures and responses that impact on nature and biodiversity.

There are two distinct sectors of projects which are intended to complement each other: LIFE Nature projects and LIFE Biodiversity projects. A proposed project submitted under the priority area LIFE Nature & Biodiversity must either be a LIFE Nature or a LIFE Biodiversity project.

Annex III of the LIFE Regulation describes the thematic priorities for each of these two sectors as follows:

Thematic priorities for LIFE Nature projects: activities for the implementation of the Birds and/or Habitats Directives in particular:

(i) Activities aimed at improving the conservation status of habitats and species, including marine habitat and species, and bird species, of Union interest;

2. (ii)  Activities in support of the Natura 2000 network bio-geographical seminars;

3. (iii)  Integrated approaches for the implementation of prioritised action frameworks.

Thematic priorities for LIFE Biodiversity projects: activities for the implementation of

the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, in particular:

1. (i)  Activities aimed at contributing to the achievement of Target 212;

2. (ii)  Activities aimed at contributing to the achievement of Targets 313, 414 and 515.

 

Thus LIFE Nature relates specifically to the objectives of the Birds and Habitats Directives, while LIFE Biodiversity is not restricted to the objectives of the Birds and Habitats Directives, but supports the broader implementation of the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. A nature conservation project that targets exclusively species/habitats of the Birds / Habitats Directives should normally be submitted as a LIFE Nature project. Other projects are more likely to fit better within the requirements of LIFE Biodiversity (N.B. Proposals submitted under NAT or BIO will be evaluated accordingly, no reclassification will be possible).

Notwithstanding the above, it should be noted that the Natura 2000 network of protected areas is still the EU's main contribution in our fight against the loss of biodiversity. Within the classic LIFE Nature projects most of the targets listed in the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 may be effectively addressed in the context of the Natura 2000 network: e.g. control of invasive alien species may be addressed through control and eradication in and around Natura 2000 sites, developing green infrastructure through the connectivity dimension of the

network and maintaining or enhancing ecosystem services (like flood protection, improving water quality etc.) through nature conservation activities resulting in the preservation or enhancement of these functions for a site or for the whole network in a region.

LIFE Biodiversity addresses targets 2 to 5 of the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. The most appropriate LIFE Biodiversity projects use innovation, or explore sectors and processes that have not been the target of classic LIFE Nature projects. Applicants should carefully read the project topics for LIFE Biodiversity to understand for which themes best practice would be relevant.

LIFE Nature and LIFE Biodiversity projects should be primarily focussed on nature conservation and/or on halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services. A project that may have a positive but secondary impact on nature and biodiversity and whose main objective is in relation to another environmental thematic priority (e.g. water) should not be submitted under LIFE Nature and Biodiversity. Please refer to the documents 'LIFE Environment and Resource Efficiency, Guidelines for applicants 2020' and 'LIFE Orientation Document'. A project on nature conservation and/or on halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services that essentially consists of targeting awareness raising campaigns should be submitted under LIFE Environmental Governance and Information.

Only wild flora and fauna and natural and semi-natural habitats may be targeted by LIFE Nature & Biodiversity projects. Projects, or actions within projects that target the conservation of domestic species or varieties of plants or animals are not eligible.

13 Target 3: Increase the contribution of agriculture and forestry to biodiversity
14 Target 4: Ensure the sustainable use of fisheries resources
15 Target 5: Combat Invasive Alien Species
16 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/wilderness/pdf/WildernessGuidelines.pdf

While the largest part of Natura 2000 is composed by areas where human activities have

heavily shaped nature and landscape, there are still some significant examples of wilderness or close to wilderness areas. The Commission published the Guidelines for management of wilderness in Natura 200016 showing that a special attention should be dedicated to these precious areas. In the European context, and the Natura 2000 network in particular, it is important to notice that there is a spectrum of more or less wild areas according to the intensity of human intervention. In that sense, wilderness is a relative concept which can be measured along a ‘continuum’, with wilderness at one end and marginal used land at the other. Re-wilding is a process to move areas up towards a wilder state, where the final stage is wilderness. This process is based on using natural processes for establishing sustainable and cost-effective management systems of Natura 2000 sites as a way to avoid recurring management activities. Applicants may consider this approach whenever the conditions would indicate this could be the most cost-effective approach to ensure the favourable conservation status of habitats and species. This would clearly not be a substitute to best practices currently used, but could be tested as a complementary way of biodiversity conservation for species and habitats identified in the Habitats and Birds Directives. Where relevant, applicants are invited to consider the guidelines mentioned above when preparing their proposals.

Natura 2000 is the largest network of protected areas in the world. Much of the network is privately owned. Making Natura2000 a success will only be possible through a wider active involvement of private owners and land users.

This issue has been analysed in two documents17 that provide detailed information on private land conservation in the EU comparing it to similar initiatives in other parts of the world.

Private land conservation is now one of the actions in the Action Plan for Nature, People and Economy18. Two LIFE Preparatory Projects19 have been financed and aim at further developing private land conservation initiatives and at setting up the European Land Conservation Network.

Applicants are invited to also consider private land conservation in their project design and to take stock of the experience and knowledge available. Coordination with the preparatory projects mentioned before should also be considered whenever relevant.

More than a half of bird and fish species listed in the Directives has been already considered in LIFE projects in the past. On the other hand, there is a large number of species among invertebrates, reptiles or vascular plants that have been widely unaddressed in projects so far.

In this context the applicants are invited to consider the recommendation of 2018 LIFE Platform meeting on Invertebrates which concluded that invertebrates were still not well represented in LIFE programme. It is recommended that such projects focus on habitat quality for the targeted species and on habitat connectivity in specific cases. In addition, these projects should always focus on improving public perception of invertebrates and communicate the importance of invertebrates for biodiversity and in terms of their functional role (e.g. pollination).

2.2 LIFE Nature
2.2.1 General scope and objectives

LIFE Nature projects aim to support the further development, implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network in particular by applying, developing, testing and demonstrating approaches, best practices and solutions.

Projects should be designed to provide EU added value in terms of coverage, conservation benefit, replicability, transferability and transnational scope.

With an area that is currently covering almost 18% of the terrestrial surface of the EU Member States, plus over 217,000 square kilometres of marine area, Natura 2000 is the central backbone for biodiversity in the European Union. However, even within the Natura 2000 network, a substantial part of flora, fauna and natural habitat types of Union interest, as defined by the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, is still in an unfavourable conservation status. Natura 2000 is also at the heart of Europe's Green Infrastructure, providing benefits through multiple ecosystem services.

For the years to come, projects for improving the management and/or for restoring sites of the Natura 2000 network will therefore remain the first priority for LIFE Nature funding. The species and habitats targeted in LIFE Nature projects must be listed in the annexes of the EU Birds (2009/147/EC) and Habitats Directives (92/43/EEC).

LIFE Nature projects are usually focussed on concrete conservation measures and are result-oriented, i.e. their implementation must lead to direct and sustainable improvements of the conservation status of species and habitats for which sites are proposed or designated.

The eligibility of project actions under the LIFE Nature strand depends on the species and/or habitats targeted and can be distinguished as follows:

Site-based actions:

•   Bird species targeted by site-based actions must be listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive or be regularly occurring migratory bird species.

•   Any habitat types / species other than bird species targeted must be listed in Annexes I or II of the Habitats Directive. Site-based actions for Annex IV species not listed in Annex II may be possible under certain conditions (see section 2.4.3).

Species-related (i.e. not site-based) actions:

•   Bird species targeted must be listed in Annex I or II of the Birds Directive or be regularly occurring migratory bird species.

•   Any species other than bird species targeted must be listed in Annexes II, IV and/or V of the Habitats Directive.

 

2.2.2 Geographic scope

LIFE Nature projects must take place on the terrestrial and/or marine territory of the EU Member States where the EU Birds and Habitats Directives apply20. However, specific actions outside the Union may be financed as long as the applicant provides full details on why such actions are necessary for the achievement of the EU environmental objectives and to ensure the effectiveness of interventions carried out in the Member State territories to which the Treaties apply. Transnational cooperation is encouraged where it improves the effectiveness of EU-added value of the project actions.

2.2.3 Project topics

According to the LIFE multiannual work programme for 2018–2020, the following project topics contributing to Target 1 of the Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 to fully implement the Birds and Habitats Directives are given priority:

1. Improvement of the conservation status of habitat types or species of Community Interest21 under the EU Birds and Habitats directives, targeting Natura 2000 sites proposed or designated for these habitat types or species22.

2. Projects aimed at improving the conservation status of habitat types or species of Community Interest, provided, their status is not ‘favourable/secure and not declining’ or ‘unknown’ according to the most recent overall assessments that Member States have provided at the relevant geographic level according to Article 17 of the Habitats Directive or to the most recent assessments according to Article 12 Birds Directive and EU-level bird assessments.

3. Implementing the marine component of the Habitats and Birds Directives and related provisions under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive descriptor 1, where such projects focus on one or several of the following actions:
— completing and finalising national inventories for setting up the offshore marine Natura 2000 network of sites,

— restoration and management of marine Natura 2000 sites, including the preparation and implementation of site management plans,
— actions addressing species-, habitat- or site-related conflicts between marine conservation and fishermen or other ‘marine users’, as well as actions which combine conservation measures with a sustainable use of Natura 2000 sites, and/or

— demonstrative or innovative approaches to assess or monitor the impact of human activities on critical marine habitats and species and their application as a tool to guide concrete conservation measures.

Applicants should clearly explain whether and why their proposal falls under maximum two of these project topics.

 

This list does not exclude the possibility of submitting proposals for topics that are not listed above, but fall under the general remit and objectives of LIFE Nature. Note however that proposals that do not fall under the above project topics cannot receive points under the award criterion 5 'Contribution to the project topics' and are therefore less likely to be retained and financed than other eligible projects of comparable quality that are covered by one of the project topics. Be aware that in order to be considered as complying with one of the project topics, a proposal has to comply with the full list of requirements of the respective topic. Note that the maximum score (10) under award criterion 5 'Contribution to the project topics' will be awarded only to proposals that clearly and fully comply with at least one of the project topics; the indication of two project topics does not translate into higher scores. It is not possible to choose more than two project topics. By not choosing a project topic, the applicant declares that the proposal does not fulfil any of the project topics and acknowledges that no points can be awarded to the project under award criterion 5. Moreover, only the topics the applicant indicates will be considered. Whether or not the project possibly fits under some other topic that has not been marked will not be examined. For further details see the "Guide for the evaluation of LIFE project proposals 2020".

2.3 LIFE Biodiversity

2.3.1 General scope

LIFE Biodiversity projects must contribute to implementing the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 targets and actions, with a view to achieving the objectives of the 2020 headline target of "halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss", other than those already covered by LIFE Nature.

LIFE Biodiversity projects must be compatible with national and/or regional strategies for biodiversity (where these exist).

Projects should be designed to provide EU added value in terms of coverage, conservation benefit, replicability, transferability and transnational scope.

If projects implementing Targets 2, 3, 4 and/or 5 of the Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 take place (even partly) in Natura 2000 sites, the measures proposed must be in line with the site's conservation objectives, the site's management plan or equivalent instruments and/or the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designation act.

2.3.2 Geographic scope

LIFE Biodiversity projects generally take place on the terrestrial and/or marine territory of the EU Member States. This includes the French Overseas Departments (DOMs). However, actions outside the Union (including OCTs) may be financed as long as the applicant provides full details on why such actions are necessary for the achievement of the EU environmental objectives (e.g. actions to support the EU Biodiversity Strategy) and to ensure the effectiveness of interventions carried out in the Member State territories to which the Treaties apply.

 

2.3.3 Project topics

According to the LIFE Multiannual Work Programme for 2018-2020, the following project topics focusing on the implementation of Targets 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 are given priority:

1. Development and implementation of Green Infrastructure23 plans and actions improving the condition of ecosystems and the services they provide24 and/or the connectivity between Natura 2000 sites and/or other protected areas; or

Development and application of Green Infrastructure-related widely replicable methods and/or techniques that effectively mitigate the negative impacts of energy or transport infrastructure on biodiversity by enhancing connectivity. These techniques and/or methods should be more cost-effective than qualitatively equivalent solutions already offered on the market, and, where relevant, lead to free shared solutions or the development of technical standards.

2. Development and application of tools aimed at integrating biodiversity into financial and business decisions so as to ensure, through the conservation and restoration of biodiversity carried out during the project, no net loss of biodiversity and/or enhanced income delivering ecosystem services25.

3. Targeting threatened species or habitats that are not included in the annexes of the Habitats Directive but have a status of ‘endangered’ or worse in the European species26 or habitats27 Red Lists or, for those species not covered by the European Red Lists, in the IUCN Red List28.

4. Addressing Invasive Alien Species29 by testing and implementing the following three steps on an appropriate spatial scale within a comprehensive framework:

— preventing the introduction of invasive alien species, in particular by tackling the priority pathways of their introduction,

— establishing an early detection and rapid eradication system, and

— eradicating, controlling or containing established invasive alien species. The projects should be set up to improve existing — or introduce new — technical, administrative and/or legal frameworks on the relevant level, in particular in relation to, but not limited to, the species included on the list of invasive alien species of Union concern pursuant to Article 4(1) of the Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council30. Explanatory note: where a step has already been addressed independently of the project or it is not possible to address it in the project context, the project actions shall at least be clearly situated in a broader framework that links all three steps.

LIFE projects targeting Invasive Alien Species are encouraged to share their results and data with the official information system supporting the implementation of the Regulation 1143/2014, i.e. the European Alien Species Information Network31.

Applicants should clearly explain whether and why their proposal falls under maximum two of these project topics.

This list does not exclude the possibility of submitting proposals for topics that are not listed above, but falling under the general remit and objectives of LIFE Biodiversity. Note however that proposals that do not fall under these project topics will not receive points under the award criterion 5 'Contribution to the project topics' and are therefore unlikely to receive high overall scores. Be aware that in order to be considered as complying with one of the project topics, a proposal has to comply with the full list of requirements of the respective topic. Note that the maximum score (10) under award criterion 5 'Contribution to the project topics' will be awarded only to proposals that clearly and fully comply with the project topic chosen. It is not possible to choose more than two project topics. By not choosing a project topic, the applicant declares that the proposal does not fulfil any of the project topics and acknowledges that no points can be awarded to the project under award criterion 5. Moreover, only the topics the applicant indicates will be considered. Whether or not the project possibly fits under some other topic that has not been marked will not be examined. For details see the "Guide for the evaluation of LIFE project proposals 2020.

2.4 How to conceive a LIFE Nature or LIFE Biodiversity project proposal?

Projects are expected to be set up in such a way to ensure that potentially the key project actions are replicable or transferable and to pave the way for the actual replication or transfer of the solutions proposed, at the latest after the end of the project. Note that the potential to replicate or transfer project solutions elsewhere go beyond dissemination, transfer of knowledge, and networking. Please refer to sections 2.4.3 and 3.2.4 for more details on the type and description of the project actions.

2.4.1 Volume of concrete conservation actions (the "25%-rule")

At least 25% of the total eligible budget of a LIFE Nature or LIFE Biodiversity project must concern "concrete conservation" actions.

 

It is strongly advised that LIFE Nature and LIFE Biodiversity projects include significantly more than 25% concrete conservation actions (CCAs). During the evaluation of the proposal, certain actions may be considered ineligible and removed from the project. Furthermore the applicant may consider certain actions to be concrete, whereas the selection team may not (e.g. actions related to inventories, management guides, monitoring, stakeholder communication, etc are not considered a concrete action). If the percentage of concrete actions falls under 25%, the whole project may be rejected for that reason.

Project actions for concrete conservation must be clearly identifiable as such. They must be 100% concrete conservation and not a mix of concrete conservation with other activities, unless the budget allocated to the sub-actions is clearly identifiable.

What are concrete conservation actions?

In this context, "concrete conservation" actions are those that directly improve (or slow/halt/reverse the decline of) the conservation status / ecological condition of the species, habitats, ecosystems or ecosystem services targeted.

Preparatory actions (e.g. planning and preparation of the concrete conservation actions) and land purchase / lease / compensation payments count towards this 25% insofar as they are directly necessary for the execution of concrete actions during the project's lifetime.

Monitoring of reintroduced species will only be considered as concrete conservation if the monitoring can re-direct the course of the reintroduction action.

In exceptional circumstances, preventive measures (including monitoring) that are necessary to detect and prevent major threats that could severely affect the habitat or species targeted by the project, may be considered as concrete measures even if they do not improve the conservation status of the natural or semi-natural habitat, ecosystem or wild species targeted during the project lifetime. These exceptional circumstances will be considered to be fulfilled if:

- the proposal provides clear evidence (e.g. records of previous events, statistics, etc.) that the likelihood of the event to be prevented and the severity of its adverse effect on the natural or semi-natural habitat, ecosystem or wild species targeted are high;

- all necessary measures are put in place in the course of the project to ensure that the countermeasure against the adverse event are operational in the case it materialises and thoroughly tested at an appropriate scale;

- the beneficiary identifies and explains any negative impact of the preventive measures likely to affect the natural or semi-natural habitats, ecosystem or wild species;

- the beneficiaries commit themselves to continue maintaining and applying the mechanisms and measures developed for a period of at least 3 years after the project end.

Legal protection will only be considered as concrete conservation if it is fully achieved within the project duration.

Actions that aim to influence the behaviour of key stakeholders (e.g. farmers, hunters, fishermen, visitors) so as to indirectly benefit the site/species/habitats targeted, may only be considered as concrete conservation actions if all of the following conditions are met:

1. a)  the inappropriate behaviour of the stakeholders in question is an important threat to the site/species/habitat targeted;

2. b)  the action has as its main objective changing the behaviour of specified stakeholder groups in a specified way that will clearly benefit the habitat/species in a specified way;

3. c)  the behaviour in question is foreseen to change during the project duration;

4. d)  this action is sufficiently quantified (no of persons reached by the action, % whose behaviour will be favourably changed during the project, estimation if possible of favourable impact on the species/habitat targeted, ...);

5. e)  this change is explicitly monitored by the project to check the results.

Visitor management actions (e.g. fences, trails) will only be considered as concrete conservation actions if the proposal can show that the visitors already directly have a negative impact on the conservation status of the habitats/species targeted.

Exceptions to the concrete conservation actions requirement

Proposals allocating less than 25% of their budget to concrete conservation actions will generally be considered ineligible. There are, however, two exceptions to this rule for LIFE Nature projects:

 Marine site designation projects: Projects for inventories and planning for the designation of new marine offshore Natura 2000 sites (either offshore or in territorial waters) or their extension do not need to include concrete conservation actions (for a definition of the term "offshore" within the context of Natura 2000 marine sites please refer to page 7 and to section 2.6 of the document "Guidelines for the establishment of the Natura 2000 network in the marine environment" - http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/marine/docs/marine_guidelines.p df). Any such proposal must, however, include a commitment from the Competent Ministry/Authority to designate the site(s) concerned as Natura 2000 sites before the end of the project and the Competent Authority must be a beneficiary of the project (coordinating or associated beneficiary). The designation of the site must be the subject of a specific action in the project, with the Competent Authority responsible for its implementation.

 Article 11 projects: LIFE Nature projects for the support and/or the further development of the surveillance of the conservation status of natural habitats and species covered by the Birds and Habitats Directives (in the sense of Article 11 of the Habitats Directive) do not have to include concrete conservation actions. In any such cases, the Competent Authority in charge of the Article 11 monitoring must be a beneficiary of the project (coordinating or associated beneficiary). Proposals for routine monitoring or for merely local improvement in monitoring will not be considered as qualifying for this exception.

2.4.2 Recurring activities for site or species management

A recurrent management action is an action that needs to be carried out periodically (at least annually) in order to maintain the conservation status of a species, habitat, or ecosystem.

In line with the general rule about ongoing actions (see section 1.6.12), ongoing recurrent actions are generally ineligible. For example, any site surveillance, periodic mowing or long- term monitoring actions, which were ongoing already before the start of the project, is generally ineligible.

New recurrent actions are, in principle, eligible for funding in LIFE Nature and LIFE Biodiversity projects. In particular recurring actions with a clear pilot demonstration value may be considered as eligible for funding.

However, projects foreseeing recurring actions must sufficiently demonstrate the long term sustainability and European added value of the proposed action. The applicant must therefore explicitly undertake that the project beneficiaries will continue after the project's end any recurrent actions started and carried out during the project, and explain how this continuation will be financed. The implementation of this commitment will be checked at the time of the final payment, when the Contracting Authority will verify that the recurring actions are still being undertaken at the required periodicity, or that all administrative and budgetary conditions are fulfilled to ensure their continuation at the appropriate time. If there is no such assurance that the recurrent action will be continued after the end of the project, all related costs will be ineligible.

2.4.3 Types of actions

When preparing your proposal, the following main types of eligible actions must be clearly distinguished:

•   Preparatory actions (A Actions),

•   Land purchase/lease of land and/or compensation payment for land use rights

•   (B Actions),

•   Conservation actions (C Actions),

•   Monitoring and impact assessment of the project actions (D Actions),

•   Communication and dissemination actions (E Actions),

•   Project management and progress (F Actions).

To be taken eligible for funding, all actions must meet each of the following conditions:

•   the need of the action has to be well justified in view of the objectives of the project; and

•   the long-term sustainability of the investments must be guaranteed. Preparatory actions (A Actions)

As a general principle, all preparatory actions must produce practical recommendations and/or information that can be implemented and be used without requiring further preparatory work. Furthermore, where exceptionally preparatory actions do not lead to direct implementation during the project, the proposal must provide a sufficient set of explanations, commitments and guarantees to show that their full implementation after the project is effectively ensured. Most projects include preparatory actions.

Preparatory actions should:

•  be clearly related to the objective(s) of the project;

•   be significantly shorter than the project duration and end well before the end of the project;

•   not be research actions, unless they fall under the exception described in point 1.6.14 of this Guide,

•   not be inventories of new or existing Natura 2000 sites (except for new offshore marine sites).

  Preparatory actions may for example include:

•   Actions preparatory to the conservation actions of the project (technical planning, permit procedures, stakeholder consultations, etc.);

•   Drafting Natura 2000 site management plans;

•   Drafting, monitoring and reviewing strategic initiatives related to targets or actions of the Biodiversity Strategy (at trans-national, national, regional or local level) not focused on the Natura 2000 network;

•   Developing conservation action plans for species/habitat types of the Birds and Habitats Directives;

•   Developing action plans on Invasive Alien Species, in particular on pathways of introduction and spread, or development of surveillance and early warning plans;

•   Preliminary studies required to improve the integrity and connectivity of the Natura 2000 network.

Where management plans, action plans, strategies or other similar plans are drafted or modified in the framework of a LIFE Nature or LIFE Biodiversity project, they must become legally operational before the end of the project. Therefore, in those Member States where a procedure for their legal adoption and/or approval exists, this procedure must be completed before the end of the project, otherwise, the related expenses will be ineligible. Applicants are therefore advised not to include actions to develop such plans unless they are certain that they will be legally operational before the end of the project. The applicant should include a timetable showing how and when the plans developed will become legally operational.

Land purchase/lease of land and/or compensation payment for use rights (B Actions)

This includes:

•   the purchase of land and associated costs (e.g. notary expenses, taxes, etc.);

•   the long-term lease of land and associated costs;

•   one-off land use compensation payments and associated costs.

Note: Short term lease and/or compensation payments can only be eligible for funding if they serve for demonstration of pilot actions – see below.

Any land purchase payments, compensation payments or lease payments to public bodies are not eligible, with the exception of compensation or short-term lease payments to local authorities (i.e. municipalities or similar).

For the exception to be valid, it must be explicitly foreseen in the project and beneficiaries must demonstrate that it is the only cost-effective solution to reach the objectives of the project. Moreover, it is recommended that local authorities re-invest the income from such payments into conservation or public awareness-raising measures for Natura 2000 network or the Biodiversity Strategy. Those proposals which include a commitment from the local authorities in question to do so will be considered for a higher scoring on EU added value in the project evaluation process and may therefore have a higher chance of being selected for co-funding.

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