LIFE on the global stage

More than 12 000 conservationists gather in Cali, Colombia this week for the biannual meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity — among them the EU delegation which hosts 20 workshops, policy forums and panel discussions, many focusing on the delicate interdependence of humans and wildlife. 

Two LIFE projects highlighting the economic, social and environmental benefits of healthy biodiversity are LIFE 4 Pollinators and LIFE BEAVER. Nearly 80% of European wildflowers and crops depend on insect pollination — valued at around €15 billion a year — while beaver ‘reintroduction tourism’ benefits local businesses and reduces the impacts of flooding. 

 ‘When we talk about pollinators, one or two commercial species come to mind,’ says LIFE 4 Pollinators project coordinator Marta Galloni from the University of Bologna in Italy. ‘But bees are only one type of pollinator — there are many different types, but most people are unaware of the enormous diversity. One of our aims is for citizens to learn to identify other types of pollinators including butterflies and beetles.’ 

The €2.5 million, 5-year LIFE 4 Pollinators project — which closed just last month — organised more than 200 public events across Italy, Spain and Greece and created an online database where anyone can upload photos of pollinating insects. Approximately 2 300 images have been submitted so far, with nearly a thousand from Natura 2000 sites. 

The benefits of bees are well known — but when it comes to beavers, not everyone welcomes conservation efforts. The €904 000, 5-year LIFE BEAVER aims to change hostile attitudes: its own research found that 26% of farmers surveyed in Slovenia had ‘negative feelings’ towards beavers and that human-beaver conflict was highest among farmers and landowners. 

Early education is key to changing hearts and minds. ‘We invest a lot of time into  education,’ says project manager Martina Vida from the LUTRA Institute for Conservation of Natural Heritage in Slovenia. ‘We have already run 164 workshops involving 3 066 children, in schools or in the countryside. We have even created beaver toolboxes containing fur, skulls, gnawed branches with teeth marks and even beaver poo!’  

The education programme has been awarded the prestigious Krka State Award for Young Researchers, and a play about beavers has been performed 31 times for 4 291 children in schools and theatres across Slovenia. Ultimately, however, it’s the economic benefits that carry weight. ‘We want to highlight the importance of reducing the existing and future human-beaver conflicts,’ says Martina. ‘The monetary value of ecosystem services provided by beaver activity will have a significant impact on future agricultural policies and decisions about water management.’ 

LIFE BEAVER and LIFE 4 Pollinators are just two of the hundreds of LIFE projects supporting the EU directives on habitats and water, and they also contribute to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the EU Natura 2000 protected areas network, the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, the European Green Deal, and the EU Climate Change Adaption Strategy.