UK/IE LIFE National Platform Meeting, Woking

UK/IE LIFE National Platform Meeting, Woking

10th December 2015

LIFE Project Summaries

REBus / LIFE12 ENV/UK/000608 / Contact: Vicky Bennett
Project:Developing Resource Efficient Business Models
About:This project aims to demonstrate how businesses and their supply chains can implement Resource efficient business models (REBMs) that will make a major contribution towards the EC's targets of delivering a 30% reduction in domestic material use by 2020 and a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The project focuses on small and large businesses across four key markets: electrical and electronic products; clothing; furniture and construction products which have a total annual value of over €350 billion across the EU.
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Quarterback for LIFE / LIFE13 ENV/UK/000401 / Contact: Danny Zwakhals
Project:Crude glycerine water used on-site as a feedstock in an anaerobic digestion reactor to produce the renewable fuel biogas
About:The project's main objective is to mitigate the environmental consequences of the production of crude glycerine in the oleochemical industry. The aim is to demonstrate, in the first full-scale application of its kind, both the technical and economic feasibility of operating an integrated process in which crude glycerine is used as the only feedstock for an anaerobic digestion process in order to produce biogas for local use. This innovative process will enable oleochemical producers to meet part of their energy consumption with a carbon-neutral biofuel that enables a 25% (12,000 tonnes CO2/year) reduction in the facility's greenhouse gas emissions.
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REPURPOSE / LIFE13 ENV/UK/000493 / Contact: Sophie Maqsood
Project: Equipping community groups in estates to reuse more, clear fly tipping and improve their local environment
About:The project focuses on addressing one of the EU’s key environmental challenges, waste, by establishing locally developed, enterprise-led solutions for re-use in social housing contexts.The project aims to support residents to create their own social enterprises, turning redundant spaces into re-use hubs to collect, store and repair bulky re-use items and provide alternatives to fly tipping. This is complemented by an in-depth engagement and behaviour change programme to tackle the root causes of fly-tipping and encourage positive environmental action.
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WaterLIFE / LIFE13 ENV/UK/000497 / Contact: Simon Aguss, Hannah Blackburn
Project:Delivery of the Water Framework Directive through collaborative action between civil society and the private sector
About:The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) introduced in 2000 imposes firm timetables for reversing the long-term decline in Europe’s freshwater environment. Its headline objective is the achievement of Good Ecological Status (GES) in all European Water Bodies by 2015.Water LIFE aims to move surface water bodies within all demonstration catchments to GES faster than predicted by the 2009 River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). The project is designed to support governments in the development of 2nd cycle RBMPs, demonstrating that there are civil society and private sector led mechanisms that can work if supported by an adequate policy framework.
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LIFE ENPE / LIFE14 GIE/UK/000043 / Contact: Peter Ashford
Project:European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment
About:The project’s objective is to help increase the efficiency and effectiveness of public bodies charged with tackling environmental crime by building a network of prosecutors and judges to share information and develop best practice. It aims to foster a greater culture of transnational cooperation between prosecutors and judges focusing on waste, wildlife and chemical crimes.
LIFE 2014 CRMRecovery / LIFE14 ENV/UK/000344 / Contact: Bettina Gilbert
Project:Critical Raw Material Closed Loop Recovery
About:The CRM Recovery project will study processes for recovering raw materials and precious metals including gold, silver and platinum group metals from everyday electronic products that have reached the end of their life. The project aims to explore viable commercial models for recovering and reprocessing these materials, reducing the need to mine raw materials. The project will assess how different collection methods, such as kerbside collections and retailer take-back schemes, could be linked to efficient recycling processes in order to show how recovering materials can deliver economic value.
LIFE Housing Landscapes / LIFE12 ENV/UK/001133 / Contact: Hannah Clay, Hassan Mallu
Project:Climate-proofing Social Housing Landscapes
About: The project aims to develop climate change adaption solutions for existing social housing landscapes by demonstrating a holistic package of measures, based around the retrofitting of blue and green infrastructure, and increased local stakeholder engagement. Ultimately, it aims to demonstrate an integrated approach to addressing climate related and wider socio-economic challenges in vulnerable urban environments.
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LIFE SMART Waste / LIFE13 ENV/UK/000549 / Contact: ZuzanaVrabcova, Fiona Scott
Project:Smarter Regulation of Waste in Europe
About: This project is an innovative pan-European partnership between key bodies involved with addressing waste crime. The overall objective of this project is to demonstrate innovative ways of understanding, tackling and reducing waste-related crime. The project will develop, test and apply new and modern ways of working, and demonstrate direct interventions to assess and target illegality in waste streams.
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Celtic Seas Project / LIFE11 ENV/UK/000392 / Contact: Jenny Oates, Penny Wilson, LyndseyDodds
Project:Celtic Seas Partnership: Stakeholder Driven Integrated Management of the Celtic Seas Marine Region
About:This project will support the implementation of EU environmental and maritime policy, using a stakeholder-led approach to contribute to the development of marine strategies, particularly under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) for the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine waters in the Celtic Seas Marine Region. The findings of this ‘pilot project’ will provide significant EU added value.
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BureLIFE / LIFE14 NAT/UK/000054 / Contact: Chris Bielby
Project:Bringing the Bure back to LIFE: Hoveton Wetland Restoration Project
About:The main aim of this project is to restore the naturally eutrophic lake habitat within the Broads SAC to a biodiverse, clear-water state whilst minimising the carbon footprint of the project. The ecological condition of Hoveton Great Broad will be improved through a combination of sediment removal and biomanipulation.
LIFE Connect Carpathians / LIFE12 NAT/UK/001068 / Contact: Suzanne Tom, Rebecca Plant
Project:Enhancing landscape connectivity for brown bear and wolf through a regional network of NATURA 2000 sites in Romania
About: This project aims to establish and maintain a functional regional ecological network between the Apuseni Mountains and the Southern Carpathians in Romania. This area known as the Apuseni– Southern Carpathians Corridor is critically important for the conservation of the target species, brown bear (Ursosarctos) and wolf (Canis lupus).
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LIFE Waders For Real / LIFE13 BIO/UK/000315 / Contact: Paul Stephens, Andrew Hoodless
Project:Demonstrating wader population recovery through innovative site management and novel stakeholder engagement
About: This project seeks to reverse the decline of breeding waders (lapwing, redshank and snipe) in the Avon Valley, a river floodplain of high biodiversity interest, part of which is designated as an SPA. This project seeks to improve breeding success and breeding density of these species through a unique combination of habitat restoration and innovative targeted, seasonal exclusion, monitoring and tracking of predators.
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DBPRBRI / LIFE09 NAT/IE/000222 / Contact: John Connolly, Naomi Doonan
Project:Demonstrating Best Practise in Raised Bog Restoration in Ireland
About:The primary objective of this project is to help restore wetland, peat-forming conditions on Ireland’s raised bogs by continuing the process of removing plantation forests. Bog restoration actions will target active raised bog habitat on 17 sites that have been partially or wholly afforested.
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Cumbrian BogsLIFE+ / LIFE13 NAT/UK/000443 / Contact: John Dunbavin
Project:Restoration of degraded lowland raised bogs on three Cumbrian SCI/SACs
About: This project will deliver the restoration of 507 hectares of damaged lowland raised bog within 3 sites in Cumbria. This large-scale restoration will use a variety of restoration techniques that will serve as platform to demonstrate the complete restoration process of lowland raised bog habitat to a wide audience.
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Burren Tourism / LIFE11 ENV/IE/000922 / Contact: Carol Gleeson
Project:Burren Tourism for Conservation
About:The project aims to strengthen the integration of tourism and natural heritage, reconciling tourism development with conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage in the Burren area of Ireland - an internationally renowned karst limestone area that supports a rich and diverse selection of flora and fauna, archaeological monuments and traditional cultural practices.
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NaturETrade / LIFE12 ENV/UK/000473 / Contact: Gillian Petrokofsky
Project:NaturEtrade: creating a marketplace for ecosystem services
About: The overall objective of this project is to develop an innovative solution to the loss of ecologically-rich land in Europe. This project is demonstrating a novel approach to enable EU landowners to quickly assess the ecological potential of their land in terms of the ecosystem services that it provides and then trade these services using a web-based trading platform.
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THATS-LIFE / LIFE13 NAT/UK/000451 / Contact: Carolyn Worfolk, David Hargreaves
Project:Restoring HumberheadPeatlands: LIFE+ Project
About:HumberheadPeatlands is a National Nature Reserve comprising 3 Natura 2000 sites and is home to the UK’s largest raised bog complex. The project is restoring lowland raised bogs by creating stable water levels through removal of vegetation, blocking drains and installing water management devices. The effect of the bog restoration on nightjars and other species is being monitored.
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EcoCo LIFE / LIFE13 BIO/UK/000428 / Contact: Paul Sizeland, Sarah O’Mullan
Project:Restoring HumberheadPeatlands: LIFE+ Project
About: This project seeks to deliver habitat management in the most beneficial places within the Central Scotland Green Network area to improve ecological coherence. The project has developed a protocol to identify and map the most beneficial places for people and wildlife, some of which are not currently protected areas. The application is being tested through implementing habitat restoration, creation and improvement at selected sites.
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RaptorLIFE / LIFE13 NAT/IE/000769 / Contact: Eileen Linehan, Fran Igoe
Project:Connecting and Restoring habitats for Hen Harrier, Merlin, Atlantic Salmon and Brook Lamprey in Duhallow, Ireland
About:The project is taking place in south-west Ireland focussing on the Mullaghareirk Mountains, West Limerick Hills and Mount Eagle SPA and the Blackwater River SAC. These sites are important for a number of species, those targeted by the project include hen harrier, merlin, Atlantic salmon and brook lamprey. The project seek to reverse these declines in these species and improve the conservation status of the habitats by developing and demonstrating best management practices to restore sites to favourable condition.
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AranLIFE / LIFE12 NAT/IE/000995 / Contact: Patrick McGurn, GráinneNíChonghaile
Project:The sustainable management of the priority terrestrial Habitats Directive Annex 1 habitats of the Aran Islands.
About:The project is taking place on three SACs which make up the Aran off the west coast of County Clare in western Ireland. The islands are notified for a range of intact habitats including limestone pavement, calcareous grassland and machair. The condition of these habitats have declined due to under grazing, abandonment and the loss of important land management traditions. The project seeks to reverse these changes and improve the conservation status of these habitats by developing and demonstrating best management practices to restore sites to favourable condition.
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ObservaTREE / LIFE12 ENV/UK/000731 / Contact: Kate Hutchinson, Peter Crow
Project: An integrated early warning system for tree pests and diseases using citizen science
About:The overall aim of the project is to protect the UK’s trees, woods and forests from new pests and diseases.The project will develop a 'best in Europe' demonstrator of a Tree Health Early Warning System (THEWS) and engage citizens, volunteers and civic societies in the reporting of tree health incidents.
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PIP GB / LIFE11 NAT/UK/000383 / Contact: Jackie Webley,Ian Sime
Project:Pearls in Peril - securing the future of freshwater pearl mussel in Great Britain
About: The overall aim of the project is to help safeguard the future of the most important pearl mussel populations in Great Britain through the restoration freshwater pearl mussel and salmonids habitat in selected river catchments within Great Britain, securing the longterm survival of existing populations and to raise awareness of conservation issues.
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KerryLIFE / LIFE13 NAT/IE/000144 / Contact: Richard O'Callaghan
Project:Sustainable land use management for the conservation of freshwater mussel
About: This project seeks to demonstrate effective conservation measures that will restore the freshwater pearl mussel to favourable conservation condition in the Caragh and Blackwater River SAC catchments and to provide guidance for farming and forestry practices that support the conservation of freshwater pearl mussels.
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Stone Curlew / LIFE11 INF/UK/418 / Contact: Emily Field
Project: Securing the future of the stone-curlew (Burhinusoedicnemus) throughout its range in the UK.
About: The project plans to deliver a comprehensive, integrated suite of communications actions, aimed primarily at farmers and other land managers, to encourage the adoption of management practices beneficial to the stone-curlew. The overall objective of the project is to secure the future of the species in the UK by making it much less dependent on conservation work than at present, and therefore much more self-sustaining.
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LIFE-IP RBMP-NWRBD UK / LIFE14 IPE UK 027 / Contact: Mike Frye
Project:Integrated water management approach to delivery of the North West England River basin management plan
About:The overall strategy of this LIFE Integrated Project (IP) is for better implementation of plans under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) by working in a more integrated way with project beneficiaries and stakeholders to address the barriers, gaps and shortcomings preventing achievement of Good Ecological Status (GES). This will catalyse delivery of the IP outcomes that are to improve the trajectory towards GES, increase confidence of meeting targets, and reduce numbers of waterbodies where solutions are considered technically infeasible or is proportionately costly.
MoorLIFE 2020 / LIFE14 NAT/UK/000070 / Contact: Chris Dean
Project: Conserve and protect the EU priority habitat Active Blanket Bog within the South Pennine Moors SAC and the ecosystem services it provides.
About: The project is about protecting the integrity of approximately 9,500ha of blanket bog through implementation of best practice and development of techniques); increasing the resilience of 8,500ha blanket bog; and safeguarding the habitat through promotion of appropriate land management, responsible enjoyment and reducing the threat of wildfire.
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LiveWell for LIFE / LIFE10 ENV/UK/000173 / Contact: Jane Wallace-Jones
Project: Livewell plate for low impact food in Europe
About: The main objective of the project was to reduce GHG emissions from the EU food supply chain. The project has developed LiveWell plates for Spain, Sweden and France which demonstrate diets that: decrease GHG emissions by 25% compared to current average diets; comply with national nutritional guidance and resemble current dietary patterns. The project has contributed to a raised awareness of sustainable diets among EU policy makers and to a number of initiatives by the private sector on sustainable diets, including a stakeholder declaration on sustainable food in the framework of the High-level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Chain.
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SciuriousLIFE / LIFE14 NAT/UK/000467 / Contact: Helen Croft, Rachel Maidment
Project:Sciuriosity - Evolving IAS grey squirrel management techniques in the UK
About:The project is about developing Invasive Alien Species management mechanisms and processes to address the impacts of grey squirrels in the UK. Actions will address specific invasion scenarios currently evident within this invasive species' range which resonate with the wider threats posed by IAS to Europe. This approach will maximise transferability and replicability of project outputs and findings to other IAS management communities in Europe.