LIFE Programme

The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation by co-financing projects with European benefit. Since 1992, LIFE has funded around 4000 projects across the EU, contributing approximately 3 billion euros to the protection of the environment.

LIFE VIDALIA seeks an integrated approach to one of the priority areas of the LIFE Programme, Nature and Biodiversity, providing a set of pilot, demonstration and best practice concrete conservation works.

Besides, as anticipated for any project funded by the LIFE Programme, LIFE VIDALIA takes into account the socio-economical context in which it will be implemented and, therefore, has a strong demonstration character, as it will allow to test, at a relevant conservation scale, practices that should be set up, after the project works, on all the other Azorean islands.

Although the species targeted by this project are endemic to the Azores, tight and accurate monitoring that is projected will allow for adequate assessment of the potential for replication of the project works in other areas, such as Macaronesian regions that have other endemic Lotus species and/or deal with similar IAS as those foreseen to control/reduce with the project’s works.