Page 9 - Environmental_Ecology

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If you don’t know it yet, The Life + programme is a favourable channel for actions and projects related to
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biodiversity protection.. The Community funding programme LIFE was created in 1992 to contribute to the
development and implementation of Community legislation and policy on the environment and from the
outset also focuses its action on nature conservation, to contribute to the protection of habitats and
species covered by the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and the Birds Directive 79/409/EEC.

For this sector, a specific LIFE-Nature line has been identified since 1996 and this has increased the
effectiveness and efficiency of the instrument in this area, also highlighting the importance of migration
routes and buffer zones for the conservation of biodiversity as well as the implementation of the
protection of Community species and habitats.

Finally, consumers are increasingly aware of environmental issues and are increasingly looking for “green”
products. Companies are increasingly obliged to consider these issues in their business models, decisions,
procurement and production methods. Biodiversity management is, therefore, a way to manage risk,
which is why product certifications such as “ecolabel” certification have been designed. The “Ecolabel” is
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a European label used to certify the reduced environmental impact of the products or services offered by
the companies that have obtained it. The Ecolabel is a voluntary Community instrument that certifies
(according to Regulation (EC) No 66/2010) environmentally compatible products. In this way it allows the
final consumer to recognize through a label the respect of the environment by the product (or service)
throughout its life cycle, which can thus diversify from other competing products on the market,
maintaining high environmental performance standards.

1.4 Best practices - EU green week and the best projects
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Do you Know the EU Green Week? It is the biggest environmental event in Europe. The LIFE Awards
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recognise the most innovative, inspirational and effective LIFE projects in the fields of nature protection,
environment and climate action. EU Green Week 2020 is now scheduled for 20-22 October 2020, on the
theme of nature and biodiversity. It will highlight the contribution biodiversity makes to society and the
economy, and the role it can play in supporting and stimulating recovery in a post-pandemic world,
bringing jobs and sustainable growth. The recovery is an opportunity for a fresh start, in the knowledge
that transformative change is possible. It’s a chance to rethink our relationship with nature, to reconsider
the activities that are driving biodiversity loss and the wider ecological crisis, and to weigh up the
implications for our economy and society.

1 https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/life
2 https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/
3 https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/section/life/life-best-projects
4 https://www.eugreenweek.eu/en