Press Release: LIFE-Nature 2006: Commission funds 61 nature conservation projects in 20 countries with over EUR 70 million

The European Commission has approved funding for 61 nature conservation projects, situated in 20 Member States under the LIFE-Nature programme 2006. The projects will restore protected nature areas and their fauna and flora, establish sustainable management structures and strengthen public awareness and co-operation with stakeholders. They will thus further contribute to the protection of biodiversity in Europe - and more particularly improve the EU-wide Natura 2000 network of protected sites. The selected projects are situated in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. They represent a total investment of €141.6 million, of which the EU will cover €70.1 million.