The award ceremony, which took place on 2 June, was opened by a video message from Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, who pointed out the significant impact of the LIFE Programme in the categories of nature, environment and climate actions that have been achieved despite the relatively small budgets. Amongst many others, these achievements include the return of the imperial eagle to Europe, the protection of the Danube river, and the safeguarding of the food chain.
In the main part of the event the fifteen finalists for this year’s LIFE Awards were presented. The public voting for each category was open on the LIFE Awards website until minutes before the announcement of the winners. We are particularly proud that a forest related project was awarded in the category Climate Action.
The project FORECCAsT helped forest managers in France’s Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park put in place climate change adaptation strategies to protect forests and the climate. The flagship action of the project is an app, available on smartphones and tablets, directly in the field, which helps forest owners to identify potential risks and to manage them accordingly. It performs a complete diagnosis of forest stands, gives clues about management strategies for existing forest or reforestation projects, and enables a silviculture adapted to both local conditions and the climate to come. Additional measures included planting of climate resilient tree species at 25 test sites, introduction of water-saving forest management methods, but also awareness raising events and the involvement of civil society in the preparation of an action plan in the event of a severe climate crisis.
Representing the project, Raphaël Bec (CNPF), LIFE FORECCAsT and LIFE FOREST CO2 Officer expressed his gratitude for the award and highlighted that forest-related projects always need to be designed for the long term due to the long life cycle of trees.
CEPF is congratulating all the winners for their well-deserved nominations. More information on the event is available here.
