Examples of good practice in biodiversity conservation

Europe covers only 2.6% of our planet's land area. However, this relatively small area has an amazing and often unique diversity of flora and fauna and landscapes in the world. Different climatic conditions, topography and geology are the most important factors in biodiversity.

By protecting our natural heritage, we can ensure that the diversity of flora and fauna and landscapes is preserved for future generations. However, it is not just this real value that matters, nature also plays an important role in economic life and helps to improve our quality of life.

The European Union has long been the world's largest donor in the fight against biodiversity loss. Since 2002, it has allocated € 9 billion for this purpose.
The European Union has the largest number of protected areas in the world at 26,000 and covers 20% of the EU's land area.
Funding is available to EU Member States for both Natura 2000 sites and other biodiversity activities. The European Commission provides funding for projects and initiatives that contribute to the achievement of its policy priorities inside and outside the European Union. The Directorate-General for the Environment provides funding through two different programs, the LIFE Fund and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Program for Eco-Innovation, as well as operating grants to environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Various innovative projects for the conservation of biological diversity have been implemented in the Member States of the European Union. In Latvia, too, this is the case, however, in the public sphere, in the media, this information is poorly reflected, as well as fragmented. Our goal is to compile the latest examples of good practice in the EU member states, including Latvia, and to place information about these biodiversity conservation projects on the ESUL websites of Gulbene, Madona, Alūksne, as well as in other media.

The material is available in county libraries as well as school libraries

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