One Nature project among the 10 best LIFE projects for 2023
The Czech One Nature project was named one of the top ten LIFE projects from across the EU in 2023, not only for its successful delivery of its objectives, which contribute to nature and landscape conservation, but also for its outputs that appeal to the general public, such as the documentary film The Values of Nature.
The documentary "The Values of Nature" by director Michal Gálik won the prestigious United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation Award at the Agrofilm Film Festival. Using the Czech landscape as an example, it explains in a visually pleasing way what benefits or ecosystem services nature provides to us humans, and why it is important to know about them in nature conservation and decision making about the use of the landscape.
The One Nature project was also positively evaluated for its effective and innovative management measures, awareness raising, training of staff of nature conservation authorities and setting priorities in nature conservation. CINEA (European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment) has recognised the work to protect our most valuable habitats, animals and plants by including One Nature in the top ten EU projects.
"I think that the Czech Republic can be proud that One Nature has been ranked among the best European projects in the field of environmental protection, and all the more so because the competition in the LIFE programme in 2023 was really high. I believe that in the continuation of the project, thanks to more effective conservation planning, the use of research in practice and good cooperation with owners and users of land in protected areas, we will contribute to improving the necessary care and, above all, the conservation of valuable sites for the benefit of nature and people," comments the Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic Petr Hladík on the success.
The EU's LIFE programme is the EU's financial instrument for the environment and climate. One of its objectives is to contribute to protecting, restoring and improving the quality of the environment, including air, water and soil, and to halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity. It contributes to tackling ecosystem degradation not only by supporting the implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas of European importance.
The One Nature project, whose main coordinating partner is the Ministry of the Environment in cooperation with the Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection of the Czech Republic, the Centre for Environmental Issues of Charles University, the Institute for Global Change Research of the CAS (CzechGlobe) and the Biology Centre of the CAS - SoWa Research Infrastructure, has been successfully contributing to biodiversity conservation and the promotion of ecosystem services in the Natura 2000 protected areas for five years of its existence.
