La Comisión aprueba 23 proyectos LIFE+ españoles

La Comisión Europea ha aprobado la financiación de 143 nuevos proyectos en el ámbito de la primera convocatoria de propuestas del programa LIFE+ (2007-2013), el fondo europeo para el medio ambiente. Los proyectos proceden de toda la UE e incluyen acciones en materia de conservación de la naturaleza, política medioambiental, información y comunicación. En conjunto, representan una inversión total de 367 millones de euros, de los que 186 millones de euros serán fondos de la UE.

LIFE+ es el nuevo instrumento financiero para el medio ambiente, que dispone de un presupuesto total de 2 143 millones de euros (dos mil ciento cuarenta y tres millones de euros) para el período 2007-2013. Durante ese período, la Comisión pondrá en marcha una convocatoria de propuestas de proyectos LIFE+ al año.

Los proyectos españoles aprobados son:

LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance

• RECYSHIP (Reciclauto Navarra S.L.): The project aims to achieve environmentally sound and economically feasible dismantling and decontamination of end-of-life ships. Measures include an analysis of relevant EU and national legislation, the development of suitable methodologies for decontamination and dismantling and for creating an integrated management system, capacity and impact studies, as well as the creation of prototypes and their testing.
• COWtoPLANT (Zurko Research S.L): This project aims to demonstrate a new technology based on the bio-hydrolysis of two animal wastes: flesh and bovine hair. These wastes will be transformed into organic amendments with direct application in plants as bio-stimulants and bio-pesticides. A prototype will be constructed and the effect of these bio-pesticides tested.
• LEGIOTEX (Asociación de Investigación de la Industria Textil): This project aims to reduce and eventually eliminate the Legionella problem in the textile sector. It will develop a Europe-wide legislative proposal, based on the validation and demonstration of a new eradication technique for the Legionella pneumophila bacteria, which will stop it from reaching at-risk facilities.
• WGF-PP (Befesa Plásticos S.L.): The aim of the project is to demonstrate a process to recycle glass fibre wastes to be used for producing polypropylene composites for several applications, such as bumpers, mechanical parts inside car doors and air intake manifolds. The environmental impact of glass fibres will be reduced, as well as the related energy and raw material consumption.
• EDEA (Junta de Extremadura. Consejería de Fomento): This project’s main objective is to develop an efficient methodology for the sustainable and energy-efficient design and building of social housing. By comparing the performance of two newly constructed houses – a “Pattern house” and an “Experimental house” – the project seeks to test, evaluate and disseminate methodologies and technologies for eliminating CO2 emissions and constituting best practices in the field of Bio-climatic Architecture.
• 3R-FISH (Centro Tecnológico del Mar. Fundación CETMAR): The project aims to improve the quality of water and the seabed by supporting the proper use and recycling of devices and equipment used in the fishing industry. It foresees the development of a management and recycling system for the three most relevant solid wastes, implementing best practices, and promoting co-operation.
• INTEGRAL-B (Asociacíon de Investigacion de la Industria Agroalimentaria): The project will demonstrate a sustainable, multi-feedstock biodiesel production scheme that enables a reduced energy and material input to the system through the use of local raw materials (energy crops and wastes) and the on-site exploitation of process by-products, namely biogas and glycerine.
• LIFE+ BOSCOS (Consell Insular de Menorca): The project aims to contribute to the adaptation of the Mediterranean forest ecosystems of Menorca to climate change through sustainable forest management at estate level. This will include the development of a forest inventory and of a set of planning and management guidelines, both feeding into a management plan. Forest management actions aimed to decrease forest vulnerability will be demonstrated in a pilot area of about 200 ha. Capacity building among forest owners, forest managers and other stakeholders related to forests, as well as public awareness raising are also foreseen.
• AQUA-PLANN PROJECT (Ayuntamiento de Abegondo): The project seeks to safeguard the current and future ecological state of water in the hydrographic basins of the rivers Mero and Barcés and of the Natura 2000 SCI ‘Embalse Abegondo-Cecebre’ through integrated water resources management.
• BIOGRID (Naturgas Energia Distribucion S.A.): This project will demonstrate the feasibility of producing a substitute natural gas (bio-methane) from biogas, for injection into the natural gas grid and use as vehicle fuel. To achieve this goal, coupling biogas production with an innovative biogas upgrading system will be carried out combining biological and cryogenic technologies to capture and store the CO2 in the biogas and to remove other contaminants (SH2, volatiles, moisture, etc).
• BATsGRAPH (Asociacíon Industrial de Óptica, Color e Imagen): This project aims to develop a free e-tool for reducing the emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds by SMEs in the European printing industry, according to the Best Available Techniques. On the basis of a Best Practices Guide to be developed, the self-diagnosis e-tool will guide European printers on the optimal implementation of the BATs, thereby helping to minimise the environmental impact of the European graphic industry.
• WEEE-NET (Inkoa Sistemas SL): This project aims to demonstrate the viability of an innovative technological platform, based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), for the sustainable management of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in compliance with EU policy. The platform will allow producers to incorporate design procedures to ensure greener products.
• WATER CHANGE (Centro technologico del Agua): This project aims to establish a methodology and develop tools for medium- and long-term water resource modelling according to different global change scenarios. Based on the results from simulations, adaptation measures will be proposed and analysed according to their cost-benefit ratio. A case study will be carried out in the Llobregat river basin.
• BIOCELL (Centro technologico del Agua): This project will demonstrate the feasibility, environmental impact and economic viability of energy production from biogas via fuel cells – both, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) – adapted to wastewater treatment plants. It will develop two complete pilot units, as well as the tools for their industrial implementation.

LIFE+ Information and Communication

• CHANGING THE CHANGE (Unions Agrarias - UPA): This involves a climate change campaign for the Galician agriculture and forest sector. The project’s awareness raising activities will also promote the use of renewable energies in the region’s agriculture and forest sector.
• SEDUCCIÓN AMBIENTAL (Ayuntamiento de Valencia): The project will develop awareness raising actions to promote the nature and conservation values of l’Albufera Nature Park, a Natura 2000 network site.

LIFE+ Nature

• SECANS (Centre Tecnològic Forestal de Catalunya): The project will target the conservation of steppe habitats for bird species in central Catalonia.
• INDEMARES (Fundación Biodiversida): This project targets the preparation of an inventory and the designation of a complete network of Spanish marine Natura 2000 sites.
• BEAR CORRIDORS (Fundación Oso Pardo): The project targets the recovery of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the Cantabrian Mountains of Spain.
• PrioriMancha (Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Rural de Castilla-La Mancha): The project’s overall aim is to support and to improve the conservation status of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), the Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti), Bonelli´s eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus) and the black vulture (Aegypius monachus) in project areas within the region of Castilla-La Mancha.
• RENEIX (Consell Insular de Menorca): The project will focus on the restoration of several habitats and species on the island of Minorca that are listed as priority for conservation under the Habitats Directive. Notably the project will target rare Minorcan flora species including Anthyllis hystrix, Femeniasia balearica, Paeonia cambessedesii and Vicia bifoliolata.
• INAGUA (Gobierno de Canarias. Dirección General del Medio Natural): The project will focus on the restoration of endemic Macaronesian pine forests of Gran Canaria, which were severely damaged by forest fires, and actions to improve the conservation status of other flora and fauna species threatened by forest fires.
• Campanarios de Azaba (Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre): This is a transnational project (involving Spain and Portugal) targeting an overall improvement in biodiversity of the habitats and species of western Iberia. The project area covers the Campo de Azaba and Campo de Argañán (both designated special protection areas and sites of Community importance within the Natura 2000 network of sites), and the Malcata (Portugal) Natura 2000 site (a mainly open Mediterranean woodland ecosystem used intensively for livestock rearing).