| Current status | 2021 |  |
| Short term status | 2015 - 2021 | |
| Long term status | 2009 - 2021 |  |
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The LIFE programme is the European Union’s funding instrument for the environment. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added value.
LIFE began in 1992 and to date there have been multiple phases of the programme (LIFE I: 1992-1995, LIFE II: 1996-1999, LIFE III: 2000-2006, LIFE+: 2007-2013, LIFE 2014-2020). During this period, LIFE has co-financed some 3954 projects across the EU, contributing approximately €3.4 billion to the protection of the environment. The most recent phase of the LIFE programme, LIFE 2014-2020, was divided into sub programmes: the Environment (ca. 75% of funding) and Climate (ca. 25% of funding). Within the Environment sub-programme projects relating to biodiversity and environmental protection are funded across two stands:
1) Nature and Biodiversity, supporting projects that contribute to the implementation of the EU's Birds and Habitats Directives, the Natura 2000 network and that contribute to the EU's goal of halting the loss of biodiversity.
2) Environment Policy and Governance, supports technological projects that offer significant environmental benefits which improve the implementation of EU environmental legislation, that build the environmental policy knowledge base, and that develop environmental information sources through monitoring.
In Ireland, 62 projects successfully secured co-finance and 61 were completed under the Environment sub-programme. Since 1992, the EU has contributed €28.3 million to 40 Environment Policy and Governance projects and €37.7 million to 21 Nature and Biodiversity projects. With an average (± 95% CI) secured contribution of €2.4 ± 0.7 million p.a. since 1992, the average amount secured from 2014-2018 was slightly above the average at €2.5 million p.a., with an average of €2.29 million p.a. being secured over the past 10 years.
More information on the EU LIFE programme can be found here:
https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/life
Amount of funding for biodiversity leveraged from EU LIFE Programme
The EU LIFE Programme is the financial instrument of the European Union that supports environmental and nature conservation projects, and has contributed approximately €53 million since 1992. This indicator tracks the amount of funding leveraged for Irish biodiversity projects from this programme over time.