Life Canal de Castilla

Objectives of the LIFE

The LIFE Programme consists of three areas with specific objectives:

- LIFE Nature: designed to facilitate the application of Directives 79/409/CEE (Birds Directive) y 92/43/CEE (Habitats Directive) and, in particular, the development of the Natura 2000 Network.

- LIFE Environment: contributes to the development of innovative and integrated techniques and methods and to the continued development of Community environmental policy.

- LIFE Third Countries: contributes to building necessary administrative and structural capacities in the environmental area and to developing environmental actions, policies and programmes in candidate countries for admission to the European Union.

LIFE Nature projects develop in Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPA), Sites of Community Interest (SCI), or places that harbour high-priority species of the Bird and Habitat Directives. A variety of projects have been developed in Spain in high-priority habitats like wetlands, steppes or peat bogs. Many species of animals have benefited from these funds, including birds like the eurasian black vulture (Aegypius monachus), Bonelli's eagle (Hieraaëtus fasciatus), imperial eagle (Aquila adalbertii) and great bustard (Otis tarda), mammals like the brown bear (Ursus arctos), European mink (Mustela vison) and bats, amphibians and reptiles like the El Hierro giant lizard (Gallotia simonyi) and the La Gomera giant lizard (Gallotia gomerana), and fish like the Spanish toothcarp (Aphanius iberus) and Valencian toothcarp (Valencia hispanica), to name just a few of the better known species.