Three local environmental projects approved by the EU

Malta had three projects approved by the European Commission under the LIFE+ programme, the European Union's environment fund. The Commission approved a total of 248 projects, forking out more than €281 million. Overall, Malta's three projects benefitted from more than €6 million.

The projects cover actions in the fields of nature conservation, climate change, environmental policy and information and communication on environmental issues across all Member States.

The three Maltese applicants were the University of Malta, the Ministry for Rural Affairs and MEPA.

Entitled 'LifeMedGreenRoof', the University's project will construct two demonstration green roofs as case studies on the campus of the University of Malta. The project seeks to demonstrate that green roof technology is safe, cost efficient and provides a range of environmental benefits, including lower energy consumption, a reduced risk of flooding and enhanced biodiversity.

The Ministry for Rural Affairs successfully applied with 'Life Saving Buskett', targeting the repair of riverbanks, avoidance of river erosion and removal of invasive plant species. It also aims to improve and restore the Wied il-Luq watercourse in Buskett.

MEPA's project, 'LIFE Baħar for N2K', identifies and designates new marine Natura 2000 sites. It also expands existing sites containing marine habitats, namely reefs, submerged or partially submerged sea caves and sandbanks.

LIFE+ is the EU's financial instrument for the environment and had a total budget of EUR 2,143 billion for the period 2007-2013.