One of the expected results is to establish a new funding framework for expanding public and private finance opportunities to support private land conservation in Spain and the rest of the European Union, including a collection of best examples and demonstrative innovations on land stewardship, especially in terms of innovative financing tools that may allow the development of conservation and restoration projects based on land stewardship strategies.
The objective is to expand the use of innovative tools for financing nature conservation and restoration, promoting land stewardship projects that fosters innovation, facilitates the generation of alliances and partnerships, and promotes funding opportunities.
The LIFE STEWARDSHIP project explore the opportunities offered by public and privatefunding mechanisms. These instruments include grants,tasx incentives, environmental levies, as well as private instruments such as environmental credit markets (CO2 and biodiversity), offset measures, certifications, bonds or green investments, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies, among others.
Collaboration between land stewardship actors and public sector representatives is essential. This is supported by several organisations such as the Spanish Business and Biodiversity Initiative, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), as well as the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE), the Spanish Group for Green Growth (GECV), the Business and Climate Foundation (FEC) and the Spanish Association of Foundations (AEF).
Likewise, it is also envisaged to mobilise funds to finance land stewardship initiatives through the calls for grants promoted by the Biodiversity Foundation of MITECO, the identification of new public funding opportunities for stewardship initiatives and supporting stewardship organisations to encourage and facilitate their participation in calls for grants financed with European funds, such as Interreg and Horizon Europe.
LIFE STEWARDSHIP will implement what have been called Innovation Lighthouses, a set of
practical pilot projects
Hectares
Provinces
designed to test and validate the innovative financing tools identified. The development of these projects is expected to cover at least 5,000 hectares in 15 provinces, and at least seven of them are expected to have an impact on conservation objectives of the Birds and Habitats Directives.