What is a “LIFE” project?
The LIFE Programme is a financial instrument of the European Commission that supports innovative public and private projects in the fields of environment and climate action.
Each year, the French Ministry for the Ecological Transition selects and supports French project leaders to help them meet the European Commission’s expectations.
What is Natura 2000?
Natura 2000 sites are key tools in the European Union’s biodiversity conservation policy, aiming to better integrate biodiversity concerns into human activities.
These sites are designated to protect a range of habitats and species representative of European biodiversity. The specific list of these habitats and species is included in the EU Birds Directive and Habitats Directive.
Thirteen out of the fifteen Life Adapto+ sites are designated as part of the Natura 2000 network.
What is “flexible management”?
As sea level rise could exceed 1 meter by 2100, it is increasingly clear that the conditions which enabled coastal development in the past must evolve.
Historically, the response to coastal hazards was to reinforce coastal defenses and stabilize the shoreline. However, an alternative strategy is possible.
Flexible coastal zone management offers relevant, feasible, replicable, and more cost-effective long-term solutions. It treats the coastline as a dynamic interface, rather than a fixed boundary.
This approach draws on multiple disciplines such as geomorphology, civil engineering, ecology, landscape architecture, and project management.
It relies on the protection, restoration, and management of coastal ecosystems that are capable of absorbing or reducing the effects of climate change.
It can be applied to a variety of environments, including sandy shores, dune systems, barrier beaches (lidos), and coastal wetlands such as salt marshes, estuaries, and mangroves.
This project spans five years—what will happen to the sites once it ends?
One of the core goals of LIFE programmes is to develop long-term, sustainable solutions.
At the end of each project, an After-LIFE Plan must be drawn up. This plan outlines the actions to be continued by the territories in the years to come and defines the optimal management strategies for each site.