Nature governance: an innovative mission for enhancing biodiversity conservation through land stewardship

Introduction

Spain stands as one of the most biodiverse countries in the EU. However, biodiversity is still under threat. To address the global environmental emergency and the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, it is essential to improve environmental governance and to find efficient tools to do it.

Project Overview

In this context, LIFE Stewardship aims to boost collaboration between public administrations, the private sector (landowners, companies, land managers), and NGOs for nature conservation and restoration in Spain. This will be achieved through land stewardship, which encompasses a set of useful strategies and instruments that aim to involve landowners (both public and private) and entities in the promotion of voluntary agreements for the conservation and sustainable use of natural, cultural, and landscape values and resources.

Objectives

To meet this objective, the project is based on three pillars:

1. Innovation: Focused on financial and governance mechanisms and the development of public policies.
2. Mobilization of funding: Attracting private and public European and national funds to scale up LIFE Stewardship's results.
3. Internationalization: Maximizing the flow of innovation and transferability in land stewardship.

Supporting Activities

Moreover, transversal training, capacity building, advisory service office, and policy outreach at the EU level will strengthen these core pillars.

Context and Duration

In Spain, stewardship has been developing for more than 20 years, and now the project will operate in a mature context with actions accordingly. During 4 years, 7 partners (1 public foundation, 2 conservation NGOs, and 4 network organizations), with the support of the most relevant institutions at national and international levels, will develop an important intervention to boost land stewardship for a structural increase in biodiversity conservation and restoration.