What is the aim of this specific objective?

The aim of this specific objective is to improve integration and efficiency of environmental resource management by promoting cooperation among involved stakeholders at all levels

 

Availability of ERDF funding?

Available ERDF funding for this specific objective is 3.5 mln EUR.

Maximum ERDF funding per one project – 1 mln EUR.

 

What kind of activities will be funded (indicative list)?

• Joint environmental resource management activities, including those aimed at coordination/unification of methodologies and approaches through exchange of practices, trainings, seminars and other actions;
• Joint management solutions for natural objects and protected areas (e.g., development of joint concepts, strategies, models and pilot actions (initial small-scale implementation that is used to prove the viability of an idea. This could involve either the exploration of a novel new approach or idea or the application of a standard approach recommended by outside parties but which is new to the organisation) for sustainable and innovative management of river basins, technology transfer, etc.);
• Increase of the administrative capacity for risk prevention measures;
• Construction and promotion of green infrastructure[1];
• Strengthen cross border cooperation, developing information exchange and systems for managing and monitoring protected areas, safeguard ecosystems, and protection and management of biodiversity;
• Educational and awareness raising activities (information campaigns, education programmes, educational publicity materials, etc.);
• Development of tools and implementation of measures to control invasive or non-native species;
• ICT solutions to improve integration and efficiency of environmental resource management;
• Improvement of nature infrastructure and equipment;
• Joint environmental risk (flood, pollution, erosion etc.) management actions, planning and development of related equipment and infrastructure;
• Development and transfer of new organisational models, such as pooling of competences across regional and national borders, facilitating co-operation among local authorities and community groups for sustainable environmental management;
• Adapting, testing, improving and applying existing tools to ensure continued and adequate management of protected areas;
• Create, test and apply new tools to ensure continued and adequate management of protected areas.

^{[1] Green infrastructure is defined as a strategically planned network of high quality natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features, which is designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services and protect biodiversity in both rural and urban settings. Please see: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/docs/green_infrastructure_broc.pdf}

 

Please note that applicants are free to develop their own project ideas, as long as they address one Programme priority, its specific objective and at least one result indicator and one output indicator of the chosen specific objective.

 

What are the expected results?

Efficient and more integrated environmental resource management (e.g. new or improved management processes, tools, methodologies) applied due to active cooperation between involved stakeholders.

 

How the results of the projects will be measured?

Each project under this specific objective has to address Programme result indicator and output indicator mentioned below.

Specific objective 1.2.	Result indicator	Output indicator
To increase integration and efficiency of environmental resource management	Number of organisations jointly contributing to environmental resource management	Number of organisations supported