Networking

During the first two years, the project will actively seek to liaise with other LIFE projects that face similar challenges, deal with the same or similar species and adopt similar approaches. This action aims at incorporating into the project, right from the beginning, the experience of other LIFE and non-LIFE projects currently being implemented, to learn first-hand from their experience how they solved common issues. Such networking activities will also offer a unique opportunity to share approaches and techniques, debate open issues, and mutually improve the effectiveness of the conservation actions learning from each other. An ideal scientific forum to nurture science and conservation pursued both electronically and face to face.

A preliminary list of candidate projects for networking activities has already been identified and all projects have already been contacted and agreed to share experience and to host a visit from a SEEDFORCE delegation, showing infrastructures and target sites and species, and sharing approaches, techniques and lessons learnt during the project implementation. All identified projects focus on narrow endemic and threatened species included in Annex II of the Habitats Directive that have been reported with a bad conservation status according to art. 17. This commitment has already been formalised with the signature by the following short-listed LIFE projects:

– LIFE17 NAT/PT/000510 VIDALIA – Valorização e Inovação Dirigidos à Azorina e Lotus nas Ilhas Açorianas (Portugal)  https://www.lifevidalia.eu/en/
Both projects plan to carry out seed collection, plant propagation and plant translocation aiming at improving the conservation status of the species in Natura 2000 sites. Both projects face similar challenges such as site preparation, control of invasive alien species, effective plant translocation and monitoring recruitment on site. LIFE SEEDFORCE will attend VIDALIA final conference planned for 2023.

– LIFE17 NAT/SK/000589 SUB-PANNONIC – Conservation of subpannonic dry grassland habitats and species (Slovakia) https://www.csoponyx.cz/
Both projects focus on Dracocephalum austriacum and the genus Himantoglossum. Both projects plan to remove or mitigate existing threats to the target species to improve their conservation status in N2000 sites. Both projects face similar challenges such as site preparation, control of invasive alien species, selecting most effective site management practices to grant the long-term conservation of the target species.

– LIFE17 NAT/IT/000596 ORCHIDS – Improving the conservation status of critically endangered orchid communities in selected habitats in Northwestern Italy https://www.lifeorchids.eu/il-progetto/
Both projects focus on threatened species and orchids, sharing one species, Himantoglossum adriaticum, even if in different areas and biogeographical regions. LIFE SEEDFORCE also works on Liparis loeselii, an orchid, not addressed by LIFE ORCHIDS. Both projects plan to carry out seed collection, plant propagation and plant translocation to improve the conservation status of the species in Natura 2000 sites. LIFE SEEDFORCE will attend and contribute to LIFE ORCHIDS final conference planned for 2023.

– LIFE12 NAT/ES/000286 GUGUY – Recuperación de los bosques endémicos de Juniperus spp, y su flora y fauna, en la Reserva Natural Especial de Güigüí (Spain) https://www.lifeguguy.com/
Both projects plan to carry out seed collection, plant propagation and plant translocation to improve the conservation status of the species in Natura 2000 sites. Both projects face similar challenges such as site preparation, control of invasive alien species, effective plant translocation and monitoring recruitment on site.