Wetlands are essential allies in climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and even fighting pollution. The ambitious LIFE HumedalES is one of the many EU initiatives aimed at protecting and restoring these valuable resources.
Wetlands are precious ecosystems, vibrant biodiversity hotspots that are home to an extraordinary variety of species – from bats and beavers to otters and eagles. They are also powerful allies in fighting climate change, preventing floods and droughts, storing carbon, and safeguarding water resources.
But wetlands across Europe have been under severe pressure for decades. They are disappearing, with far-reaching consequences for our societies, economies, and futures. Urgent action is needed.
This is where projects like LIFE HumedalES come in. With a total budget of €160 million — including nearly €30 million from the EU — HumedalES is the largest LIFE project ever. It aims to restore more than 26,000 hectares of wetlands across Spain, improving the conservation status of 43 habitat types, from high-mountain lakes and inland wetlands to coastal lagoons and marshes.
Backed by over 40 key stakeholders, it is an ambitious and coordinated national effort to achieve a good conservation status of Spanish wetlands and a sustainable use of water resources. It is a collaboration between public bodies and environmental authorities, agriculture authorities, 14 Regional Governments, NGOs, and representatives from the agricultural and tourism sector.
Such projects embody Europe’s ambition to restore nature and build resilience for the future – goals that are at the very heart of the Nature Restoration Regulation and the LIFE programme, which has been finding solutions to these challenges for over 30 years.
Reversing the degradation of wetlands can have huge benefits for Europe’s economies, communities, and quality of life. A recent Europe-wide study has shown that restoring wetlands strategically could reduce nitrogen pollution and improve water quality with minimal impact on agriculture.
As noted by European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, climate and nature protection are vital to prosperity and health. Improving Europe’s natural capital is essential for climate change resilience, security, competitiveness, food security and sovereignty. Losing nature means losing resilience.
