Objective
The Viikki-Vanhankaupunginlahti nature reserve is uniquely located in the middle of the Finnish capital, Helsinki. The reserve lies around Vanhankaupunginlahti Bay, a reed-fringed sea inlet, and consists of the mouth of the river Vantaa with its accompanying floodplain forests, alder marsh and coastal meadows. Its particular value is in its birdlife: 2,500 pairs, representing 110 different species, breed here while sometimes up to 10,000 individuals each of the ruff (Philomachus pugnax) and the wood sandpiper (Tringa glareolus) descend annually on the site to stage. Finally, it is an important spawning area for fish (e.g. lamprey).
Its location in the middle of a city makes the site ideal for nature education but also represents its greatest threat. The surrounding fast-growing suburbs already have 123,000 inhabitants, expected to increase by 13,000 by the year 2003. This means even more urban dwellers are able to enjoy nature in their direct vicinity, but this will simultaneously increase visitor pressure and disturbance, and reduce the conservation value of the area. As a symbol of human impact, the high-tension power line crossing the bay area is seen as a disturbing factor, not only for birds, but just as much for people's outdoor recreation.
The central aim of the LIFE project is to reconcile human enjoyment of the site with its conservation value. Awareness of this value will be enhanced through various publications and guided tours, while visitor movements will be channeled by building bird observation towers, hides and tracks and employing a warden.
Another project target is to expand the size of the reserve by 20% and improve its biodiversity, e.g. by restoring meadows used by waders, for which grazing is regarded as an essential management tool. The LIFE project will also address the power line; bird specialists, landscape architects, the electricity company and engineers will investigate its effects and the possibilities for moving it. Finally, the project will tackle the problem of overgrowth in the reedbeds, establishing through research whether dredging is needed.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
00530 Helsinki
Finland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.