📋 Tender Overview
Start Date: 01/09/2023
End Date: 31/12/2028
Total Eligible Budget: 5,470,395 €
EU Contribution: 3,665,165 €
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
LIFE ORCHIDS The LIFE ORCHIDS project is targeted at improving conservation status on three EU priority* dry grassland habitat types (6210*, 6120*, and 6230*), the European Red Listed butterfly, Phengaris arion and five endangered orchids. The LIFE ORCHIDS project is situated in the most important Danish Natura 2000 site regarding EU priority calcareous dry grassland habitats with 17 % of the overall national area with 6120* and 10 % of 6210* in the continental biogeographical region. Vordingborg Municipality (Coo VK) is the project coordinator, while the Danish Nature Agency (Ben DNA), Ravn Nature (Ben RN), Geocenter Møns Klint (Ben GCM), the European Landowners Organization (Ben ELO) and Eurosite – The European Land Conservation Network (Ben ES) are partners. Ben DNA owns 522 ha of the project site and the private Klintholm Estate owns 111 ha where Coo VK performs the project tasks. Following the Art. 17 reports and the latest Natura 2000 action plan for the project site, 15 threats to target dry grassland, forests, species, as well as 3 societal conservation hurdles have been identified and will be addressed in the project by realising 11 clear project objectives. The project will permanently consolidate 311 ha of dry grasslands with ecological corridors, by restoring 72 ha of new EU priority dry grasslands (6210*, 6120*, 6230*) on former arable land and forest plantations, and by conserving 162 ha of existing EU priority dry grasslands. 9,4 ha habitat forest (9150, 9130) will be designated as untouched forest. A clause on 111 ha private land at the Klintholm Estate project site will permanently protect the new habitats. Reduction of habitat connectivity, modification of hydrology, overgrowth and lack of appropriate grazing are some of the most important threats to dry grasslands, which the project addresses.
