• The new edition of the LIFE 2025 Awards recognizes a project with national participation.
• The LIFE project "Desert-Adapt" combats desertification of soils in southern Europe.

Spain once again stands out on the European environmental scene by winning one of the top awards at the LIFE 2025 Prizes , awarded by the European Commission (EC) as part of EU Green Week and held on June 3 in Brussels, Belgium. The LIFE project "Desert-Adapt" , with operations in Spain, Italy, and Portugal, has been recognized with the LIFE Climate Action Award, thanks to its innovative approach to combating desertification and strengthening the resilience of Mediterranean ecosystems.

These awards, organized since 2006, recognize the best LIFE Programme -funded projects in the categories of "Nature and Biodiversity," "Circular Economy and Quality of Life," and "Climate Action." Two special distinctions were also presented: the LIFE Citizens' Award, chosen by popular vote, and the new "Rising Star Award," dedicated to highlighting projects aligned with current EU policies:

1. Natural restoration and biodiversity.
2. Circular economy and improving quality of life.
3. Mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
4. Energy transition.
5. Citizen participation.

Award Winners

The jury recognized the following winning projects for their environmental, social, and economic impact, innovative nature, and European-scale replication:

1. LIFE Award for Climate Action – LIFE Desert-Adapt Project (Spain, Italy and Portugal)

The "Desert-Adapt" project was praised by the jury for its ability to improve soil quality, increase water retention, and implement sustainable solutions to address climate change. With this award, Spain strengthens its role in implementing projects aligned with the decarbonization, biodiversity, and climate adaptation objectives promoted by the EU Green Deal and within the cooperation framework of the LIFE Programme.

Furthermore, the jury particularly highlighted the project's ability to offer solutions in particularly vulnerable areas of southern Europe, which are primarily affected by desertification . The jury emphasized that it is an example of how local action and transnational cooperation can make a tangible contribution to achieving major European objectives.

2. LIFE Award for “Nature and Biodiversity” – LIFE Lynx Project (Slovenia and Croatia)

This project has successfully reversed the decline of the alpine lynx in the Dinaric Alps, thanks to intensive collaboration between conservationists, hunters, and local communities. The reintroduction of the species has been a success, and the participatory approach has served as a model for other conservation programs in Europe.

This initiative also received the 2025 LIFE Citizen Award thanks to public votes in an online survey, confirming the social support for its achievements in biodiversity.

Last year, the winner in this category was the Spanish LIFE project " Guardians of Nature ," which focuses on combating environmental crimes such as waste dumping and the killing of wild animals in Spain and Portugal.

3. LIFE Award for “Circular Economy and Quality of Life” – LIFEPOPWAT Project (Czech Republic and Poland)

In this category, an award was given to an initiative that tested an innovative technology based on the construction of artificial wetlands to treat water contaminated by pesticides. Successfully implemented, it has demonstrated how ecological solutions can improve human health and the environment simultaneously.

4. “LIFE Rising Star Recognition” - LIFE RE-ZIP Project (Denmark)

As a new feature of this edition, this special recognition was awarded to the LIFE RE-ZIP project, which proposes replacing disposable cardboard and plastic commercial packaging in e-commerce with reusable alternatives up to 30 times. By the end of the project in 2026, it is expected to have avoided more than 17,000 tons of waste, put more than 120 million reusable packaging into circulation, and generated more than 300 green jobs.

LIFE Program

Since its creation in 1992, the EU financial instrument known as the LIFE Programme has co-financed more than 6,000 projects related solely to the environment, biodiversity, energy transition, the circular economy, and climate change adaptation. For the period 2021-2027, the EC has increased its budget to €5.4 billion.