Achieved impacts

The Ville Forests covering the hills between Bonn and Cologne are an example of a rare and highly endangered forest habitat type in Europe giving a home for many threatened animal species (1). The protection and conservation of these 'oak-hornbeam forests on hydromorphic soils and the forest-dwelling species was the main objective of the Villewälder: LIFE+ Project for Kottenforst and Ville project which includes four Natura 2000 areas with 4.378 hectares of forest. The conservation measures of the project focused on water balance restoration, habitat improvement and preservation, and the extension and connection of protected areas (1,2).

The aim of Ljubljanica Connects funded by Life+ is to improve connectivity between Natura 2000 sites. Started in 2012, the project aims to remove barriers to fish migration, enhance and restore habitats, improve water management infrastructures, and put in place a water monitoring system. This will restore the river Ljubljanica's function as a corridor, improve water management and so provide better links between Natura 2000 sites. The fish species in question are Danube Roach, Danube Salmon and Striped Chub (2).

This underground garage in Alicante, Spain, received a green roof makeover according to Alicante's climatological conditions (Ref. 2). Urbanarbolismo, a Spanish firm with a strong focus on vegetation, designed and installed this succulent garden in the courtyard of the garage. The garden is very low-maintenance and doesn't require any irrigation whatsoever. Further, with every passing year, it will grow more and more beautiful as the plants grow larger and take root. The Urbanarbolismo Benisaudet IVVSA parking garage was created by this Spanish design firm with the purpose of "keep[ing] the underground lot cooler, as well as improv[ing] its air quality." (Ref. 1)

This project focuses on the development of environmental regulations stimulating the connection of existing green areas and developing new ones in the urban area of Rome to stimulate biodiversity by rehabilitating 73% of free/derelict areas. This was done to guarantee an integrated protection of already existing areas as well as restoration of green and blue landscapes (1). The Ecologic Network is still ongoing and provides specific limitations to any new infrastructural project to make sure specific environmental standards are respected (3).

This is a private initiative located in a residential complex in the northern area of Rome. When a new tenant purchases or rents a house, he is provided with a private garden for horticulture, together with the assistance of experts in vegetable planting and growing. The initiative was designed to educate people on the importance of consuming local foods and living in close interactions with green areas inside urban areas (1 and 6).

This is a project financed by the EU LIFE Project on CO2 sequestration and reduction levels in the urban area of Rome. One of the initiatives involved an NBS, as RomaNatura took care of planting new trees over 2 hectares of land in the Valle dei Casali in the Municipio XV area (Ref. 1).

The first " ecological zone" in Ljubljana was established in 2007 in the old city centre. This led to the closure of a 100,000 m² area to motor vehicles, and the renovation of the main traffic axis to make it attractive for pedestrians and cyclists. The new transport regime in this area reduced black carbon levels by 58%. Additionally, the city administration has planted 63 ash trees. Biking and sustainable mobility have been promoted, in line with providing new green areas for social and sporting activities in formerly degraded areas. The "renaissance“ is not focused only on the city center and the implementation of the car-free zone, but it is expanded throughout Ljubljana and covers different fields, such as the revival of degraded areas, the establishment of green public spaces, playgrounds for children, eco-renovation of schools and kindergartens, cultural and sports facilities, etc. Finally, the river Ljubljanica has been the focus of an ecological restoration project. This was done with the aim of reducing pollution and returning the city centre to the citizens, by incentivizing pedestrian and bicycle commute. The "ecological zone" project has been completed. After the completion of the project, further initiatives were taken which is directly related to the project itself. Some of them focusing on converting the city to a sustainable one is still going on. (1, 3, 4 and 8).

Since 2007, in the area of a former tree nursery, the international garden in Bonn gives space for social integration. Covering 3,000 m2 the area was turned into an allotment garden with garden plots of approximately 40 m2. The plots are allocated to 25 families from different cultural backgrounds, living in the deprived neighbourhood of Bonn-Dransdorf to support their self-sufficient agricultural practices and foster their social integration (1,10). The aim of the project is to provide gardening families with the option for intercultural exchange and a chance to take roots in a new country. In 2003, the International Garden Bonn project was initiated is implemented by "Wissenschaftsladen Bonn", a community service group who persuaded the city of Bonn to provide the once city property free for this social inclusion project (1).

To promote bee-keeping, the city created the Bee Trail - a circuit where visitors can discover Ljubljana's beekeeping heritage and the significance of bees for our survival. The Bee Trail was designed and opened in 2015 as one of the activities within the Green Capital of Europe 2016 project. It was originally conceived only as an actual route between individual locations related to beekeeping and bees in Ljubljana. Through the participatory principle of working with individual members, however, it has been shown that the path is much more than just a work program or project. It has become synonymous with all activities related to bees and beekeeping in Ljubljana. Since 2011, the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association has awarded municipalities the title of the most bee-friendly municipality. The City of Ljubljana has been awarded the most bee-friendly municipality - in 2017 and 2019. (1)

The largest rain gardens in Sweden (thus far) has been created in Göteborg (Kviberg park). Kviberg's multisport arena was completed in the summer of 2015 in the northeastern part of Göteborg. Around the facility, there are parking spaces with a capacity for 500 cars. In order to handle the rainwater flowing from the parking area, approximately five per cent of the total area has been used for rain gardens, which both clean and store the rainwater. (Ref. 1, 2)