New LIFE funding will support habitat restoration and species protection. From Belgium’s coast to Finland’s lakes and the rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, three projects show what comes next.

About 500 Saimaa ringed seals live in Finland’s lake system. On Belgium’s coast, dunes need space and connections. In Iberian rivers, the future of the Pyrenean desman also depends on removing barriers that break up its habitat.

These distant places are linked by a new round of European support. On 19 October 2026, the European Commission announced more than €390 million for 135 new LIFE projects addressing the environment and climate. The 29 nature and biodiversity projects will mobilise over €223 million in total, including more than €151 million from the EU.

That is funding for work still to be carried out. Recovery will depend on practical action, local cooperation and results measured over several years.

Belgium: reconnecting coastal dunes

LIFE COCON aims to reconnect dune habitats fragmented by urban development and afforestation. Its plans include creating new dunes, removing some infrastructure, managing encroaching vegetation and restoring ponds and ecological links for species such as the natterjack toad and great crested newt.

The point is not simply to protect isolated patches. Animals and plants also need suitable connections between them. The project is scheduled from January 2027 to December 2032, with a total budget of approximately €9.23 million. These are planned interventions, rather than completed restoration results.

Finland: protecting Saimaa seal pups

The Saimaa ringed seal is found only in the lake system of south-eastern Finland. Its population, now around 500, has recovered slowly over decades. Accidental capture in fishing gear, disturbance and milder winters remain threats.

LIFE SOS builds on earlier conservation projects. It will support seal-safe fishing, protect breeding areas, investigate pup mortality and coordinate volunteers. By 2032, it aims to increase artificial nesting structures from 40 to 100 per breeding season. A population of 700 seals by 2032 is a target, not a result already achieved.

The project runs from August 2026 to December 2032, with a total budget of approximately €11.34 million.

Iberia: restoring rivers for the desman

The Pyrenean desman is a small semi-aquatic mammal whose future depends on functioning river habitats. LIFE SAVE Desman, scheduled from October 2026 to December 2032, aims to halt and reverse its decline through habitat and population management.

The work includes restoring riverbank vegetation and river processes, improving food webs and removing barriers. Pilot translocations will be assessed with genetic and demographic evidence. The project also plans a common monitoring manual for Spain, Portugal, France and Andorra. Its total budget is approximately €17.58 million.

A European perspective: connections across borders

These projects address different species, but share a practical concern: habitats need continuity. That can mean links between dunes, safe breeding areas in a lake or connected stretches of river. The desman monitoring work also shows why cooperation across national borders matters. The funding concerns EU projects; it does not itself impose obligations on countries outside the European Union.

What photography can help us observe

A funding announcement is a starting point. Populations, habitat condition and the effects of interventions need to be followed over time. Photography can help record changes when images are dated, locations are recorded and the same places are revisited. A single attractive image cannot prove ecological recovery.

Choose a natural place near you and return in different seasons, keeping to permitted paths and avoiding disturbance. Look for changes in vegetation, water and the continuity of habitats. Observing carefully is a useful first step towards understanding what restoration means.

Sources

European Commission, EU invests over €390 million in 135 new climate and environment projects, 19 October 2026. Funding announcement and nature and biodiversity totals.

European Commission LIFE database, LIFE COCON. Objectives, timetable and budget.

European Commission LIFE database, LIFE SOS. Seal conservation, targets, timetable and budget.

European Commission LIFE database, LIFE SAVE Desman. River restoration, international monitoring and project partners.

Illustrative photographs: brytta / iStock (Belgian dunes); Jarmo Piironen / iStock (Lake Saimaa). Images used under licence.