During our Live Streaming Experience Sharing Event / Final Conference we will have the pleasure of having with us the following guest speakers:
1) CINEA
Mr. Angelo Salsi, will present the importance of the LIFE Programme, as well as the importance of Capacity Building projects in the implementation of the LIFE Programme.
Mr. Salsi is Head of Unit CINEA.D.D2 LIFE Environment (Nature & Circular Economy). Mr. Salsi studied agricultural sciences at the University of Bologna. In Italy he started his career as agro-meteorologist. He arrived in Brussels in 1992 and since then he has been dedicated to the protection of nature conservation and biodiversity, especially since he started working for the LIFE Programme, selecting and financing projects covering all possible environmental aspects. As of April 2021, both LIFE and Angelo have found a new “home”, the new “European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency – CINEA” where Angelo has recently been appointed Head of Department D “Natural resources, climate, sustainable blue economy and clean energy”.
2) LIFE NCP Italy
Mr. Federico Benvenuti will present how Italy has benefited from the LIFE Programme and how the Italian LIFE projects have impacted policy uptake.
Mr. Benvenuti holds a Bachelor’s degree in “Environmental Economics” from the University of Siena, a Master’s degree in “Environment and Territory Economics and Engineering” from the University of Roma Tre and a Master’s degree in “Global Environment Protection and International Policies” from the University of Tuscia (Viterbo). He taught "Applied and Environmental Economics" at the University of Roma Tor Vergata (Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences - Undergraduate course in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology). Since 2005 he has been working in the Public Sector, firstly at the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, as consultant carrying out environmental and territorial analyses in the field of regional and rural development policies, and later on at the Italian Ministry for Ecological Transition as senior expert on International and European activities for sustainable development, as well as on European Programmes and Initiatives for the environment, nature and biodiversity, climate and energy. Currently he is a member of the Italian LIFE National Contact Point team operating at the Italian Ministry for Ecological Transition.
3) LIFE NCP Spain
Mr. Ignacio Rubio Romero will present the experience of the Spanish LIFE National Contact Point. Spain, along with Italy, is one of the Member States with the best results in the LIFE Programme. Whereas the reasons for this success are largely due to the high quality of the proposals and the technical level of the applicants, the NCP will provide some hints and suggestions for a successful LIFE project and an effective After LIFE.
Mr. Ignacio Rubio Romero is the coordinator of the Unit responsible for the National Contact Point for the LIFE Programme and the Secretariat of the Spanish Network of Environmental Authorities, at the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
4) LIFE NCP Greece
Mr. Georgios Protopapas will present the Greek LIFE Task Force (GRLTF) project and its importance for the Greek LIFE community and the protection of the environment in Greece in general. GRLTF was a LIFE Capacity Building project focusing in providing relevant know how, assistance and consultation to potential LIFE stakeholders and beneficiaries, at the national, regional and local level, enhancing collaboration among authorities and stakeholders, organizing meetings and workshops at the national and regional level, providing technical assistance for integrated projects, promoting the cooperation in international project proposals and the involvement of the private sector in co-financing of projects.
Mr. Protopapas is an Architect (March DESA), graduate of the Ecole Spéciale d 'Architecture-Paris, 1982, with postgraduate studies (DEA) in Urban and Regional Planning/Geography-Development, University of Paris IV- Sorbonne-Paris, 1983. Since 1986, he has been working in the Greek Ministry of Environment (Ministry of Environment & Energy). Since 2010 he has been the National Contact Point for LIFE, the financial instrument of the European Union for the environment, a Committee Member & Focal Point. Since 2012 he has been working in the Green Fund of Greece. The Green Fund finances programmes which aim accordance the protection, upgrade and restoration of the environment. Since 2016 he has been the Director of Green Fund.
5) LIFE MEDEA
Dr. Panayiotis Kouis will present a short overview of LIFE MEDEA project and will focus on the preliminary results of the Cyprus MEDEA asthma panel study that was concluded in June 2021. LIFE MEDEA aims to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of an adaptation strategy to Desert Dust Storms (DDS). It also aims to better inform EU policy-making by providing field-based evidence for the adoption of a strategic plan for mitigating the health effects of DDS events in Cyprus and the rest of the Southeastern Europe.
Dr. Kouis is a biologist with a PhD in Environmental Health. He is the project manager for LIFE MEDEA and is involved in several other public health projects. His research interests include health impact assessment of environmental and climate change exposures as well as the study of epidemiology and pathology of chronic respiratory conditions.
6) LIFE-IP 4 NATURA
Dr. Katerina Koutsovoulou will present the Integrated LIFE IP 4 Natura project, the first centrally coordinated initiative to implement the Greek Prioritized Action Framework for Natura 2000 in Greece. The project’s objective is to substantially enhance Greece’s nature conservation framework in a way that simultaneously ensures the country’s compliance with the European Union’s nature legislation. More specifically LIFE-IP 4 NATURA aims at a) improving the conservation status of species and habitats of Community Interest, b) implementing an integrated approach for the management of the N2K network, c) building capacities of the competent authorities in support of the implementation of EU nature legislation, d) actively involving stakeholders in the conservation and management of N2K sites, e) raising awareness among Greek citizens of the Natura 2000 network and its significance, f) promoting citizen participation and adoption of positive attitudes towards the N2K sites, and g) supporting the mobilization of complementary funds to meet the objectives of the Nature Directives in Greece.
Dr. Koutsovoulou holds a BSc in Biology and a PhD in Seed Ecophysiology. In addition, she has completed a post-doctoral research project on tree genetic resources conservation. She has worked in numerous EU/national funded projects addressing issues of species conservation and monitoring as well as capacity building. Her current position is the coordinator of the LIFE IP 4Natura for the Green Fund.
7) NATURE 4 CITY LIFE
Mrs. Marie Caroline Vallon will present the LIFE Nature For City LIFE project, which aims to develop nature in cities in order to adapt to climate change by informing and raising awareness of these issues among all city stakeholders in the three regional metropolises, whether they are elected officials, technicians or citizens. Her presentation will focus on the tools developed within the framework of this project, particularly in the context of the development of urban walks as new practices for citizen involvement and the organization of workshops for elected officials, technicians and citizens on how to improve nature in the city.
Mrs. Vallon is a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques d'Aix en Provence and has a degree in regional development and planning. She has been working for more than 20 years with local authorities on all aspects of land use planning (environmental, energy, land, production), developing a global, decompartmentalized and uninhibited approach to urban issues and practices. Within the framework of the Nature For City LIFE project, she is in charge of actions concerning the training of city actors (elected officials, technicians and citizens) within the framework of the creation of a MOOC in two courses with the University of Aix Marseille and the organization of elected officials/technicians workshops and citizen mobilization to better manage nature in the logic of adaptation of cities to climate change.
8) LIFE NATURA THEMIS
Dr. Michalis Probonas will present the LIFE Natura Themis project, which aims to promote awareness of wildlife crime prosecution and liability for biodiversity damage in NATURA 2000 areas in Crete. His presentation will focus on project’s actions and results, as well as on the application of pilot toolkits in observing environmental crime and environmental law implementation.
Dr. Probonas, is a graduate of the Physics Department of the School of Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In 1992, he obtained a PhD degree from the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Since 1998, he has been working at the University of Crete – Natural History Museum of Crete (UoC – NHMC) and is the Scientific Coordinator of the Laboratory of Ecology & Environmental Management of NHMC. He is involved in the coordination of several international, European, national and regional projects on environmental management, conservation and protection of biodiversity, public awareness & communication, as well as consultancy in Environmental Impact Studies in areas of the NATURA 2000 Network.
