Mine restoration project wins EU prize
The LIFE TECMINE project in Spain wins the most online votes to secure the LIFE Citizen's Prize 2023.
Winners of the LIFE Awards 2023 were awarded to the most innovative, impactful and recently finished LIFE projects for each of the three categories: Nature Protection, Environment and Climate Action.
The LIFE programme is the EUs funding instrument for environment and climate action - L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement - and was started in 1992.
The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency says that LIFE TECMINE has proved the efficiency of geomorphological restoration techniques in Mediterranean areas affected by mining.
While the finalists and winners of each category are chosen by an expert jury from 150 recently finished LIFE projects across the EU that support the European Green Deal, the LIFE Citizens Award is voted for online by the public who choose the winner from the list of nine finalists, three per category.
LIFE TECMINE was selected as a finalist in the Environment category, and secured 3091 public votes from the 10,000+ online votes.The project covered a 13ha mining area in Spain and, due to interest, has replicated the experience at three extra mines, resulting in a 148% increase of the initial surface area. Accordingly, the work prompted an update of the General Plan for Mining Operations in the Region of Valencia, and a proposal for a Sustainable Mining Law is now under development.
LIFE TECMINE has created the first national network for the restoration of mines and quarries, with 60 entities involved. The Valencia Regional Government has earmarked €2.5mln from the EU Next Generation Funds to replicate the project in the region's mines.
