Feedback on the InterLIFE France 2017 Meetings organised in Reunion Island

This year, Reunion Island National Park and its partners hosted the InterLIFE France 2017 Meetings from 4 to 8 December in Reunion Island. This was a first for the French Overseas Departments since the LIFE fund was created in 1992. It was a chance to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the European fund dedicated to environmental conservation. 

The LIFE Alister project was present!

Every year, these meetings bring together the LIFE project coordinators from the four corners of mainland France and territories overseas. In this edition, the leaders of the BEST* projects attended the events that are ripe with discussion and the exchange of good practices in the presence of high representatives of the European Commission in charge of the LIFE programme. Also present were members of the EASME** Executive Agency, experts from the NEEMO Oréade-Brèche*** consulting firm and officials of the European Commission and the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in charge of the BEST projects.

An occasion to discuss the practices and experiences of each project

These meetings aim to enable the teams responsible for LIFE projects to share the progress they have made in their respective projects, to exchange advice and feedback on their experiences, to present new LIFE projects and benefit from information conveyed by the experts guiding the LIFE programme in its more technical aspects.

he use of the detecting equipment used by the teams of LIFE Petrels to identify the birds; presentation and discussion of the various projects; reforestation with the planting of 240 trees in relation with the LIFE Dry Forest project; awareness of the conservation of bird species in French overseas Departments by the team of LIFE CAP-DOM (now finished) and a trip to the ‘Peak of the Furnace’ volcano.

Petrels were released on 4 December

Thanking the organisers!

LIFE Alister, together with all the LIFE project coordinators who attended the meetings, would like to thank the teams who organised them at the Reunion Island National Park, for the quality of the programme and the discussions that were able to take place throughout this studious and most welcoming week!

* BEST: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of European overseas

** EASMA: The Executive Agency for competitiveness and innovation in charge of European programmes to help small and medium-sized enterprises to remain competitive as well as programmes on research, environment, energy and the fishing sector

*** Consultancy responsible for monitoring the French LIFE projects on behalf of the European Commission