Funding in accordance with the Nature Conservation Funding Guidelines
Funding of measures for the sustainable protection of plant and animal life as well as the diversity, uniqueness, and beauty of nature and landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia. Applications can be submitted at any time.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
Promotion of nature conservation and landscape management measures, e.g., the preparation and implementation of landscape plans, ecological assessments, maintenance and development measures in protected areas, habitat connectivity, securing areas worthy of protection through purchase or lease.
Eligible expenses
- Preparation and amendment of landscape plans
- Ecological assessments
- Maintenance and development measures in protected areas
- Measures for habitat connectivity
- Acquisition and leasing of areas worthy of protection
Non-eligible expenses
- Compensatory and replacement measures
- Measures due to legal obligations
Eligible to apply
- Public Institutions
- Non-profit Organizations
- Individuals
- Companies
- Interest Groups and Other Associations
Funding requirements
- No premature start of measures
- Compliance with nature conservation and administrative law requirements
- Financing of own contribution must be secured
- De minimis threshold: €2,500 (public) or €500 (private)
Documents required for application
- Site plan (district, corridor, parcel)
- Detailed description of the measure
- Justification of the measure and necessity of funding
- Cost calculation
Evaluation criteria
- Eligibility for nature conservation funding
- Administrative eligibility for funding
Description
The funding in accordance with the Nature Conservation Funding Guidelines of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia supports measures aimed at the permanent protection of plant and animal life as well as the diversity, uniqueness, and beauty of nature and landscape. Eligible recipients include municipalities, nature park authorities, recognized nature conservation associations, other legal entities under public and private law, as well as private applicants. Among others, funding is provided for the preparation and revision of landscape plans, ecological assessments, maintenance and development measures in protected areas, as well as land acquisition and leasing of areas worthy of protection. Projects can be subsidized with a grant covering between 50% and 80% of the eligible total costs, with a funding period of up to 60 months. A de minimis threshold of €2,500 for public applicants and €500 for private applicants is observed.
Applications can be submitted continuously and undergo a nature conservation expert and administrative legal review. A prerequisite is that measures have not yet commenced and that financing of the applicant’s own contribution is secured. Compensation and replacement measures as well as services required by law are not eligible for funding. The application must include an accurate site plan, a detailed description of the measures with justification, and a cost calculation. Upon positive decision, approval is granted as a project-related grant. The procedure ensures transparent and professionally sound funding that makes a sustainable contribution to the preservation and development of valuable natural areas in North Rhine-Westphalia.
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