LIFE in Quarries (LIFE14 NAT/BE/000364) - Final Report

The extractive activity of quarries represents an exceptional opportunity to maintain rare and endangered habitats with its associated pioneer species. Indeed, the operation of a quarry produces a wide variety of temporary habitats, sometimes evolving towards more permanent communities.
On its own initiative, the extractive industry requested more understanding for biodiversity management on its sites. To answer this demand, a partnership was created between the Belgian Federation of Industry Extractive (FEDIEX), University of Liège, Natagora, the Parc naturel des Plaines de l’Escaut (PNPE) and the Walloon region in the framework of LIFE in Quarries project (LIFE14 NAT/BE/000364).
For 6 years, the project has lead the private sector, public authorities, and non-governmental associations to work together to demonstrate that operational solutions can be proposed for biodiversity management and implemented through limited investments benefiting the industrial sector and stakeholders interested by nature. The overall objective was to define acceptable measures for operators, being legally and scientifically valid, and of course favorable to biodiversity.
In doing so the project aimed at creating a win-win for nature and the industry situation where quarries could act as a network of sites:
(i) significantly contributing to the management of pioneer biodiversity at the regional level;
(ii) promoting post exploitation restoration during the exploitation phase that would enhance both biodiversity per se and ecosystem services provisions - thus participating to the development of a regional Green Infrastructure;
(iii) promoting awareness of its members on biodiversity stakes at play and means to favor it in quarries; while,
(iv) securing the long term management through the legal securing of the dynamic management of biodiversity throughout the exploitation phase and the provision of adequate tools for monitoring outcomes, allowing for protected species to co-exist with the exploitation.
Favoring in return a better understanding from the Laymen on the role quarries could play for biodiversity, through dissemination actions.
The project was characterized by the launching and the implementation of concrete conservation actions in 27 quarries. During the project, a dedicated team worked on the general coordination (F.1), preparatory actions (A.), communication (E.) and initiation of concrete conservation actions (C.1, C.2, C.3), further monitoring the outcomes of the project and securing its future (D.).
The preparatory actions delivered important results for further implementation.
 It prepared actions to be tested under action C.1 based on the detailed assessment of the state of the art and initial workshop (action A.1);
 The establishment of indicators (action A.2) oriented the adequate monitoring of the project progress;
 In-depth biological inventories (action A.3) helped properly orientate the action plans implemented in C.2 to C.4 actions;
 The legal study (action A.4) identified the potential legal obstacles to the concept of dynamic management of biodiversity with a comparison of similar initiatives in other European countries;
 The preparation of dissemination actions was linked to the development of a quarry network (A.5);
 The evaluation of Ecosystem services provided a new methodology to evaluate ES in quarries and its implementation allowed the full understanding of impact of restorations choices on services delivered.
Concrete conservation actions were implemented on 27 sites and disseminated in 7 EU sites: LIFE 14 NAT/BE/000364]
LIFE14 NAT/BE/000364
Rue Edouard Belin, 7 I B-1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert I
T + 32 2 511 61 73 I info@lifeinquarries.eu I www.lifeinquarries.eu
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 After a testing period for the implementation of concrete conservation actions (C.1), the pilot phase run in 14 quarries with individually adapted action plans (C.2-C.3) by the quarry operators with a close supervision of the LIFE project’s team. Actions were mostly implemented behind initial expectations;
 The transfer to 13 Phase II quarries in a smoothened scheme allowed confirming the feasibility of the process, further delivering beyond expectations in C.4a.
 With experience and multiple case studies in mind, in C.4b the project could then propose a way forward in 7 EU quarries from 3 different countries with positive outcomes and propositions for future implementation.
Monitoring of actions allowed confirming the benefits brought from realizations:
 C.1 tests evaluated under action D.1 helped reorient the implementation of C.2-C.3 actions;
 The monitoring of biological outcomes under D.2 confirmed the rapid interest of temporary nature actions (C.2) actions while providing good omen for the trajectories taken by permanent nature (C.3) restorations;
 The assessment of the Ecosystem services (D.3) development throughout the project provided much interesting information on the positive and negative impacts quarries can have on the development of ES and on ways these could be influenced through specific information, habitats restoration and exchanges between the sector and other stakeholders favoring an integration into a regional Green Infrastructure.
 Associated to the development of a strong framework of management plans, derogations and commitments under charters under action D.5, the development of the Ambres platform for the basic monitoring (D.4) and its appropriation by quarries personnel will allow for the actions to live on in the After-LIFE;
 The increased awareness of the sector on the role they can play for biodiversity present on their site, as a result of Communication actions, monitored under action D.6b is further expected to allow quarry staf to become stewards of their sites’ biodiversity. Accompanied by guidance on the evaluation of means and costs necessary for the implementation of dynamic management of biodiversity (uner D.6c) these outcomes are expected to encourage and facilitate new quarries to join the process.
Communication and training of the project were based on different supports and sharing methods:
 Training activities and methodological documents, factsheets and an online picture database of species aimed at favoring the quarries operators understanding of stakes and means to favor biodiversity in quarries (E.5a & E.5c). The project trained quarry personnel at all hierarchical levels in the societies, from workers to CEOs ;
 The communication towards others actors involved in the sector went through Networking with other projects (E.3), sharing with and training of public authorities (E.5b) and multiples attendances to conferences and oriented events (E.6a); This helped facilitate contacts of these actors with the sector and promote a mutual understanding on commitments for biodiversity;
 Some notice boards (E.1), the website (E.2), the Layman’s report (E.4) as well as a project folder, newsletters, a presence in the press, open quarry days and observation platforms (E.6) aimed at informing a broader audience to biodiversity in quarries and the outcomes of the project;
 To disseminate at a broader EU level the outcomes of the project, the LIFE in Quarries team relied as well on Networking (E.3), EU Working groups (E.7) and a final International workshop (E.8).
The project partners contributed jointly to the reaching of the project’s objectives and to favoring further developments through joint commitments in the After-LIFE plan (F.3).
By doing so, we set the basis for the project’s realizations and the Innovative partnership for biodiversity, people and economy to live on within the project’s area and abroad. The recent Commission ‘Guidance document on the strict protection of animal species of Community interest under the Habitats Directive’ and future intakes of the project outputs are expected to favor biodiversity and its provision of Ecosystem services in a win-win situation for nature and the sector.