Today LIFE VinEcoS was recognized as an official project of the UN Decade of Biodiversity! The award was presented by Saxony-Anhalt's Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Energy, Prof. Claudia Dalbert. This award is given to projects that are committed to the conservation of biological diversity in an exemplary manner.

The LIFE VinEcoS project, launched in July 2016 and managed by Landgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt, is funded by the European Union and is aimed at adapting vineyard management practices to the requirements of climate change. The optimisation of ecosystem services and the increase of biological diversity play a central role in the project context. The project trials will be carried out until June 2020 on vineyards of the Kloster Pforta estate.

The project approach impressed the jurors of the UN Decade Competition very much. The ongoing competition is organised on behalf of the Federal Ministry for the Environment and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. The award serves as a seal of quality and makes the participants aware that their commitment to living diversity is part of a worldwide strategy.

Biological diversity is everything that contributes to the diversity of living nature: Species of animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms, their interactions with each other and with the environment, as well as genetic diversity within species and diversity of habitats. Protecting natural diversity does not mean merely preserving the beauty of nature. It also means safeguarding the foundations of survival for all of us.

More information about the contest (in German): http://www.undekade-biologischevielfalt.de