BIOCLIMA - Lombardy region

The Lombardy Region in Italy launched the "Biodiversity and Climate" (BioClima) call in 2022 to test public-private financing instruments for supporting collaboration on regional projects aiming at biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation and enhancement of ecosystem services. Specifically, the Lombardy Region allocated €3.5 million of the regional budget to the beneficiaries of these projects (public administration, managing bodies of Natura 2000 sites, entities managing protected areas pursuant to regional law 86/83). The grant contribution by the Region is foreseen to cover a maximum of 70% of the eligible expenses within the range of €105,000 to €350,000. The projects must provide for a minimum private co-financing of 30%. Private co-financers will be able to communicate the impact achieved by their resources thanks to international standard of the Forest Stewardship Council for generated ecosystem services. Technical assistance for beneficiaries is also included to help applicants identify conservation interventions that are able to generate ecosystem services and in looking for private sponsors to bring together supply and demand.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Economic and fiscal instruments›Payments as rewards/for ecosystem services, subsidies, incentives

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Flood risk: pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability
Heat stress and heat island effect
Landslide risk
Air quality
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

Interventions eligible for funding under the call include: forestry interventions (forestation, forestry improvements, restoration of damaged forests, linear green systems); integrative interventions to safeguard biodiversity (ecological connections, eradication or containment of invasive alien plant species, bats, moorland habitat, protection of amphibians and reptiles of community interest, oak grove habitat, active heronry sites, aquatic birdlife, Sternidae and other birds of river banks, other interventions consistent with the regional Priority Action Framework); and interventions for the enhancement of ecosystem services (improving impacts on ecosystem services; measure and obtain independent third party verification of ecosystem services; economic enhancement of ecosystem services).

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Green areas for water management

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Locally appropriate

Innovative

Policy business case

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Regional Government of Lombardy

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

BioClima was developed as part of the "LIFE IP GESTIRE 2020" project of the Lombardy Region. Action C21 aimed at experimenting governance models for activating innovative financing mechanisms to support ecosystem services. A number of different actor groups were involved in the project and thus the design of the instrument.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Private sector, corporate, business

Researchers, university

Foundation

Type of actor involvement:

Co-planning or co-design of instrument (e.g. boards, advisory role)

Expert task force consultation

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The regional body sets and calls for the selection of beneficiaries through a public announcement and allocates funds to the projects. Beneficiaries include public administration, managing bodies of Natura 2000 sites, and entities managing protected areas pursuant to regional law 86/83. Private co-financiers are also involved in supporting implementation. The Cariplo foundation also finances a technical facility. Technical assistance for beneficiaries is also provided in order to help applicants in identifying conservation interventions able to generate ecosystem services and looking for private sponsors facilitating the linking of supply and demand.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Co-design of NBS, implemented by government

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Targeted actors:

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public regional budget

Corporate investment

Funds provided by non-governmental organization

Private Foundation

Budget:

1 000 000€ - 5 000 000€

Details about instrument financing:

The regional body sets the €3.5 million public budget and calls for the selection of beneficiary projects, from a minimum of € 105,000 to a maximum of € 350,000 per project. The projects must provide for a minimum co-financing of 30% (at least 10% from private sources and the remaining 20% to be paid by the beneficiary).

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The aim of the instrument is the enhancement and/or restoration of 16 Lombard habitats, of which 5 at risk of disappearance and safeguarding the survival of 22 native plant and animal species.

Success factors and lessons learned:

This instrument has been successful in leveraging private financing resources for nature-based solution project development. Private financers can communicate the impacts achieved from those projects, thanks to the application of the Forest Stewardship Council certification for ecosystem services. The integration of and collaboration with diverse stakeholders from the private and public sectors have forged new partnerships, brought together supply and demand-side actors, and advanced governance models for public authorities to foster such partnerships.

Sources and further information

Further documents

Weblinks:

https://www.etifor.com/it/portfolio/bando-bioclima/

https://www.wownature.eu/aziende/bioclima/