Exploiting a quarry leads to the creation of environments which have become rare in Belgium, such as cliffs, rocky or sandy surfaces, rock slides, temporary stretches of water, chalk grasslands or sparse meadows… These habitats, generated by mining activity, enable the appearance and development of populations of pioneer species with a high biological value.

The general object of the Life in Quarries project is to develop and make sustainable the hosting capacity of biodiversity in in various quarries in Wallonia. The originality of this project is based on the implementation of biodiversity management measures during the extractive phase and not only as part of rehabilitation at the end of works.

The total budget for the project is 5 million Euros. It is funded by the European Commission (56%), the Walloon region (20%), the quarry sector (21%) and partners (3%). The co-financing is an essential element for the implementation of the various actions spread over 4 years and several quarry sites in Wallonia.

The European Commission

The European Commission’s LIFE programme aims to support projects concerning nature restoration, biodiversity development and environmental management improvement.

The Walloon region

The Directorate General of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (DGARNE) is one of the departments of the Wallonia Public Service whose role is to contribute and improve the environment in the Walloon Region and thereby participate to sustainable development.