The third BESTLIFE2030 call for proposals is expected to open on 7 October 20261. With €9.62 million remaining to be awarded through calls 3 and 4, the Programme is building on experience from previous calls and projects across Europe’s Overseas territories to shape its next phase of investment and strengthen the long-term impact of conservation funding.
Since its launch, BESTLIFE2030 has supported locally led conservation action across Europe’s Overseas territories, addressing a wide range of biodiversity challenges, from ecosystem restoration and invasive species to biodiversity monitoring and sustainable management of natural resources.
Experience from these projects is revealing approaches that can help conservation deliver lasting results. Across the portfolio, local actors are restoring degraded ecosystems, responding to interconnected pressures, using knowledge to inform management decisions and strengthening the skills, organisations and partnerships needed to sustain action over time.
These experiences are helping to inform how BESTLIFE2030 will invest the remaining funding through its third and fourth calls.
Building on proven results
Projects supported through BESTLIFE2030 are already demonstrating how locally led action can generate tangible conservation results while creating knowledge and approaches that can support longer-term change.
In French Polynesia, the OceanIA project is using artificial intelligence to strengthen marine biodiversity monitoring and help develop an anti-collision objective for marine megafauna. During its first pilot season, the initiative captured 3.6 million images, helping to detect humpback whales in high-traffic maritime corridors. By improving the detection of whales in areas where vessel traffic and marine megafauna overlap, the project is generating evidence to support practical measures that can reduce the risk of collisions.
In Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the BESTLIFE for BARACHOIS project is taking a preventive approach to restoring the Grand Barachois, a shallow lagoon affected by eutrophication. Rather than focusing only on removing the algae that accumulate in the lagoon, the project is testing the restoration of seagrass meadows and mussel beds to help restore the ecological functions that regulate nutrient levels and water quality. The approach illustrates how restoration can address the underlying conditions driving ecosystem degradation, rather than responding only to its visible effects.
In Greenland, the CIPKaN project is tackling the spread of invasive Nootka lupin, which threatens native plant communities. The project combines preventive removal with community engagement, testing different removal methods and working with local actors to build awareness of the species and its impacts. Educational activities with schools in Nuuk are also helping strengthen local understanding and involvement in invasive-species management.
Together, these projects reflect a broader shift in conservation practice across the portfolio: from protecting what remains towards restoring degraded ecosystems; from addressing individual threats towards responding to interacting pressures; and from generating knowledge towards using it to guide decisions and management. They also demonstrate the importance of local capacity and flexible funding in enabling organisations to test, adapt and strengthen conservation approaches in real-world conditions.
Shaping the next phase of investment
These experiences are informing BESTLIFE2030’s approach to its third call for proposals.
With €9.6 million3 remaining across calls 3 and 4, the Programme aims to maximise the long-term conservation impact of its remaining funding. The focus will remain on locally driven solutions that respond to the specific ecological, social and economic contexts of Europe’s Overseas territories, while creating opportunities for knowledge, approaches and partnerships to contribute to wider action.
The experience of the first call shows that the value of a conservation grant can extend beyond the immediate results of an individual project. By giving local organisations and practitioners space to test solutions, generate evidence, strengthen partnerships and adapt their approaches, funding can also create a foundation for future conservation action.
The third call will build on this experience as BESTLIFE2030 continues to support conservation that is locally grounded, knowledge-informed and adaptive.
Bringing experience to the Pacific conservation agenda
The next phase of this conversation will take place in Nouméa, New Caledonia, where BESTLIFE2030 will join conservation practitioners, beneficiaries and partners for the 11th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation, taking place from 7–11 September 2026 at the Tjibaou Cultural Centre.
The conference comes at an important moment for nature conservation in the Pacific. BESTLIFE2030 and the wider BEST initiative will contribute to discussions on the new Pacific Regional Framework for Nature Conservation 2026–2030, while the conference will also draw on findings from the State of Environment and Conservation in the Pacific Islands 2025. Participants will also have the opportunity to endorse a new Declaration reinforcing Pacific commitment to achieving the goals of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and securing a resilient future for Pacific people and nature.
BESTLIFE2030 will bring the experience of projects and local organisations into this regional conversation. The Pacific portfolio illustrates how conservation action can combine scientific knowledge, local capacity, community practice and practical tools to address the realities of working across dispersed island territories.
On 6 September, BESTLIFE2030 and the Kiwa Initiative will convene a Practitioners Exchange, bringing together current and former beneficiaries to share experience from project implementation, reflect on what has worked and discuss how conservation action can be strengthened over the longer term.
On 7 September, BESTLIFE2030 and the European Union will host a dedicated side event placing Pacific beneficiaries and their work at the centre of the discussion. The event will showcase conservation action supported through the Programme, share emerging lessons from the portfolio and pre-announce the third BESTLIFE2030 call for proposals, ahead of its official opening on 7 October4.
Together, these exchanges will connect experience from projects on the ground with regional priorities and future conservation investment. They will also provide an opportunity for beneficiaries and practitioners to help shape the conversation about how locally led conservation can be strengthened and sustained across the Pacific.
Applications open on 7 October5
The third BESTLIFE2030 call for proposals is expected to open on 7 October 2026.6
Further information on the call, including eligibility, application procedures and supporting resources, will be made available through the BESTLIFE2030 website ahead of the launch.
1,4,5,6 The launch date of 7 October 2026 is indicative and subject to change. The BESTLIFE2030 Secretariat reserves the right to amend the launch date, subject to the applicable programme rules and procedures. Please follow the BESTLIFE2030 website and social media channels for the latest information and updates.
2,3The amount indicated is provisional and provided for information purposes only. It is subject to change at the discretion of the BESTLIFE2030 Secretariat and in accordance with the applicable programme rules and procedures.
