Schemes to improve green roofs, protect habitats and produce educational cartoons for children are among the UK projects awarded a share of a multi-million pound EU environmental fund.
The projects have won more than £5 million funding under the European Commission's Life+ programme's award for 2009, with individual awards ranging from just over £200,000 to more than £2 million.
They are among 143 projects across Europe to be given a share of almost £150 million from the EU for schemes beginning in 2009.
The UK schemes include a project to address climate change by increasing the quality of green roofs, by Groundwork Sheffield, and proposals by WWF-UK for managing the ecosystem of the Celtic Sea.
An RSPB scheme to protect freshwater habitats and compensate for the loss of brackish marshes on the north Norfolk coast as part of measures to tackle climate change has also been given funding, as has a Countryside Council for Wales project to restore 751 hectares of fens in Wales.
Two communications projects won funding - an Energy Saving Trust programme to raise awareness of energy and water saving measures and a transnational scheme to produce animated cartoons to educate five to eight-year-olds on how small actions can help the environment.
Phil Owen, head of the Life programme, said funding was available for conservation projects, such as programmes to protect bitterns, information programmes and innovative or pilot schemes with grass-roots input.
One such project in the UK involved rivers in Lewisham and Chester, applying design measures used to reduce crime in urban housing and car-parks to make riverside spaces more appealing to the local community.
He called on communities, public sector bodies, charities and businesses to apply for the 2010 round of funding before the November 21 deadline, in which more than £13 million is available for UK projects.