(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 03 GIU - There is also a Friulian project for the conservation of the last arid grasslands of the plain, the so-called 'Magredi', among the 27 finalists of the European Natura 2000 prize. The award, which was launched in 2014, aims to highlight the best natural habitats and animal species conservation projects, within the European Natura 2000 network.

The Friulian 'Magredi grasslands' project was selected from 79 projects coming from 26 EU countries, plus the United Kingdom.

An independent jury will then decide the winners, by October 14.

As for the audience award, any citizen can choose his favorite project and vote it online on the event website, until September 15.

The 'Magredi grasslands' project is aimed at conserving the Magredi habitat and at reconstituting it from abandoned agricultural land or through scrub clearance.

Moreover, the project involves monitoring allochthonous plant species and transplanting the rarest and most threatened plant species. (ANSA).