Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)

European Parliament, Brussels19th December 2011

European Green Belt

From Iron Curtain to

pan-European Lifeline

Dr. Kai Frobel, Dr. Liana Geidezis

BUND, Friends of the Earth Germany

Regional Coordinator Green Belt Central Europe

Green Belt Europe – beginning of the Initiative

1989: BUND initiates the Green Belt Germany

Early 1990ies: Activities for a FennoscandianGreen Belt and Balkan Green Belt

2002: First idea of a “Green Belt Europe”

2003: Conference “Perspectives of the Green

Belt” in Bonn (Germany) organised by BfN

2004: First Pan-European Green Belt

Conference “Connecting Europe’s Biodiversity”

in national park Fertö-Hansag (Hungary)

organised by IUCN and BfN

► Common structure of the initiative

► Programme of Work (PoW)© BfN

© BfN

© BUND

Green Belt Europe – Structure of the Initiative

12.500 Kilometers, 24 Countries

Central European

Green Belt

Balkan Green Belt

Fennoscandian Green Belt

National Focal Points

National Focal Points

National Focal Points

Patronage:

Vision of the European Green Belt

“Creating the backbone of an ecological network running from the

Barents to the Black Sea that is a global symbol for trans-boundary

cooperation in nature conservation and sustainable development”

Stara PlaninaBulgarian-Serbian border area

1 a/b Øvre- Pasvik (NOR) / Zapovednik Pasvik (RUS)2 Urho-Kekkonen (FIN)3 Riisitunturi (FIN)4 a/b Oulanka (FIN) / Paanajärvi (RUS)5 Kalewala (RUS)6 Hiidenportti (FIN)7 Koli (FIN)8 Patvinsuo (FIN)9 Petkeljärvi (FIN)10 Valkmusa (FIN)11 Laheema (EST)12 Matsalu (EST)13 Kemeri (LV)14 Slitere (LV)15a/b Kuřių Nerija (LV) / Kurschkaja Kossa (RUS)16 Slowinski (PL)17 Jasmund (D)18 Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft (D)19 Harz (D)20a/b Šumava (CZ) / Bayerischer Wald (D)21a/b Thayatal (A) / Podyjí (CZ)22a/b Neusiedler See (A) / Fertő Hanság (H)23 Triglav (SLO)24 Donau-Drau (H)25 Golubac (SRB)26 Skutari (MNE)27 Prokletije (MNE) 28 Mavrovo (MK)29 Shebenik-Jablanica (AL)30 a/b/c/d Galicia (MK) / Prespa (AL) / Pelister (MK) / Prespa (GR)

39 National Parks /Zapovedniks

along the European Green Belt

1

2

3 45

67 8

9

10

11

121314

151617

18

19

20 21

22

23

2425

2628

29 30

27

Green Belt Europe: cross-section of

biogeographical and climatic regions of

Europe

Important migration corridor

(South – North) concerning climate

change

The European Green Belt is an.......

Distribution of the

European Wild Cat

...important migration route

Distribution of the

European Wild Cat

Green Belt Europe

Green Belt Europe - Initiative

Geopolitical and Cultural Relevancies

Connection of

- 15 EU-member states (yellow) - 3 candidate countries (dark grey)

- 4 potential candidate countries and -non-EU-countries (Russia, Norway)

Unique Chance for:Trans-boundary exchange and

cooperation in nature conservation,

regional development and

nature tourism

Development of an

European civil society, preserving

the common cultural heritage

Green Belt Europe

European community of “hundreds” of stakeholders

A range of organisations:

Baltic Green Belt and GreenNet

Running Projects on EU-Level

Central Europe Project (Interreg IVB)

April 2011 – March 2014

Lead-Partner: Thüringer Landgesellschaft (ThLG)/

Association for Rural Development Thuringia

22 Project partners (thereof 11 associated partners)6 participating Countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Austria,

Slovakia, Slovenia and Italy

www.greennet-project.eu

Baltic Sea Region, INTERREG IV B-Project

January 2009 – January 2012

Lead partner: University Kiel

22 partners (13 partners and 9 associated partners)7 participating countries: Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania,

Latvia, Estonia and Sweden (Coalition Clean Baltic)

www.balticgreenbelt.uni-kiel.de

Green Belt Europe

Memorial Landscape

Green Belt Europe

Requirements

► European Parliament should adopt a resolution for the protection of the European Green

Belt, also expressing support for the associated European Green Belt Initiative.

► The EU Parliament is asked to initiate and support further trans-boundary projects and

activities and to establish a financial support programme for the Green Belt (nature

conservation, nature tourism and regional development).

► A special focus should be put on harmonising conservation management on both sides of

the former Iron Curtain and closing gaps by extending nature reserves across borders.

► Green Infrastructure: The Green Belt is already an indispensable part of a Green

Infrastructure. Green bridges or similar measures should be applied for unavoidable crossings

of the Green Belt.

► Due to its outstanding significance for nature conservation and its historic dimension as a

European commemorative landscape, the EU should support a possible nomination of the

Green Belt as UNESCO-World Heritage.

Green Belt Europe – European Biodiversity

BUND-Project Office Green Belt

Regional Coordinator Green Belt Central Europe

Hessestrasse 4, 90443 Nuremberg, Germany

Phone 0049-911-575294-0

Fax 0049-911-575294-20

greenbelt@bund-naturschutz.de

www.europeangreenbelt.org

www.greenbelteurope.eu

Contact