European Green Belt Days 2018

Every year between the 18-24 September the "European Green Belt Days" are celebrated with various events and activities in all four regions of the European Green Belt. This year several actions took place at the Central European and the Balkan Green Belt, like a work camp for international and local volunteers at the border between Austria and Czech Republic.

International and local volunteers gathered together for a work camp at the Green Belt Lower Austria-Czech Republic from 16 to 23 September. The dry grasslands of the so called “Weinviertler Klippenzone” in the European Green Belt are habitat of a lot of rare plants and animal. To maintain these habitats and to avoid invasion of bushes into the grasslands it is necessary to establish regular management. Biotope maintenance like mowing or removing bushes or neophytes was implemented on rupicolous or steppic grasslands in protected areas - situated amidst a beautiful wine-growing landscape. This helps to preserve species like the critically endangered Feather Grass (Stipa tirsa) or the butterfly Mountain Alcon Blue (Phengaris rebeli).

The Work Camp was organized by Naturschutzbund Niederösterreich (Austrian League for Nature Conservation – Lower Austria) and supported by local communities. The Work Camp is part of a project funded by the EU and the Provincial Government of Lower Austria.