One more chapter of BESTbelt is starting!
The 2nd BESTbelt Call for Proposals received almost 100 applications from various organisations spreading along the European Green Belt. Now, the evaluation and selection of submissions are concluded. 17 new projects will officially start in the next months.
The numbers are very exciting! BESTbelt started the 1st Call for Proposals in 2022 with 66 concept note submissions, increasing to 96 for the 2nd Call for Proposals this year. Many small- and medium-size organisations have reached out to BESTbelt and applied to the 2nd Call, showing great interest and activity along the European Green Belt. The BESTbelt Project team was overwhelmed by the number and variety of applications submitted in this second round.
From those 96 initial concept notes, 17 projects have been selected for funding and are now enlarging the group of BESTbelt funded projects to 28. In 2023 the category of transboundary projects was introduced, which include intensive cross-border cooperation.
The projects are very diverse. In Fennoscandia, projects deal with nature conservation of mires and boreal forests, and raising public awareness. In the Baltics, projects support the restoration of coastal habitats and the preparation of an eco-tourism trail. In Central Europe, forests and pollinators are studied for conservation measures, but also youngsters learn about the European Green Belt. In the Balkans, projects deal with ecosystem conservation, environmental education, the protection of large and emblematic animals, but also the empowerment of local communities and the preparation of a potential long distance hiking trail along the Balkan Green Belt. The BESTbelt Project team can hardly wait to see the diverse projects being realized.
BESTbelt - more power for the European Green Belt is an EU-funded project that started in End 2021 and will finish in End 2026. More than 40 projects are planned to be funded through BESTbelt, in all four regions of the European Green Belt. BESTbelt addresses local stakeholders and supports them in taking important conservation actions and developing models for sustainable use. BESTbelt offers a fantastic opportunity to implement concrete nature conservation actions along the entire European Green Belt. In early 2024, a final call will be published.
Contact:
BESTbelt Office