News

A strict nature reserve can be incredibly valuabe for nature as conservationists target natural processes to happen without any negative influence. Providing information and marking these protected areas is an educational asset as the Kosovo Institute for Nature Protection shows.

“Humans divide, nature unites” is a theme of the European Green Belt (EGB) and that of a new study being led by researchers at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) and the University of North Texas. The study is testing the degree to which extent linkages in the landscape along reaches of the EGB in South Bohemia and Moravia (along the border between Czech Republic and Austria) effectively link wildlife populations.

At the border triangle, right where the three countries of Greece, Albania and North Macedonia meet, are located the magnificent Prespa lakes. The region is a refuge for several rare and endemic species and hosts important cultural and historical monuments. NGOs in the three countries have worked to foster transboundary collaboration in the region for many years, and in 2013 the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP), the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) and Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) formed PrespaNet, a network of environmental NGOs for Prespa.

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.” This famous quote of Baba Dioum, a Senegalese forestry engineer, is the motto of a set of education activities targeted at pupils in the border region of Czech Republic and Germany (Bavaria).

Historically isolated from the western booming economies, many of the constitutive habitats of the European Green Belt could retain their original characteristics in space and time. They therefore offer ideal conditions for rare species to thrive and for scientists to study species-habitat relationships in their evolutionary settings.

The Corona virus cannot stop the engagement of people for the Shar / Korab-Koritnik region between North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania. Following the example of North Macedonia, Local action groups (LAG) are being established in Albania as well as in Kosovo. The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed digitally by relevant local actors due to the current restrictions.

Looking for partners and call for submission!

BUNDjugend is looking for partners, who are engaged in nature and history along the European Green Belt and want to exchange with people from other regions.

Great news in these turbulent times: Two landscapes in North Macedonia could soon become protected areas on the Green Belt: The Shar Mountains a national park and the Osogovo Mountains a protected area. But it is not as easy as it seems.

Slovenia is home to several bat species. They mostly occur in forest environments. But they also feel comfortable in human-made environments. So, it’s time to harmonize the conservation of cultural goods and nature. The Gorička Krajina-project addresses both.

Unfortunately, we have heard some bad news from Slovakia where the EGB is facing a crucial test: City planners of Bratislava want to extend the city as close to the border with Austria as possible, which means that the Green Belt section would largely disappear on the Slovakian side. The construction of the new "Nesto" district shall begin as early as 2021.