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Together with more than 200 people the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation (BBF) colourfully celebrated this year’s European Green Belt Days in Belasitsa Nature Park, Bulgaria and Lake Kerkini in Greece, in cooperation with partners from North Macedonia.

What have beans and the Green Belt in common? In North Macedonia, the Bean’s Day is celebrated each year. And this year has been special, because of the 10th anniversary of the Beans Day on 21st of September in Tearce, North Macedonia. As part of the country’s culture, North Macedonia celebrated this special event during this year's European Green Belt Days.

The fall of the Berlin Wall at the end of 1989 paved the way for the European Green Belt, Europe's largest nature conservation project, which therefore celebrates its 30th birthday in 2019. In addition to an international event at Lake Neusiedl, the Austrian League for Nature Conservation has invited the public to get moving for the Green Belt in Austria during the European Green Belt Days from 18th -24th September this year.

It has been 30 years! A reason to celebrate the collaboration for nature along the line of the former Iron Curtain - a special occasion for this year’s European Green Days! Green Balkans organized a series of cheerful events in the cross-border area of Bulgaria and Turkey from 18-24 September.

Once widespread along the central and Balkan region, the imperial eagle faces many threats today, driving the species to lose its live. Countries of the European Green Belt have recognized that this majestic animal needs sustainable cross-border protection – a task that the Association of Back to Nature takes very seriously at the border between Turkey and Bulgaria.

Working for one week with like-minded young people in and for nature and actively helping to protect rare species living on the European Green Belt. If this sounds interesting, then register now for one of the International Green Belt Camps of the Austrian League for Nature Conservation!

In August, more than 100 friends of the European Green Belt met for a festive event in the Neusiedlersee – Seewinkel Fertö-Hanság National Park to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the European Green Belt Initiative.

On the occasion of the festivities to mark the fall of the Iron Curtain and the birth of the European Green Belt 30 years ago, Austria set a strong political signal for the international nature conservation project. With the Illmitz Declaration the Austrian Federal Government and the “Green-Belt-Bundesländer” (the Federal States on the Green Belt) have jointly committed themselves to the European Green Belt.

Despite the rain showers, the atmosphere was excellent: Happy people, world music, homemade cake, a mobile playground for children, excursions in the surrounding and a well-attended information stand on the European Green Belt and the project LIFE for MIRES. The trans-boundary summer festival on 30 years breakdown of the Iron Curtain took place on 7 July 2019 directly at the hikers’ border crossing Haidmühle-Nové Údolí (Germany-Czech Republic).

The day was saved when the group saw the first orange-golden shimmering butterfly: The Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) is a Europe wide endangered species living in nature related, late mowed meadows or extensively grazed pastures. It is strongly depending on its caterpillar’s only food plant, the devil's-bit (Succisia pratensis). The European Green Belt is one of the places where this rare species found a last retreat.