Manual for Celebrating the European Green Belt Days
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MANUAL FOR CELEBRATING THE EUROPEAN GREEN BELT DAYS 1 CONTENT 1. Preface 3 2. Background 4 3. Identify your European Green Belt Day event 6 4. Materials 8 5. Promotion 9 6. Last Check 10 2 1. PREFACE Every year, the European Green the European Green Belt with Belt Initiative celebrates the the main aim to increase the biological diversity and cultur- public awareness and knowl- al heritage in the impressive edge about the Initiative and landscapes along the former its vision as well as to improve Iron Curtain during the Europe- cross-border exchange and co- an Green Belt Days from 18th operation. to 24th of September. The first European Green Belt Day was Especially the high number of celebrated on 24th of Septem- different events implemented in ber 2016 in all nine countries the same week and scattered all along the Balkan Green Belt. The along the European Green Belt date originates back to the oi- gives the celebration a very spe- cial foundation of the European cial value and is a strong sign for Green Belt Association on 24th cross-border cooperation in the of September 2014 in Slavon- frame of nature protection! ice, Czech Republic. Each event during the The European Green Belt Days European Green Belt Days take place in many different lo- helps to increase the visibility cations in all 24 countries along of the European Green Belt! L Vision of the European Green Belt Initiative The European Green Belt, our shared natural heritage along the line of the former Iron Curtain, is to be con- served and restored to function as an ecological network connecting high-value natural and cultural landscapes, whilst respecting the economic, social and cultural needs of local communities. L This manual was prepared by The manual provides tips what EuroNatur in its function as to consider when planning and Regional Coordinator of the implementing events during Balkan Green Belt. It gives the European Green Belt Days an overview of the overall and thus hopefully encourages context and summarises organisations to celebrate the the experiences gained by European Green Belt Initiative. preparing and celebrating The manual does not caim European Green Belt Days completeness and EuroNatur along the Balkan Green Belt in appreciates feedback and the past years. additions. We sincerely invite you to celebrate the astonishing variety of landscapes and creatures along the European Green Belt with us during the European Green Belt Days! 3 Canyon Cijevna © Zeljko Scepanovic 2. BACKGROUND Up until 1989 the Iron Curtain Therefore along the former Iron was a manifestation of the Curtain an outstanding eco- Cold War dividing the world logical network and living me- into two antagonistic hemi- morial landscape developed spheres – East and West - for – spanning some of the most nearly 40 years. For decades important habitats for biodi- it symbolized the atrocities of versity and almost all biogeo- the Cold War era in Europe and graphical regions in Europe. in many regions metal fences, Today we call this area the walls, barbed wire, watchtow- European Green Belt. ers, spring-guns, land mines and watchdogs demonstrated The European Green Belt runs its harsh reality. Thus the area along more than 12.500 km remained largely undisturbed and connects 24 countries and inaccessible. Unwittingly, from the Barents Sea at the Prokletije Mountain © Gavrilo Knežević the area which once divided Russian-Norwegian border Europe enabled the conserva- along the Baltic Coast, through tion and development of valu- Central Europe and the able habitats. The border area Balkans all the way down to NORWAY RUSSIA served as a retreat for many the Black and Adriatic Sea. endangered species. This par- tition of the entire continent, FENNOSCANDIAN harsh and inhumane though it GREEN BELT was, had created a zone of life. FINLAND ESTONIA BALTIC GREEN BELT LATVIA LITHUANIA RUSSIA POLAND GERMANY CENTRAL CZECH EUROPEAN REPUBLIC GREEN BELT SLOVAKIA AUSTRIA HUNGARY ROMANIA SLOVENIA ITALY CROATIA SERBIA BULGARIA BALKAN MONTENEGRO KOSOVO* GREEN BELT FYR MACEDONIA ALBANIA GREECE TURKEY *in accordance with UNSCR 1244 and opinion of ICJ. © European Green Belt Initiative/Coordination Group 4 The European Green Belt Ini- tiative was born in 2003, when various existing regional ini- tiatives merged into a joint European initiative. Besides its extraordinary ecological importance, the initiative is a living example of how Europe and its diverse cultures can grow together. From the Euro- pean Green Belt, we can learn that biological diversity goes hand in hand with cultural her- itage. It is a symbol for a joint, transboundary cooperation in natural conservation and sus- tainable development. On the 24th September 2014 at the 8th Pan-European Green Belt Conference in Slavonice (Czech Republic), 23 govern- mental and non-governmental organisations from 14 coun- tries established the European Green Belt Association e.V. - to ensure transboundary coor- dination and information ex- frame of the European Green The Centre for Protection and change among the European Belt had been a loose network. Research of Birds of Montenegro Green Belt community. With the association a legal (CZIP) organised a field trip into body is established, repre- the Prokletije mountain, during Prior to the establishment of senting the initiative and en- the Association, the umbrella suring coordination as well as the European Green Belt Days structure for the cooperation information exchange among 2017. © CZIP of governmental and non-gov- the European Green Belt com- ernmental organisations in the munity. L Mission of the European Green Belt Association The mission of the European Green Belt Association e.V. is to ensure that the European Green Belt is efficiently protected and that its sustainabl development is promoted by facilitating an ongoing coordinated transboundary cooperation at all levels and across all sectors of society. L 5 3. IDENTIFY YOUR EUROPEAN GREEN BELT DAY EVENT In order to plan your event during the European Green Belt Days, it is important to be aware of the nature of your celebration. The following questions will help you to determine your event: WHAT IS THE AIM OF MY Hiking in the EVENT? Standzha The main aim of your event Mountains in has to be related to the vision Turkey, of the European Green Belt Ini- organised by tiative. Thus your event shall DAYKO during the support the implementation of European Green the vision, e.g. with a focus on the protection of the high-value Belt Days 2017. natural and cultural landscapes © Bora Cebeci along the European Green Belt and its connection as ecologi- cal network or on the econom- ic, social and cultural needs of local communities. Another important aim of the The event is a good opportu- European Green Belt Days is to nity to strengthen cross- bring people from neigh- border cooperation and to bouring countries together, in celebrate the European Green order to improve cross-border Belt Days jointly with partners exchange and cooperation. from neighbouring countries. ON WHICH DAY SHALL I CELE- Pick out a beautiful area along BRATE THE EUROPEAN GREEN the European Green Belt which BELT DAYS? you know well and would like to Generally, the date of the event introduce to a broader audience. shall be between 18th and 24th of You may celebrate the event September. in nature, in a town/city or The duration of the event can also even an endangered location be extended to several days. there. Due to the transboundary nature of the European Green Bazar with local products organised WHERE SHALL I ORGANIZE THE Belt Initiative, the location shall by the Bird Protection and Study EUROPEAN GREEN BELT be close to the border and well Society of Serbia (BPSSS) during DAYS? accessible for participants from the European Green Belt Your event during the European all adjacent countries. When Days 2017 in Kladovo . Green Belt Days shall be cele- choosing a location, consider © Center for Culture Kladovo brated at a place located along whether the place is suitable the European Green Belt. for the activities you plan, 6 WHAT SHALL I DO DURING THE EUROPEAN GREEN BELT DAYS? You have incredibly diverse possibilities to cele- brate the European Green Belt Days. The possible actions range from guided tours over environmental education activities, exhibitions, cultural events to An exhibition in a barn was scientific research and awareness raising activities organised by Green Balkans during Condition is that the actions are embedded in the the European Green Belt Days thematic focus of the European Green Belt and are 2017. © Green Balkans related to the vision of the European Green Belt Initiative. Best is to implement transboundary ac- tivities. The event has to increase the knowledge especially in regard to conditions tiative, you should invite people and public awareness of the European Green Belt of location, cooperation partners from all countries around your Initiative. In addition, it shall present parts of the on site and transport connec- event location! biodiversity and/or cultural heritage of the event tion. In addition, try to change location. Thereby the content and specific themes the location each year in order Define the target group/s: • Do you want to invite the gen- of your event can be freely chosen and adapted to present different locations to local conditions, for instance: biodiversity in along the European Green Belt. eral public and reach as many people as possible OR only a general, a specific species, a cultural tradition or a specific threat to the nature of the respective area Before starting to prepare your specific group, like politicians, event during the European Green school children and teachers, Belt Days, check if other events enterprises, sportsmen, re- are taking place at the same time searchers, farmers, tourism in the chosen area.