Panorama No. 1

Dear Friend of the Baltic Green Belt, in the twenty years of reunification something unique and wonderful has developed at the former Iron Curtain. What is known as the European Green Belt is evolving to become the first and largest transborder network of natural habitats, an important retreat for many animals and plants. It connects people beyond national boundaries and reveals that Europe has a common natural heritage – that urgently needs our protection.The Baltic Green Belt is closing the last gap in this chain of a European ecological network and enriches it with exceptional habitats all along its coasts and coastal waters. The is threatened – by overfishing, industry, agriculture and increasing tourism. The Baltic Green Belt is a crucial opportunity not only to call attention to this threat but also to develop sustainable conceptions for conservation which can be used to implement this model in the bordering states. This project has – in accordance with the European Green Belt – our full political support. Undine Kurth,

MoP of the German Bundestag for the Green party (Bündnis90/ Die Grünen) Photo: V. Kühne (2009) Snapshots from the Baltic Green Belt 2nd Baltic Green Belt Forum: New German government Green Belt & Iron Curtain Call for contributions officially adopts Green Belt Trail: common perspectives The Coastal Research and Planning The coalition agreement of the new During an International Iron Curtain Trail Institute (CORPI) invites coastal German government consisting of (ICT) Awareness Raising Workshop, stakeholders of the Baltic to present their CDU/CSU (conservatives) and FDP BUND Schleswig-Holstein (German findings concerning integrated develop- (liberals) states that "We safeguard the Friends of the Earth) called for intense ment of the Baltic Sea region on April 14th- German Green Belt along the former inner communication and cooperation between 16th, 2010 in . . German border as Natural Monument and the ICT and European Green Belt. The scientific institutions, environmental encourage the development of the ICT develops sustainable tourist trails but NGOs, governmental agencies and other European Green Belt." This example nature conservation is under represented. interested stake-holders will discuss shows that policy makers take interest in Only combined forces can assure for current problems and appropriate the Green Belt, but that continuous efforts conservation and sustainable develop- solutions of the Baltic coast in the light of are still needed in order to further specify ment along the former Iron Curtain. The the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region how the European Green Belt shall be event initiated by Michael Cramer (MEP) and visit the close protected in the long run. took place in Warsaw, Nov. 19th , 2009. to Kleipeda.The conference contributions Sustainable animal farming: Elke Körner: [email protected] will be published in a conference www.ironcurtaintrail.eu proceedings of Kleipeda University press. Polish training exhibition As the first step in their training campaign Sergej Suzdalev: [email protected] for more sustainable animal farming in Military heritage tourism: infos: www.balticgreenbelt.net Poland, the Green Federation GAJA , has Latvian data base online developed a set of training and awareness The Latvian Rural Tourism Organisation Impressions from Baltic raising materials. Topics include the EU Lauku Celotajs has put online a multi- Green Belt exchange Agri-environment programme, problems lingual data base of military heritage sites of large-scale farms and alternatives to along the Latvian coast for tourists. Next industrial style farming. The material was to practical information, it contains real presented at several occasions, e.g. at the contemporary witnesses' stories. The 4t h German- data base is the first part of a new tourism Polish Farmer product which aims at soft tourism along Day on Octo- the Latvian coast to experience natural & ber 21st in Pa- cultural heritage without harming nature. sewalk, Ger- many, the Westpomera- nian gover- Interested audience at the nor‘s office ORGANICA fare in Nov. 2009 (Photo: Jakub Skorupski (2009) and Szczecin schools.

Jakub Skorupski: [email protected] Baiba Ornina: [email protected] Photos: Stefanie Maack, www.celotajs.lv/cont/wrth/military_en.html Andra Ratkevica, Michael http://balticgreenbelt.org.pl Schultz (2009)

www.balticgreenbelt.net www.balticgreenbelt.net

News from the Prof. Horst Sterr about coordination and European Green Belt networking in the Baltic Green Belt

IUCN appoints new Prof. Sterr, since What are the next steps? coordinator January 2009 you HS: Primarily, we want to establish a have been heading the platform for transnational cooperation In October 2009 Lee Dudley took the transnational project between stakeholders working in nature position of the IUCN European Green Belt “Baltic Green Belt” conservation and sustainable develop- Coordinator. IUCN is an interna-tional funded by the ment of the southern and eastern Baltic NGO working in nature protection for 61 European Union. Sea coast. We are seeking cooperation, years. Since 2004, IUCN has been Which role does your e.g. in the form of event participation, joint officially host-ing the European Green Horst Sterr working group at Kiel publications and mutual exchange of Belt (EuGB) initiative. IUCN will provide University play in it? expertise. Next year, we will have two support in creating the European Green HS: The Coastal Geography group on the international events: the 2nd Baltic Green Belt as an ecological network, running one hand takes the lead partner’s role, Belt Forum focusing on coastal science from the Barents to the Black Sea now coordinating the group of about fifty and practice and an international including the Baltic Sea coastline. The key persons currently involved. On the other workshop on sustainable agriculture. tasks for Lee within the Baltic Green Belt hand, we provide scientfic expertise Please continue the following sentence: In include raising funds and providing concerning integrated coastal zone my eyes the Baltic Green Belt is… support that enables enhancement of the management (ICZM) and use the project HS: … a great chance to make the coastal common natural and to study practical ICZM implementation. regions along the southern Baltic coast cultural heritage of this How did you go about the coordination? aware of common perspectives and of unique coast. One HS: First, we had to establish a options that the future has for them. If we possibilty would be to add functioning partner consortium. Next to make a great effort to conserve the natural value to marketing efforts the regular meetings, we organised a lead assets, we give a very high value to the in developing an EuGB partner tour to the Baltic States where we coast - environmentally and economically. brand „The opportunities Lee Dudley visited each partner indivdually. This was Thank you for this interview. are immense and anyone an ideal way of intensive personal involved in the EuGB is aware of the exchange which helped to adjust our www.kuestengeographie.de potential future activities ahead of us“, coordination approaches. We are happy [email protected] says Lee about the challenges ahead. to be able to state that we have very active partners who have already produced first www.europeangreenbelt.org results, initiated joint activities and got on [email protected] the right track of communication. News from the What is the project‘s relation to the Book publication: European Green Belt? Baltic Sea Region Borders. Wilderness.Future HS: The European Green Belt is an initiative carried by externally funded The latest book publication about the projects - up to now some 20 individual Baltic tourism stakeholders - European Green Belt ones. It unites several hundred people. „Borders.Wilderness.Future“ by Thomas get involved Baltic Green Belt is currently one of the Wrbka and colleagues, was released this largest projects within the initiative. summer. It includes an article from the The coordinator of the EU-Baltic Sea Therefore we try to give input to the Baltic Green Belt by Prof. Kalev Sepp from Action Plan Priority "Tourism" cordially initiative in the form of communication the Estonian University of Life Sciences invites stakeholders to share their tools, event organisation and information about the Estonian island of Saa-reema. experience and to give input to the exchange. In the long run, the Baltic The book was implementation process of the EU Green Belt will have to find a permanent published as Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The role within the initiative and follow-up the catalogue State Chancellery of the German state of funding from which both the Baltic and the f o r a n Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has taken the overall European Green Belt can profit. exhibition in first steps to initiate the implementation Linz, Austria, process. If you are a tourism stakeholder running until of the Baltic and want to contribute, klick January 2010. „get involved“ on the website below.

www.baltic-sea-strategy-tourism.eu ISBN 978-3-900000-16-5 [email protected]

This newsletter was compiled within Contact the Baltic Green Belt project part- financed by the European Union Stefanie Maack (ERDF). The newsletter contains third Baltic Green Belt Communication Manager party articles. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel re?ect those of all Baltic Green Belt Department of Geography partners. The Baltic Green Belt communication manager accepts no Ludewig-Meyn-Str. 12, 24118 Kiel, Germany liability for any errors or misprints herein and does not take responsibility s.maack geographie.uni-kiel.de for content of third party internet pages ++49/ 431 880 1782 pointed out to. © Dec. 2009