PROJECT INFORMATION Updated: October 2012

Nemunas River Delta: Nature conservation for regional development Establishing of a round table

identified and solved in advance. The accep- tance of environmental and nature conserva- tion measures should be improved. The round table tool has proved of value to handle, man- age and find solutions for extensive issues and complicated conflicts. The communication process, which was initiated and chaired by the Bundesverband Beruflicher Naturschutz e.V., resulted in a joint mission statement and the establishment of a Delta Council, which is meant to facilitate the introduction of nature

Round table Nemunas-Delta (Foto: Julia Bolzek) conservation interests into the civil society. The DVD “Voices of the River Delta”, the Background project flyer, the electronic map of the area, the website (www.ndn.lt) produced by the project The Nemunas River Delta (Lithuanian: Nemu- as well as local and regional public relation nas) is an extended area of national activities supported the communication and international importance. In 1993 the site process. As a result of the integration in the was entered in the list of of interna- moderated communication process the admin- tional importance under the Ramsar Conven- istration of the regionalpark became an ac- tion. Thereby it is an outstanding component of cepted partner of the local population. Fur- the European NATURA 2000 network. Till this thermore the round table process triggered a day the site is sparsely populated, extensively border-crossing co-operation with the adjacent unto hardly used and shows an outstanding Kaliningrad region. The Lithuanian govern- potential for nature conservation, but suffers ment as well as the municipality supported and under increasing human pressure to intensify accompanied the project. They indicated that the use of the area, with strong impacts on the they consider transferring the round table tool susceptible nature conservation sites. As a result to other regions of . They classified there is an increase of typical goal conflicts the integration of civic involvement into the between economic and nature conservation Delta Council as exemplary. interests. This is where the project starts. • Target country/region: Lithuania Project • Duration: 07/10 – 10/12 The aim of the project was to pick up the chal- • Beneficiary: Ministry of Environment of Lithuania, local Regio- lenge of evolving a nature orientated regional nalpark Administration, County Administration, the citizens’ development in co-operation with the local initiative „Nemuno Deltos Namai“, Institutions of the Kalinin- grad Region stakeholders. Representatives of different • Implementing organisation: Bundesverband Beruflicher Natur- stakeholders should discuss all occurring ques- schutz e.V. tions and prepare consensual proposals for a • Project number: 380 01 228 regional development. Goal conflicts should be

German Federal Environment Ministry’s Technical management: Project coordination: Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP) for Federal Agency for Nature Conservation AAP Projects Service Unit Environmental Protection in the Countries Barbara Engels Dr. Rita Willing of Central and Eastern , Tel.: +49-228 8491 1746 Tel.: +49-340-2103-2698 the and Central [email protected] [email protected] Project Service Unit: [email protected] www.umweltbundesamt.de