9th Pan-European Green Belt Conference

 

Realizing Opportunities from the Green Belts

9^th Pan-European Green Belt Conference, 31^st October to 3^rd November 2016 in Koli, Finland

The conference gave an insight and outlook on the cooperation and activities along the Green Belt. It focused on solutions and best practices putting into action the vision of the European Green Belt on conserving the ecological network of high-value natural and cultural landscapes while respecting the economic, social and cultural needs of local communities.

In addition, the conference contributed to the development of the European Green Belt as part of Green Infrastructure in Europe as well as to the strategic development of the European Green Belt Initiative.

Furthermore, the Pan-European Conference provided a platform for exchange between all partners along the Green Belt.

The 9th Pan-European Green Belt Conference was attended by more than 125 participants representing all 24 countries along the European Green Belt. They shared best practice examples, experience and knowledge. The conference served as an important market place for exchanging ideas and thoughts about improved preservation and restoration of the European Green Belt and enhanced sustainable development along the European Green Belt.

Conclusions of the 9th Pan-European Green Belt Conference (pdf)

List of participants (pdf)

Programme

Programme of the 9th Pan-European Green Belt Conference (pdf)

Background papers for the Conference Sessions

• Background paper on the Green Infrastructure - Session 2 (pdf)
• Fact sheet on the Green Belt of Fennoscandia - Session 3 (pdf)
• Summary of the strategy of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia - Session 3 (pdf)
• Spatial dimension of the European Green Belt - Session 4 (pdf)
• Best Practice along the Green Belt - Session 6 (pdf)
• Development of the programme of work 2017-2018 for the European Green Belt Association - Sessions 7 8 (pdf)
• Session Design: Development of a programme of work for the European Green Belt Association - Session 8 (pdf)

Presentations of the Conference

Session 1. Opening speeches

• Risto Poutiainen, Regional Mayor, Regional Council of North Karelia (pdf, 5.1 Mb)
• Timo Tanninen, Executive Director, Parks & Wildlife (pdf, 1.6 Mb)
• Bjørn Arne Næss, Norwegian Environment Agency (pdf, 1.8 Mb)

Session 2. Green Infrastructure and TEN-G

• The EU Green Infrastructure Strategy (pdf, 1.9 Mb), Stefan Leiner, Director of the Biodiversity Unit, European Commission/DG Environment
• German ecological network - legal base, scientific foundation and international context (pdf, 5.6 Mb), Dr. Uwe Riecken, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN)

Session 3. Insights of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia

• History and special characteristics (pdf, 1.2 Mb), Rustam Sagitov, Director, Baltic Fund for Nature
• Green Belt Strategy until 2020 (pdf, 1.2 Mb), Kristiina Niikkonen, Counsellor, Ministry of the Environment

Session 4. Strategic Planning Session I - Further development of the spatial dimension of the European Green Belt

• Presentation of the project European Green Belt as part of the Green Infrastructure (pdf, 3.0 Mb) , Dr Liana Geidezis, BUND Project Ofifce Green Belt & Sandra Wigger, EuroNatur

Session 5. Best practices - Guided Poster Session

Posters:

• Our Common Arctic Heritage – Developing the Trilateral Cooperation along the Northernmost Part of Green Belt Fennoscandia (pdf, 2,3 Mb), Riina Tervo, Parks and Wildlife Finland
• CATCH – Sustainable Coastal Angling Tourism in the South Baltic Sea Region (pdf), Jakub Skorupski, Aneta Kozlowska & Radoslav Brzezinski, Green Federation „Gaja“
• Work of CZIP on the improvement of condition of Green Belt pearls in Montenegro (pdf, 85 Mb), Marija Stanišić, Center for Protection and Research of Birds
• The Drava Story (pdf, 36 Mb), Tatjana Arnold Sabo (Public institution VPC), Neven Trenc (Croatian agency for the environment and nature), Ivan Darko Grlica (Natural Society Drava)
• Use of autohtonous Karakachan horses for grass habitats management in the border area of Bulgaria and Turkey, (pdf, 45 Mb), Gradimir Gradev and Dimitar Popov, Green Balkans - Stara Zagora NGOs, Maya Popova, Agricultural University, Nikolay Krastev, Green Balkans - Stara Zagora NGOs
• How the European Green Belt initiative can support the European mink conservation programme in Poland?, (pdf, 0,5 Mb), Jakub Skorupski, Polish Society for Conservation Genetics LUTREOLA, Institute for Researchon Biodiversity, University of Szczecin
• Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park – “Nature and History Shared", (pdf, 2,3 Mb), Riina Tervo (Parks and Wildlife Finland), Natalia Polikarpova (Pasvik zapovednik, Russia), Tiia Kalske (County Governor of Finnmark, Norway) and Rolf Sch. Kollstrøm (Øvre Pasvik National Park Board, Norway)
• Republic of Kosovo - Pearls of Balkan Green Belt (pdf 2 Mb), Ellen Frank-Lajqi, Environmentally Responsible Action (ERA) group
• Freshwater Pearl Mussel Rescue Programme in the Czech-Saxon-Bavarian Border Zone 2015-2016 (pdf, 2,8 Mb), Michala Kopečková, Ametyst NGO
• Green Belt of Fennoscandia as a potential World Heritage Site (pdf, 1,8 Mb), Alexey Butorin, Natural Heritage Protection Fund
• Ecotourism, History and Cultural Heritageof the Conservation Areas in the Finnish-Russian-Norwegian Border Region (pdf, 1,8 Mb), Alfred Colpaert & Maria Lähteenmäki, University of Eastern Finland
• Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) Program, (pdf, 13,8 Mb), Hanna Lappalainen, Tuukka Petäjä, Markku Kulmala, Sergei Zilitinkevich, University of Helsinki
• Transboundary cooperation in the Prespa basin (pdf, 2,7 Mb), Vassiliki Roumeliotou, Society for the Protection of Prespa
• Kostomuksha state nature reserve as a part of Green Belt (pdf, 11 Mb), Valentina Ipatova, Kostamuksha State Nature Reserve
• The Green Belt of Fennoscandia as a tool to assess boreal bird responses to forest management intensity (pdf), Philippipe Fayt, University of Eastern Finland

Session 6. Best practices

• Cooperation between governmental and non-governmental organization in the frame of the European Green Belt Initiative (pdf, 1.7 Mb), Melanie Kreutz BUND Project Ofifce Green Belt & Sandra Wigger, EuroNatur
• Best Practices from Transboundary Park in Pasvik-Inari area and trilateral cooperation (pdf, 4.5 Mb), Tiia Kalske, Finnmark County Governor's Office, Riina Tervo, Parks & Wildlife Finland & Marina Trusova, Pasvik Zapovednik
• Tourism, health, well-being and nature (pdf, 2.5 Mb), Pertti Itkonen, Parks & Wildlife Finland
• SuoMa a: Safeguarding a large-scale taiga corridor between Finland and Russian Karelia (pdf, 8.7 Mb), Virpi Sahi, Finnish Association for Nature Conservation
• BPAN - Barents Protected Area Network (pdf, 4.3 Mb), Anna Kuhmonen, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE

Session 7. Strategic Planning Session IIa - Development of a work programme 2017-2018 for the European Green Belt Association

• Function and role fo the European Green Belt Association (pdf, 3.2 Mb), Gabriel Schwaderer, Executive Director, EuroNatur and Chair of the European Green Belt Association

Report

• Summary Report of the 9th Pan-European Green Belt Conference, (pdf, 1,38 Mb)
• Annex A Spatial Scope - maps (pdf, 45 Mb)
• Annex B Workshop Results „Spatial dimension of the European Green Belt – Session 4“, Central European Green Belt (pdf)
• Annex C Administrative units / LAU and NUTS (pdf)
• Annex D Results of session 8: List of ideas for the Programme of Work 2017-2018 for the European Green Belt Association (pdf)
• Annex E Content of the Programme of Work for the European Green Belt Association 2017 – 2018 (pdf)

Other information

• EuroNatur's press release: Green Belt instead of Iron Curtain (euronatur.org)

More information

Kristiina Niikkonen, Ministry of the Environment of Finland, firstname.surname@ym.fi

Aino Rekola, Finnish Environment Institute, firstname.surname@ymparisto.fi