European Green Belt Initiative

Our vision: The European Green Belt, our shared natural heritage along the line of the former Iron Curtain is to be conserved 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.

An extraordinary ecological network and living memorial landscape has developed along the former Iron Curtain, which divided the European continent into East and West for nearly 40 years. Along 24 countries and more than 12,500 kilometres – from the Barents Sea at the Russian-Norwegian border, along the Baltic Coast, through Central Europe and the Balkans to the Black and the Adriatic Sea – the border zone granted nature a pause and has created a zone of life. As the European Green Belt snakes from north to south it passes through a huge variety of European landscapes. Today, the European Green Belt forms the backbone of a Pan-European ecological network and provides a significant contribution to European "Green Infrastructure".

The European Green Belt Initiaive aims to harmonise human activities with the natural environment and to increase opportunities for the socio-economic development of local communities.

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The European Green Belt Initiative

Borders separate. Nature unites!

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1st BESTbelt Conference: documentation online

2023 is finally here! So before memories of last year’s events start to fade, you may reminisce about the first BESTbelt Conference or have a more detailed look at the topics which were discussed there.

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European Green Belt introduced at CBD COP 15 in Montreal

At a side event on peace and biodiversity hosted by the Peace and Biodiversity Dialogue Initiative (PBDI) on 14 December 2022, Boris Erg (Director of the IUCN European Regional Office, Board member of the European Green Belt Association) presented the European Green Belt Initiative

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