Getting to know the European Green Belt community: a trip to Gorizia/Nova Gorica and a multinational conference

Read about Susie’s first encounter with the European Green Belt community at the 2026 BESTbelt Conference - and how she has become involved with projects and people on the ground.

 

Behind the pages - Part 1 of the News series by journalist Susie Lunt (more information at the end of the page)

 

My first real-life encounter with the lively European Belt community was in a family pizzeria in Gorizia, Italy, on one of the hottest days of the sweltering June 2026 heatwave. Thanks to a broken-down train and airport delays, I was embarrassingly late and people had already pushed back their chairs in anticipation of their evening tour of this elegant cross-border town.

But, having poked my face around the door, I was beckoned in, plied with pizza and welcomed by a table-full of academics and environmental experts from Central Europe and the Baltics: a fitting introduction to the – very friendly - three-day BESTbelt conference 2026. Over the following days, I sat in discussions and talks by an impressive range of speakers… They ranged from environmental legislation specialist Ben Rolles to sustainable development and climate change expert Niccolo Todorov, as well as many distinguished members of the European Green Belt Initiative, who presented on biodiversity action, mosaic landscapes, ecological corridors and much more. But, tellingly, the conference was just as much a platform for initiatives that were not only small, but also very beautiful and impactful. 

During a field trip to the Slovenian and Italian Green Belts, over home-made strawberry vodka or between talks, I met individuals who have pioneered blooming landscapes for wild bees, introduced Greek villagers to innovative models for living with bears or helped rural women from unsung mountain communities to make a living from ancient crafts. 

While the European Green Belt Initiative is vast in every sense of the word – unfathomably long, mind-bending in its geographical, cultural and political complexity – it is underpinned by the efforts of individual people and their passion for their projects. Some members are involved because they are foresters or shepherds or run mountain refuges. Some are academics, experts in their field, speaking up for species or ecosystems (from eagle owls to bats to tundra to marshes). Others have full-time jobs or parenting commitments, yet work in their spare time to care for their landscape and its flora, fauna and place in the world. 

Together, they form a magnificent community which is greater than the sum of its parts. 

 

This news is part of a series by journalist Susie Lunt as she researches her book: “Greening the Iron Curtain: stories from Europe’s unique zone of life”. In partnership with the European Green Belt Initiative, she  is shining a light on the people who are working to support Europe’s longest green network. If you are interested in sharing your experiences, project insights and stories with Susie, feel free to contact her at: susie_lunt(at)yahoo.com.