Green Belt Europe – nature knows no boundaries. From “Iron Curtain” to Europe’s lifeline

• Main Authors: Liana Geidezis, Melanie Kreutz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Urbanistični inštitut RS 2004-01-01
• Series: Urbani Izziv
• Subjects: green belt; iron curtain; Europe; border; lifeline; habitat network; biodiversity; trans-boundary co-operation
• Online Access: http://urbani-izziv.uirs.si/Portals/uizziv/papers/urbani-izziv-en-2004-15-02-007.pdf

The “Iron Curtain” divided Europe for almost forty years from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea. It was a political, ideological and physical barrier, most strongly expressed in Germany. Despite its inhumanity, this border granted nature a pause for breath: nature flourished and developed something extremely rare in intensively used landscapes – the so called Green Belt. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, a lifeline of habitats about 8.500 km long runs through Europe. It originated from the project Green Belt Germany, initiated by BUND, the vision of a European Green Belt development. It can become a backbone of an ecological network that is a global symbol for trans-boundary co-operation in nature conservation and sustainable development. Moreover, it connects people and shows that the enlarged European Union has not only a cultural but also a natural heritage. The Green Belt is a unique chance to overcome the old boundaries and barriers between East and West – a living symbol of growing together in Europe.