On September 24, at 10.30 am, a partner meeting in Kolarovo village will be held between representatives of Belasitsa Nature Park Directorate, Lake Kerkini National Park Management Authority, NGO-s from Bulgaria and North Macedonia and representatives of local institutions. During the meeting the possibilities for cross-border cooperation in the field of nature conservation and cultural heritage will be discussed.
The public celebration of the Green Belt Days will start at 4 pm on September 24 in the village of Gabrene which is located at the border to North Macedonia and Greece. The organizers have prepared a diverse program, including: a hike through places where remains of the former Iron Curtain can still be seen; a visit to the Ethnographic collection of the village and a cultural program in the local Community center (songs, dances, delicious local specialties, presentation and movie about the Green Belt, as well as interesting stories from the recent past).
The following day (September 25) students from Petrich and Strumica with special interests in biodiversity will visit Lake Kerkini National Park to learn more about the rare protected species in the Park and the local landmarks.
The activities are part of the fourth Europe-wide celebration of the European Green Belt Initiative.
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 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.
The promotion of the Green Belt Initiative in Bulgaria is supported by the German organization EuroNatur which is cooperating with Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation in its work on the Green Belt. More information on the European Green Belt and its coverage: http://bbf.biodiversity.bg/en/European-Green-Belt.c242
Celebration of the Green Belt Days in Belasitsa - 24-25 September 2019
