Between 11 and 24 September, we mark the Days of the European Green Belt. From the cold Barents Sea in the north to the warm Mediterranean waters in the south, the European Green Belt represents the backbone of Europe’s “green infrastructure” – guiding activities and initiatives for biodiversity conservation and creating new opportunities for the sustainable development of local communities.

The idea of the European Green Belt emerged in 1989 as a civil initiative for environmental protection following the fall of the Berlin Wall, when local efforts to safeguard nature along the former Iron Curtain gradually grew into a transcontinental network of protected areas. More than a decade later, the initiative was formally endorsed and advanced at a joint European conference held in 2003 in Bonn, Germany.

Today, the European Green Belt links national parks, nature reserves, and protected habitats in 24 European countries, including Macedonia, thus creating a unique ecological corridor stretching 12,500 kilometres along the trajectory of the former Iron Curtain.

Each year, the Macedonian Ecological Society marks these dates and joins the celebration of the noble mission of the European Green Belt. This year, the European Green Belt Initiative recognised our efforts and published an article dedicated to the management of wet meadows in Prespa. These habitats, rich in life and essential for maintaining biodiversity in the region, are also important for fostering sustainable practices in the development of local livestock farming. You can read more about this activity at the following LINK.