About: The Secretariat was involved in the preparation of the SaveGREEN project proposal, submitted under the third call of the EU Danube Transnational Programme. The project proposal was successfully selected by the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme. The project that focuses on Safeguarding the functionality of transnationally important ecological corridors in the Danube basin, started on 1 July 2020 and will continue until 30 November 2022.

Project Partners:

• Austria: WWF Central and Eastern Europe, Environment Agency Austria (EAA)
• Bulgaria: Black Sea NGO Network; Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation
• Czech Republic: Friends of the Earth Czech Republic; Transport Research Centre Czech Republic
• Hungary: CEEweb for Biodiversity; Szent Istvan University
• Romania: Zarand Association; WWF Danube Carpathian Programme Romania
• Slovakia: WWF Slovakia; SPECTRA Centre of Excellence of EU

Associated Partners:

• Austria: Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation, and Technology; Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism
• Bulgaria: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Executive Forest Agency; Southwestern State Enterprise SE – Blagoevgrad
• Czech Republic: Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic; Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic
• France: Infrastructure and Ecology Network Europe (IENE)
• Germany: Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection
• Greece: EGNATIA ODOS S.A.
• Hungary: NIF National Infrastructure Developing Private Company Limited; Ministry of Agriculture; Danube-Ipoly National Park Directorate
• Romania: Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests; Ministry of Public Works, Development and Administration; Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications
• Slovakia: State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic; Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic; Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic; National Motorway Company
• Ukraine: M.P. Shulgin State Road Research Institute State Enterprise – DerzhdorNDI SE; Department of Ecology and Nature Resources of Zakarpattia Oblast Administration

The SaveGREEN project will demonstrate that through integrated planning the design of appropriate mitigation measures and the adequate ways to maintain and improve the functionality of ecological corridors can be achieved. The monitoring of the impact of such measures will, moreover, allow the project to derive the proper set of recommendations for follow-up actions and policy design.

The project will aim to foster cross-sectoral and transnational cooperation, as well as building a comprehensive know-how, towards the development of concrete solutions aimed at improving, restoring and preserving the functionality of key ecological corridors in Carpathian, Alpine and Bulgarian mountain valleys. It will cover these areas due to the overlapping concentration of both human activities and critical points for wildlife migration, which renders high degrees of conflict.

Main expected results

The project expects that, through the improvement of cross-sectoral cooperation in the fields of nature conservation, natural assets management (i.e. wildlife, forests, water), transport, and land use/spatial planning, it will enhance GI coherence in the Carpathian, Alpine and Balkan mountain valleys. It will do so by planning and implementing coherent integrated mitigation measures to minimise the negative impact of economic development.

Project Activities (activities for a special interest of the Carpathian Convention and its bodies, especially CCIC and relevant WGs are highlighted below in bold with a further elaboration of the activities below)

1. Development of a standardised monitoring methodology for structural and functional connectivity
2. Development of an application toolbox for the monitoring of structural and functional connectivity
3. Development of a capacity building programme
4. Engagement and cooperation with relevant stakeholders of specific pilot areas
5. Development of cross-sectoral operational plans to safeguard the functionality of ecological corridors in the pilot areas
6. Implementation of selected actions of the local cross-sectoral operational plans
7. Support the mainstreaming of ecological connectivity into EU and global policies through cooperation among macro-regional strategies (i.e. EUSDR and the Carpathian Convention) (see below more information on this activity)
8. Development of recommendations towards the integration of mitigation measures/GI into sectoral policy and decision making
9. Strengthening of cross-sectoral cooperation among key players, promotion of project results in the Danube basin and beyond, and capacity building at the national level  (see below more information on this activity)
10. Deliverance of several types of publications
11. Organisation of public events
12. Digital communications
13. Development of promotional materials

Support the mainstreaming of ecological connectivity into EU and global policies through cooperation among macro-regional strategies (i.e. EUSDR and the Carpathian Convention) through development of the high-level joint regional policy declaration

The high-level joint regional policy declaration on maintaining and restoring ecological corridors/ green infrastructure will address the need for transnational and cross-sectoral cooperation in the Danube-Carpathian region, and will be elaborated together with the EUSDR and the Carpathian Convention. The overall goal is to develop and commit to a coordinated cross-border and cross-sector approach for spatial planning and nature conservation in the region. As a policy tool, the joint declaration will summarize principles and criteria for environmentally sustainable spatial planning in the Danube-Carpathian regions, including the maintenance of existing and the development of future green infrastructures.

The Carpathian Convention has concluded Memoranda of Understanding with various EUSDR Priority Areas. This will be the basis for cooperation on the development of the high-level joint regional policy declaration and would raise the visibility of the Carpathian Convention in the context of EUSDR. Furthermore, the Carpathian Convention can be the link to global intentions to safeguarding ecological corridors among others. Here, we refer to CBD and its Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and UN Environment Programme.

Strengthening of cross-sectoral cooperation among key players, promotion of project results in the Danube basin and beyond, and capacity building at the national level through capacity building programme plus training events

The Capacity building programme addressing public authorities and other key stakeholders will provide a set of tools

· Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Toolkit,

· Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Toolkit including cost- benefit analysis of environmental impacts of the respective projects and

· Handbook of best practice examples that allows a better understanding of human impacts on green infrastructure and the implementation of measures to prevent and reduce impacts. These tools will facilitate a better understanding of the impacts by all stakeholders, especially decision makers. The tools will integrate the experience of TRANSGEEN (Guideline on Wildlife and Traffic, EIA training package) and ConnectGREEN (Training package on identifying and managing ecological corridors) projects, as well as other EU projects with results of all SaveGREEN activities.

SEA and EIA are the two main instruments that ensure the integration of environmental considerations in the preparation of plans and project throughout the Member States, both procedures allowing the participation of all relevant stakeholders. Impact assessment is a technical process with many difficulties regarding the choice of methodologies, the assessment of alternatives, the involvement of stakeholders or the integration of other EU Directives requirements. Recently, requirements have been added regarding the adaptation to climate change or the need for an integrated assessment of the impact on green infrastructure, which is difficult without a step-by-step and easy to use toolkit. Among the new approaches proposed by these tools is the use of simple impact indicators that allow facile comparison of alternatives and financial quantification of the impacts on GI. The toolkits are essential for both decision makers and consultants in the field of environmental assessments. We believe that this tool will support further sustainable transport infrastructure development in the Carpathians.

Towards the end of the project, national capacity training events for public authorities and key stakeholders will be organised in the participating countries, where will be sought  support for the adaptation of the programme to national needs, advertising of the events and dissemination of the capacity programme in respective countries.

More detailed project description is available.

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About: The project “Integrating nature protection and sustainable tourism development into the Carpathian region via science-policy-practice interface” has been elaborated by the Carpathian Convention Secretariat in collaboration with the Science for the Carpathians (S4C) network and the WWF Central and Eastern Europe and co-funded by the Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP) provided by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety of Germany.

The project supported integrating the results from the previous Carpathian Convention developments on sustainable tourism and biodiversity protection into a comprehensive follow-up in the Carpathians, via strengthening the science-policy-practice interface and building synergies among the researchers and practitioners. Specifically, the project supported the following activities:

- Organization of the 5th Forum Carpaticum, participation of young scientists, social and interdisciplinary scientists and practitioners in the Forum (see www.fc2018.hu).

- Strengthening synergies between the Carpathian partners and other science-policy-practice networks and initiatives in the field of sustainable tourism and biodiversity conservation, such as via the organization of a Carpathian session and supporting participation of Carpathian scientists and practitioners at the First World Agritourism Congress, held in Bolzano in November 2018

- Organization of the first Carpathian ESD Seminar, held in Hungary on 16-18 April 2019, participation of the S4C experts in the Seminar and elaboration of the recommendation for the Carpathian Convention

- Holding a workshop on exploring new methods to integrate and co-create knowledge between the S4C and the Carpathian Convention WG on Biodiversity (30-31 May 2019, Ostrava, Czech Republic), in order to enhance the implementation of the Carpathian Convention.

The final report of the project can be downloaded here

About: Mountain regions in the Alps and the Carpathians as well as the Danube floodplain represent some of the most important (semi) natural areas in Central and South-East Europe. Economic development is increasing constantly in this area, causing growing impact of habitat fragmentation and making genetic exchange between wildlife populations difficult.

The richness in bio-geographic regions qualifies Central and South-East Europe as model for corridor functionality and the establishment of Trans-European Network for Green Infrastructure (TEN-G). Facing the leading role of Protected Areas to foster habitat connectivity, in 2016, the Protected Area
Networks (DANUBEPARKS, ALPARC, CNPA) formed the "ADC Net”. Their MoC - elaborated under the patronage of EUSDR PAC6 and EUSALP AG7, signed under the Alpine Convention - aims for the realization of common actions towards ecological networks in and among their respective regions, but still waiting for consequent implementation.

"Three Networks, two macro-regions, one vision" is now to:
- strengthen this strategic cooperation
- anchor ADC Net better on policy level
- identify joint best-practice actions to improve ecological connectivity
- elaborate an Interreg-project proposal to better connect the Alps and the Carpathians through the Danube
- qualify the Networks for future leading roles in the main project
- deliver good practice for cooperation among the EU-macro regions: on site, on operational and on policy level

Two Protected Areas at the linkage of Danube and Alps, respectively, Danube and Carpathians, are responsible for the operational implementation.
The project set-up and implementation involve both EUSDR PAC6 and EUSALP AG7.

Activities relevant for the WG Biodiversity:

• Harmonization of the approach of ALPARC, CNPA, DANUBEPARKS
• development of transnational tools on eco-connectivity (e.g. Jecami)
• definition of pilot regions at the interface of the tree bio-regions: tributary rivers could serve as model for Green Infrastructure to connect the Alps and the Carpathians with the Danube (most larger tributary rivers are cross-border riverine corridors, a transnational management approach should be developed)
• strengthen Protected Areas and Natura 2000 as core sites within trans-European eco-corridors: contribution to ongoing political discussions to establish new Protected Areas, often located at Alpine/Carpathian tributary rivers (e.g. 3rd National Park in Bavaria including Isar mouth; Podunajsko National Park (SVK) at the Danube and cross-border river Morava; ROM/UK/MD: trilateral biosphere reserve at the Prut, coop MDD)
• Policy work: boost TEN-G, jointly by the PA Networks, PAC6, AG7, EU commission working group on TEN-G

Ecological connectivity, the web of life for people and nature

About: The project is being implemented in 200 communes within the geographical scope of application of the Carpathian Convention in Poland, with focus on communes harbouring habitat Natura 2000 sites. Target audiences and key partners include local self-governments, regional nature conservation authorities, landscape parks, local communities and other local stakeholders (local action groups).

Project objectives:

• initiating and supporting cooperation of local stakeholders towards the maintenance, restoration and enhancement of green infrastructure;
• disseminating knowledge on the role and importance of green infrastructure and ecological connectivity for biodiversity conservation, access to ecosystem services, and sustainable local development;
• promoting the application of spatial data resources and geoinformation tools in spatial management of areas of high natural values;
• dissemination of good practices of participatory spatial management of valuable natural areas among the countries of the Carpathian region.

Project activities and outputs include:

• training workshops on sustainable spatial planning and management of green infrastructure;
• inventory and mapping of local green infrastructure using a dedicated mobile application and geo-portal;
• elaboration and implementation of local case studies on green infrastructure deployment;
• building public awareness: a series of local information campaigns on green infrastructure and its role in sustainable local development;
• e-learning course and printed manual on green infrastructure in nature-sensitive areas in the Carpathians;
• joint meeting of three Working Groups of the Carpathian Convention (WG Biodiversity, WG Spatial Development, and WG Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development).

Project Secretariat: UNEP/GRID-Warsaw Centre, 8 Sobieszyńska Street, 00-764 Warsaw, Poland; phone: (+48) 22 840 6664; e-mail: zielonainfrastruktura@karpatylacza.pl

Partnership: the project is implemented in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention.

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About: The project main aim is to empower local entrepreneurs to improve their handicraft workshops as tourism services and to increase the quality and the visibility of other rural tourism initiatives. This will be done through workshops, which will raise the knowledge of participants on tourism trends, social media and the usage of other marketing tools. These professional training courses and a manual and a final project booklet will help locals to promote themselves.

The project is funded by International Visegrad Fund, supported and co-financed by the UN Environment Vienna Office Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention (SCC).

Partnership: AUSTRIA - UN Environment Vienna – Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention; HUNGARY - Tisza menti Mezőség Turizmusáért Egyeslület – Association for Tourism in the Tisza Plain; POLAND - Piotr Wyderka Pracownia Miodosytnia; SLOVAKIA - Art and Craft of Stiavnica Civil Association -Občianske Združenie Umenie a remeslá Štiavnice; CZECH REPUBLIC - Tourist Authority South Moravia – Centrála cestovního ruchu­Jižní Morava, z.s.p.o; The Ecologic Institute for Sustainable Development Foundation; Üvegmanufaktúra Kft.

About: BIOREGIO Carpathians is aimed at enhancing the integrated management, sustainable use and development of the Carpathians protected areas and natural assets (including Natura 2000 sites) in a transnational context and thereby increase the attractiveness of the region, to improve its connectivity and continuity.

Partnership: AUSTRIA -UNEP Vienna – Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention; WWF DCP (Danube Carpathians Programme); CZECH REPUBLIC - Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection; Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic; HUNGARY - Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate; Szent István University; Ministry of Rural Development; ITALY - EuropeanAcademy Bolzano/Bozen, Institute for Regional Development and Location Management; Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea; POLAND - PolishAcademy ofSciences,Institute ofNature Conservation; Ministry of the Environment, Department of Nature Protection; ROMANIA - NFA (National Forest Administration) ROMSILVA Maramures Mountains Nature Park Administration; Iron Gates Natural Park Administration; Regional Environmental Protection Agency Sibiu; Ministry of Environment andForest; SLOVAK REPUBLIC - State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic; National Forest Centre; Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic; SERBIA - Public Enterprise Djerdap National Park; Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning; UKRAINE - The State Agency for Protected Areas; Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine.

About: The CARPIVIA project aims to assess the vulnerability to climate change of the main ecosystems and ecosystem based production systems in combinaison with other anthropogenic pressures in the Carpathian region. Based on this vulnerability assessment, it will produce an inventory of climate change impacts and potential and already implemented ecosystem-based adaptation measures.

Partnership: ECNC-European Centre for Nature Conservation; ECORYS;  Grontmij and WWF-Danube Carpathian Program. Close cooperation is sought with the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians (Carpathian Convention).

About: Big Foot aims to establish intergenerational learning and dialogue in the mountain areas, enabling, transmitting and valuating the skills and knowledge of the older generation of locals, combining traditional knowledge with modern communication tools and expertise in order to enable creative and productive joint solutions for local sustainable development.

Partnership:

About: ALPSTAR aims to encourage preparation and implementation of cross-sectoral strategies and action plans and of proven good practice measures toward carbon neutrality on regional and local level in the Alpine region.

Partnership: AUSTRIA - Land Vorarlberg (VORARLBERG); UNEP Vienna -  Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention; FRANCE - CIPRA France; Rhônalpénergie-Environnement (RAEE); GERMANY - Verein Alpenstadt des Jahres e.V. (ALPINE TOWNS); Ökomodell Achental e.V.(ÖKOMODELL); ITALY - Accademia Europea Bolzano (EURAC); SLOVENIA - Posoški Razvojni Center (PRC); LIECHTENSTEIN - Amt für Wald, Natur und Landschaft (AWNL); SWITZERLAND - Amt für Raumentwicklung und Geoinformation des Kantons ST. GALLEN.

About: C3-Alps will synthesize, transfer and implement in policy and practice results of previous Alpine Space climate change adaptation projects.

Partnership: AUSTRIA - Umweltbundesamt GmbH; Amt der NÖ Landesregierung; Amt der Kärntner Landesregierung; Z_GIS Zentrum für Geoinformatik; UNEP Regional Office for Europe - Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention; FRANCE - Université de Savoie; GERMANY - Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Gesundheit (StMUG); Handwerkskammer für München und Oberbayern; Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg; ITALY - Regione Veneto, Directorate for Forests and Parks; Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale (ARPA) Piemonte; Accademia Europea di Bolzano (EURAC); Autonome Provinz Bozen; ARPA Veneto; Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici S.c.a r.l. (CMCC); SLOVENIA - Urbanistični inštitut Republike Slovenije (UIRS); LIECHTENSTEIN - Fürstentum Liechtenstein, Amt f. Wald, Natur & Landschaft; SWITZERLAND - Bundesamt für Umwelt (BAFU); Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald.

About: Access2Mountains aims to achieve durable and environmentally friendly tourism, as well as to ensure accessibility and connection to, between and in sensitive mountain regions of the Alps and the Carpathians, tourism representing a major challenge for today's rural and urban environments.  With the long-term perspective of increasing sustainable tourist mobility, railway and multimodal connections will be improved and attractive offers created via different actions.

Partnership: AUSTRIA -Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology; National Park Gesäuse; National Park Steirische Eisenwurzen; Mostviertel-Tourism Ltd.; Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention; Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management; Lower Austrian Transport Organization Association; Central Alliance Austria; Tourist board Alpine Region Gesäuse National Park; BELGIUM - European Federation of Museum and Tourist Railways (FEDECRAILIVZW); HUNGARY - NORDA Regional Development Agency of NorthHungary Nonprofit Ltd;ITALY - University of Camerino; European Academy Bozen/Bolzano – Institute for Regional Development and Location Management; Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea; POLAND - Rzeszow Regional Development Agency; ROMANIA - Country Center for Tourism Information MARAMURESINFOTURISM; SLOVAK REPUBLIC - Agency for the support of Regional Development Kosice; SLOVENIA - Ministry of Transport; MONTENEGRO - Office for Sustainable Development, Montenegro; SERBIA - Timok Club; Regional Champber of Commerce Zajecar; Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Department for Tourism; UKRAINE - Carpathian Foundation Ukraine.

About: The aim of the Alpine-Carpathian Corridor project is to safeguard the ecological connectivity between the Alps and the Carpathians, within the Centrope region. The project shall strengthen conservation management for the protected areas along the Alpine Carpathian Corridor and neighbouring habitats. The project also wants to trigger a sustainable development which considers the requirements of both man and wildlife.

Partnership: AUSTRIA - UNEP Vienna - ISCC, Asfinag, University of Applied Sciences BOKU, Nationalpark Donau-Auen, WWF Austria, Weinviertel Management; SLOVAK REPUBLIC - NDS a.s., Slovenská technická univerzita, Štátna ochrana prírody SR - Správa CHKO Záhorie; CZECH REPUBLIC - DAPHNE Institute of Applied Ecology.

About: ClimAlp Tour is a science-based approach to tackle the impacts of climate change on Alpine winter tourism (closely related to climate variations, especially snow precipitations). It aims to make Alpine centers an interesting destination in all seasons, and to provide adaptation strategies usable by civil services.

Partnership: AUSTRIA - Universität Innsbruck (UIBK); United Nations Environment Programme in Vienna; FRANCE - Institut de la Montagne - Université de Savoie; GERMANY - Alpenforschungsinstitut GmbH (AFI); Hochschule München, Fakultät für Tourismus; ITALY - Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare (MATTM); EURAC Accademia Europea di Bolzano (EURAC); Unione Nazionale Comuni Comunità Enti Montani Piemonte (UNCEM); Istituto per l'Ecologia e l'Economia Applicate alle Aree Alpine (IREALP); Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta, Assessorato Territorio Ambiente e Opere pubbliche, Direzione Ambiente (RAVA Env); Regione Autonoma valle d'Aosta, Direzione Turismo (RAVA Tour); World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF); SLOVENIA - Znanstvenoraziskovalni center Slovenske Akademije znanosti in umetnosti, Geografski inštitut Antona Melika; SWITZERLAND - Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil, Forschungstelle für Freizeit, Tourismus und Landschaft, Institut für Landschaft und Freiraum; Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale Valais, Institut Economie & Tourisme; Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft HTW Chur, Institut für Tourismus- und Freizeitforschung.

About: Climate change will affect spatial development, land use, socio-economic activities and life-sustaining ecosystem services, in the Alpine Space more severely than in other European regions, and severe weather extremes are expected to cause a variety of adverse climate change impacts, but may also present new opportunities. Thus, CLISP aims to contribute to climate change adaptation by providing climate-proof spatial planning solutions.

Partnership: AUSTRIA - Amt der Salzburger Landesregierung, Abteilung Raumplanung; Amt der Steiermärkischen Landesregierung, Abteilung 16 - Landes- und Gemeindeentwicklung; Amt der Oberösterreichischen Landesregierung, Abteilung Raumordnung; GERMANY – Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Infrastruktur, Verkehr und Technologie, Abteilung Landesentwicklung; United Nations Environment Programme, Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention; ITALY - Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare; Accademia Europea di Bolzano; Provincia di Alessandria; SLOVENIA - Urbanistični inštitut Republike Slovenije; SWITZERLAND - Bundesamt für Raumentwicklung, Strategiegruppe Politik des Ländlichen Raumes; Graubünden, Amt für Raumentwicklung; LIECHTENSTEIN - Fürstentum Liechtenstein, Ressort Umwelt, Raum, Land- und Waldwirtschaft.

About: Historically, mountain regions in remote border areas are marginalised. However, experiences demonstrate theat they also have a potential for development if the rich natural and cultural heritage is used appropriately and preserved for the future. The central objective of the project is to integrate European spatial development policies and management of the fragile mountain ecosystems of the Carpathians in a transnational context, while cooperating with local and regional stakeholders, and analysing typical constraints of mountainous regions in the context of economic transition and European integration. It will deliver strategies and best practices for protection and sustainable development of the Carpathians while safeguarding its natural and cultural heritage.

Partnership: POLAND - RTI Polska; Podkarpackie Voivodeship; UNEP/GRID-Warsaw; Institute of Urban Development; Institute of Spatial and Cadastral Systems Ltd.; HUNGARY - Academy of Sciences - Centre for Regional Studies; CEEWEB/OETE; SLOVAK REPUBLIC - REC Slovakia; Academia Istropolitana; ITALY - Retecamere; EURAC; GREECE - Prefectural Authority of Drama-Kavala-Xanthi; AUSTRIA - Austrian Institute of East and Southeast European Studies; WWF DCP; CZECH REPUBLIC - Palacky University Olomouc; GERMANY - ISF Munchen; ROMANIA - INCD Urbanproiect Bucharest; UKRAINE - International Charitable Foundation “Heifer Project International”.