The European Green Belt is an initiative that has transformed a border that once divided Europe into a symbol of peace, nature, and cooperation. What began as a small grassroots movement at the end of the Cold War has grown into a major environmental effort spanning the continent.
The story began in December 1989, weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall. For decades, this heavily guarded strip of land had provided nature a much-needed pause from human activity, allowing plants and animals to thrive. Realizing the unintended benefits of the former border, environmentalists from East and West Germany signed the Green Belt Resolution of Hof, calling for its protection as a continuous ecological corridor.
The success of the German Green Belt soon inspired similar efforts across the former Iron Curtain, which had divided Europe into East and West for nearly 40 years. Stretching across 24 countries and more than 12,500 kilometers, the corridor runs from the Barents Sea in the north to the Adriatic and Black seas in the south and through a huge variety of landscapes. In 2003 and 2004, international meetings brought together governments and conservation groups to coordinate protection efforts along the entire route. They recognized the Green Belt as both a shared ecological network and European cultural heritage. In 2014, representatives from 14 countries formally launched the European Green Belt Association. Today, the group comprises 35 members from 17 countries, all working to protect and restore the region’s biodiversity and support sustainable development in local communities.
The European Green Belt initiative now supports hundreds of projects, from habitat restoration and environmental education to community workshops. Recent work under the BESTbelt project has launched more than a dozen conservation and awareness programs. Efforts are also underway to nominate the European Green Belt for UNESCO World Heritage status.
Yesel Kang Copy Editor teen/1768800079/1613367750
1. Who signed the Green Belt Resolution of Hof in 1989?
2. What was the Iron Curtain before becoming a wildlife haven?
3. Where does the ecological corridor run in the south?
4. Why is the European Green Belt also a cultural heritage?
1. Can a place of war truly become a place of peace?
2. Why should countries work together to protect shared nature?
3. Is protecting rare animals more important than building new roads?
4. How does history change the way we look at nature?
The European Green Belt is an initiative that has transformed a border that once divided Europe into a symbol of peace, nature, and cooperation. What began as a small grassroots movement at the end of the Cold War has grown into a major environmental effort spanning the continent.
