The Green Belt as a European Ecological Network strengths and gaps

Olaf Bastian, Christina Wachler, Markus Leibenath, Martin Neruda
THE EUROPEAN NATURA 2000 NETWORK AS A FACTOR FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE ORE
MOUNTAINS (GERMANY / CZECH REPUBLIC)
THE EUROPEAN NATURA 2000 NETWORK AS A FACTOR FOR
RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE ORE MOUNTAINS (GERMANY /
CZECH REPUBLIC)
ABSTRACT
Olaf Bastian, Christina Wachler, Markus Leibenath
Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development
Weberplatz 1, D-01217 Dresden, Germany
o.bastian@ioer.de, c.wachler@ioer.de, m.leibenath@ioer.de
Martin Neruda
Faculty of Environment, University J. E. Purkyně
Králova výšina 7, Ústí nad Labem, CZ-40096, Czech Republic
martin.neruda@ujep.cz
In the Ore Mountains (Germany / Czech Republic), there are many NATURA 2000 sites, which
constitute in some cases extensive complexes straddling the border between the two countries. The
Ore Mountains Green Network EU project identified synergies between nature conservation and rural
development, with the three main topics being landscape management, tourism, and environmental
education. Starting from a SWOT analysis focusing on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats concerning these three main topics in a cross-border context, an assessment of potentials
showed the wide variety of ecosystem services that such protected areas provide. Based on these
results, the opportunities and risks for enhancing synergies between nature conservation and rural
development were discussed with relevant stakeholders, and a draft strategy was elaborated, which
addresses such key aspects as landscape management, protection of the black grouse, energy questions
(biomass, wind turbines), and environmental tourism (esp. Nordic skiing and visitor management).
1 INTRODUCTION
Protected areas, such as national parks, biosphere reserves and NATURA 2000 sites,
not only support biodiversity, but also provide a wide range of provisioning, regulating and
socio-cultural ecosystem services, and thus enable various forms of economic activity. They
can contribute to gains in local income and employment (e.g. benefits from investments in
NATURA 2000 sites by local, national and EU sources). They can also be a key tourist
attraction generating external purchases of local products and services, as well as helping
visitors gain greater awareness of habitats and their function and value. They may contribute
to strengthening the sense of place and regional identity which can promote greater civic
responsibility, safeguard the cultural and natural heritage, and provide opportunity for
environmental education and leisure, health and amenity. Thus, they may improve living
conditions and be part of a framework for successful sustainable rural development, e.g. [1],
[2], [3], [4].
This applies, too, to the Ore Mountains (German: Erzgebirge/ Czech: Krušné hory),
which are characterized by outstanding natural assets and a typical cultural landscape on both
sides of the border between the German state of Saxony and the Czech region of Northern
Bohemia. The ridge of the Ore Mountains, averaging 800-1000 m above sea level, contains
many NATURA 2000 sites, including both Special Areas of Conservation under the EU
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