LEARNING FROM THE PAST - WORKING FOR THE FUTURE
LEARNING FROM THE PAST - WORKING FOR THE FUTURE
It is often said that nature knows no boundaries. This is certainly true for much of the European flora and fauna. Europe’s nature is made up of a network of ecological relationships. Rivers and coastal zones cross national boundaries. Migratory species, of birds and other animals, travel from country to country.
Many migratory birds forage and hibernate in the Wadden Sea and breed in Russia and
Siberia. Since the end of the Cold War, growing ties between Eastern and Western Europe have reinforced this view of Europe’s nature as a single entity. Lagging economic development in much of Central and Eastern Europe has been largely responsible for the
preservation of nature there.
In other regions we have witnessed the dramatic impact that nonsuitable production processes have had on the natural environment. The Netherlands and other Western European countries acknowledge that they too, have a responsibility to conserve and promote a sustainable use of nature in Central and Eastern Europe.
It is, for example, our common vision to establish a pan-European Ecological Network (PEEN) in the future. For this reason, the Dutch government has since 1996 assigned a
special budget, in the Matra programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Central and Eastern Europe. Implementation of this budget is based on an Action Plan. The results show that, with relatively modest resources, this programme is able to reach many organisations, support a number of activities, and promote collaboration among Dutch, local and international organisations. These activities fulfil a clear need and are widely seen as relevant. They are well integrated into the situation at the local level, generate local capacity to continue the activities, and consequently encourage sustainability for the Central and Eastern European countries.
The third Action Plan, the ‘BBI-Matra Action Plan 2005 – 2008’ was published in April 2005 and has a budget of ¤ 4 million per year.
This brochure has been developed to give an impression of all the relevant activities that have taken place since 1996, and to encourage new and good ideas for the future.