A borderless landscape: working together for climate-resilient nature
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Milsbeek (ots)
Nature conservation knows no national borders. The “Borderless Landscape” project connects habitats in Germany and the Netherlands with hedges, bodies of water and commitment. For more biodiversity and climate resilience - across borders.
Milsbeek : Europe is particularly hard hit by climate change. Extreme heat and extreme precipitation will occur even more frequently in the future and leave their mark. The aim of the “Borderless Landscape” project is to make nature more climate- resilient and increase biodiversity at the same time. The cross-border initiative in the German-Dutch region is co-financed by the European Union.
A site visit. The roads get narrower and narrower towards the destination. The area around the municipality of Milsbeek in the eastern Netherlands is very green and also a little lonely. There are a few farms and houses dotted around the landscape. The border with Germany is close and invisible. Europe has long since grown together here and there have been no fences for decades. Malve Falk is waiting in the small Langstraat. She is the project manager of “Borderless Landscape”, which is called Grenzeloos landschap in Dutch. Malve Falk is out in the field today with her team.
With spades, the young helpers in work gear are digging small holes in a strip just in front of a paddock. A machine pulled by a small tractor will later take over at a wider spot. “We are preparing to plant a hedge here,” explains Malve Falk. These will soon be able to make an important contribution to the preservation and promotion of biodiversity. “Birds will nest in it and a variety of insects and animals will find protection and shelter,” adds Malve Falk.
The small tractor has started moving and the young bushes can be planted quickly and easily from a seat at the rear. By the afternoon, a good 200 meters of hedge will have been planted here. A hedge takes several years to fully develop. With good care, the older it is, the more species-rich it is. But for farmers, a hedge also costs valuable arable or pasture land. “This is precisely why persuasion is so important,” explains Malve Falk. Retiree Piet Hopman took this step quite deliberately. He bought 2.5 hectares of land in the region and had it planted with hedges. "I was born near here. I simply want to set a good example with this campaign and hope that other landowners will join in."
Similar planting campaigns are underway on the German side and little by little the landscape is changing its face as a result. It will become greener and biodiversity will be preserved and even increase. Without the funding from the Interreg project, this would not have been possible, explains Malve Falk. “Because national funding always ends at the border.” The borders have long since disappeared here. And thanks to the new hedges, the areas are growing even closer together.
Description of the project: Cohesion policy has defined clear objectives for the 2021-2027 funding period: A smart Europe through innovation, a greener, low-carbon Europe, a more connected Europe, a more social Europe and a Europe that is closer to its citizens. Sustainable challenges are becoming the focus of society, particularly in Germany and its neighbouring countries. The "EU4regions" project will produce high-quality multimedia and journalistic information on cohesion policy and then disseminate it widely. Within 12 months, Interreg projects from western and eastern Germany and neighbouring countries/regions will be presented to highlight local challenges. The countries concerned are Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and Denmark. Our thematic focus is on sustainability, whereby we understand sustainability as a whole. Although climate issues are at the centre of attention, they are complemented by economic and social aspects. The aim is to show how EU cohesion policy affects regions and people.
EU4regions receives funding from the EU Commission.
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Original-Content von: EU4Regions, übermittelt durch news aktuell
