Entry

Turing The Iron Curtain Green

May 8th, 2007 08:01
Harish Kohli, Turing The Iron Curtain Green

The European Green Belt initiative aims to create an ecological 
reserve that runs from the Barents to the Black Sea, spanning some of 
the most important habitats for biodiversity in Europe. 
By following a course that was in large sections part of the former 
East-West frontier – one of the most divisive barriers in history – it 
symbolises the global effort for cross-border nature conservation and 
sustainable development. The Iron Curtain Way, as wags are beginning 
to call it, will focus on some of Europe’s most impressive and fragile 
landscapes and will also increase opportunities for the socio-economic 
development of local communities. 
THE GREEN BELT
The Green Belt connects national parks, nature parks, biosphere 
reserves and cross-boundary protected areas, as well as non-protected 
areas along or across borders, running for more than 8,500 kilometres 
from the border between Norway and Russia on the Barents Sea in the 
north to the Albania-Greece border on the Adriatic. The Green Belt is 
known for its high density of protected areas – more than 3200 can be 
found within a 25 km zone on either side of the borders.
It will not be a consistent strip, but rather a series of core areas, 
corridors and stepping stones, linking a string of important habitats –
 a ‘string of pearls’ – some a few kilometres wide, others not even 30 
metres. In most places along the Green Belt, the areas on both sides 
of the borders are not homogeneous, but comprise several habitats, 
grassland fallow and wetlands, mature woodlands, wilderness areas and 
man-made landscapes. Linking the areas is tremendously important for 
migrating species such as wolves, bears, lynx or amphibians and birds.
FORMER IRON CURTAIN
Along the length of the former Iron Curtain were military training 
areas, arsenals, airstrips, tank strips and waste deposits. These 
military areas were often depopulated and taken out of regular 
economic activity for 50 years or more, thus sustaining no intensive 
agriculture, no residential building, no quarrying or
mining, no hydrological changes and no use of fertilizers. Natural 
processes such as river erosion and sedimentation and the accumulation 
of dead wood in forests could take place unhindered. As a consequence, 
otherwise endangered species continue to thrive here, including wild 
orchids, fish otters and black storks. 
On the other hand, long-term use of military areas led to a 
significant contamination of parts of the land and of groundwater. It 
is important to investigate the state of these lands, lest they pose a 
danger to nature or animal or human health in future. Area that was 
farmed or cultivated was often subject to different methods of 
management, which are still visible in the landscape. The Green Belt 
initiative aims to stop privatization and land speculation from doing 
irreversible damage to natural habitats and at the same time leaving 
local people without opportunities for self-determined development. 
EUROPEAN COOPERATION
Wonderful ideal, hard to put into practice. Cooperation between the 12 
or more countries that abut the old frontier may take some time, as 
well as careful planning and diplomacy. The initiative’s objectives 
range from the local to the global, so the route of the Green Belt is 
divided into three regional sections for the purposes of organization: 
Fennoscandia and the Baltic; Central Europe; and South Eastern Europe. 
How long will it be since we can walk the length of the Green Curtain? 
Some years, although parts of it, particularly in Germany, are well 
under way. The project has the modest goal of providing ‘a useful 
contribution to the commitments made by countries to halt the loss of 
biodiversity by 2010’. It is certainly a space to watch. 
To find the best holidays to these regions, look for the UK-based 
operator AwimAway (020 7430 1766, www.awimaway.com) that offers 
adventure and experiential holidays around the world, customized to 
suit your desires and your budget. 
Harish Kohli
http://www.awimaway.com