Eurosite Twinning between four GOs (NL, GER, POL, UKR)
A Eurosite Twinning between four Governmental Organisations from the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and the Ukraine.
Information provided by Eurosite Twinning Coordinator, Roelof Heringa:
Jump-to menu:
- Background
- Twinning themes / goals
- Twinning activities
- Results and progress
- Annual planning 2009
- Partners overview
1. Background: ↑ page top
Twinning partners:
- Staatsbosbeheer, District Overijssel- North, Netherlands.
- UNESCO-Biospherereserve Spreewald, Germany.
- National park Narew, Poland.
- National Park Stochid, Ukraine.
Twinning status:
Eurosite Twinning Agreement signed by partners in may 2007.
Twinning period:
2007 - 2010
Partner details and rationale:
Inspired by the twinning cooperation of Eurosite members Landesumweltamt Brandenburg (Spreewald Biosphere Reserve) and Staatsbosbeheer (District Overijssel North). Since 2006, the idea was born to broaden the cooperation with nature areas in more eastern parts of Europe: Narew National Park in North-East Poland and Pripyat Stochid National Park in North-West Ukraine. The 4partners feel that nature protection and sustainable development are of international importance for which transnational cooperation is needed. Besides this, an international cooperation increases European integration. The 4 nature areas are connected by comparable natural, cultural and traditional circumstances.
2. Twinning themes / goals: ↑ page top
- To exchange knowledge and experience about management and management planning for nature protection (especially Natura 2000), protection of natural resources and sustainable use of the environment;
- To exchange experience and knowledge by working on projects together, especially in the field of nature and environmental education;
- Professional development of employees from all 4 organisations.
3. Twinning activities: ↑ page top
The main goals of the cooperation as described above are leading for the coming years. A work programme has been developed to realize these goals. The first version was made in November 2007 and is evaluated and updated once a year or more often when necessary. The following items / projects are the main activities of the cooperation at present:
Support for the Ukrainian partner:
- Giving presentations about the park to local people;
- Educate youth in schools;
- Provide management tools when possible;
- Support local development by ecotourism;
- Conserve historical log cabins in Slawowitsje, in particular abandoned houses or other buildings, by development of overnight stay possibilities;
- Help find funding for projects.
Sustainability and education:
- Knowledge exchange and development on the subject sustainable regional development by exchange visits;
- Knowledge exchange and development on the subject of ecology and natural ecosystems by exchange visits.
Natura 2000:
- Management, monitoring and international legislation for reporting;
- Exchange knowledge and experience about Natura 2000 management;
- In Ukraine not all species groups are monitored - this will be improved;
- Education for young people (12-18 years) - raising awareness of the importance of nature management;
- Recognising Natura 2000 as itself a valuable ‘tool’ / 'communication vehicle' to raise awareness of the need for and importance of European nature conservation measures;
Community involvement:
For all projects, the partners will keep in mind the possibility to involve students or graduates in cooperative activities to benefit the joint-working and offer students the chance to gain experience in foreign countries. Potential topics include:
- Regional development;
- Species and habitat monitoring exercises;
- Education exchanges.
Otters: National Park the Weerribben is still looking for otters for a re-introduction programme. The possibilities to transfer Polish otters to the Netherlands have been researched.
4. Results and progress: ↑ page top
- November 2007: Visit to Germany and Netherlands with main theme Natura 2000 and recreation/visitor management;
- May 2008; Visit to Germany and Netherland with main themes Regional development, cooperation with partners and education;
- July 2008: Visit to Poland and Ukraine with main themes ecology, botany, natural river ecosystems and Natura 2000.
- In NP the Weerribben otters are being reintroduced. The partners have tried to import Polish otters but before this had succeeded it was decided to stop the re-introduction. In the future it might be taken up again.
- The partners try to support the Ukrainian park with materials for management. So far binoculars and a laptop have been handed to them.
- May-June 2009: Partners attended the “Week of the Biosphere for the biosphere reserves 2009” in Spreewald (Germany). This meeting was followed by a visit from Narew and Stochid to the Netherlands. During one week a programme has been followed including issues as landscape and nature development,(species-)monitoring, information to the public, tourism, cultural heritage etc. [Reports are available in English: contact Roelof Heringa]
5. Annual planning 2010 ↑ page top
The goals were:
- Study visit to the Netherlands on the topics monitoring and education;
- Help in writing project proposals and finding funding for Ukrainian partners;
- Material support for Ukrainian partner combined with visit.
This year 2010 the work was focused on the more practical side of twinning and involved the co-operation between the Dutch and Ukraine partners, supported by the Polish partner. The Stochid National Park has been established quite recently and therefore is still in the phase of construction. In this period there is also need for practical equipment for managing the park. The Dutch partner has been able to provide some equipment, such as motor saws, mowers, compressors, cleaner, boat, etc.
In order trying to overcome the issue of paying import duties (in this case some 20 % of the actual value) we contacted the Ukraine Embassy in the Haque. They provided us with the contact of a humanitarian aid organisation “ Spoetnik” based in the Netherlands. Staatsbosbeheer made an agreement with this organisation and paid for the transport. Members of this organisation dealt very kindly with all nessecary documents in Kiev for importing the goods. They also organised the transport from Kiev to Stochid. We once more would like to express our gratitude towards the Spoetnik-organisation for all their assistance in this. In September the equipment has been deliverded in Stochid NP.
We all hope that the team in Stochid NP can make good use of this in future for the benefit of the management of the park. We also like to thank our partner in Narew NP in Poland for their support in translating and communication issues.
6. Partners overview ↑ page top
Twinning Partner 1:
Staatsbosbeheer, District Overijssel- North
District Overijssel Noord lies in the province of Overijssel. There are several nature areas in the district but the main Twinning areas are The Weerribben National Park and The valley of the river Vecht. Both areas are wetlands. The Weerribben is a large peat area formed by a long history of digging peat and cutting reed. The Vecht is a meandering river characterised by cultural history and old river arms where re-naturalisation is taking place. Staatsbosbeheer is the governmental agency for the management of forests and nature.
http://www.staatsbosbeheer.nl/
http://www.npweerribben-wieden.nl/
Organisation type:
Governmental
Country:
Netherlands
Contact:
Roelof Heringa (Project Leader)
Address:
Postbus 6, 7400 AA Deventer
Tel:
+31 570 747 100
E-mail:
Twinning Partner 2:
UNESCO-Biospherereserve Spreewald
Spreewald Biosphere Reserve (Landesumweltamt Brandenburg) lies around 100km southeast of Berlin in Germany. The biosphere reserve consists of many Spree-arms flowing through forests and agricultural land.
http://www.mluv.brandenburg.de/cms/detail.php/lbm1.c.323683.de
http://http//de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosph%C3%A4renreservat_Spreewald
Organisation type:
Governmental
Country:
Germany
Contact:
Eugen Nowak (Director)
Address:
Landesumweltamt Brandenburg (LUA), Referat GR 4, Schulstrasse 9, D-03222 Lübbenau/Spreewald
Tel:
+49 354 289 21 11
E-mail:
eugen.nowak@lua.brandenburg.de
Twinning Partner 3:
National park Narew
The Narew National Park (30% state owned forest, rest private) is located in the north-east of Poland and occupies a total area of 6,810ha. The Narew River is an anastomosing river-system and is sometimes referred to as the 'European Amazon' for its dense maze of river arms.
http://www.npn.pl/index.php?lang=en
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narew_National_Park
Organisation:
Governmental
Country:
Poland
Contact:
Andrzej Bielonko (Ecologist)
Address:
Narwianski Park Narodowy, Kurowo 10, 18-204 Kobvlin, Borzymy
Tel:
+48 857 181 160
E-mail:
Twinning Partner 4:
National Park Stochid
Prypiat Stokhid National Park (100% state owned) lies in the North-west of Ukraine with an area of nearly 40,000ha. The park includes the Stokhid River and part of the Prypiat River and their tributaries. Together with other marshes and lakes along the Prypiat and tributaries to the Prypiat, the park forms the largest wetland area in Europe.
http://www.faltboot.de/wiki/index.php/Stochid-Details
Organisation:
Governmental
Country:
Ukraine
Contact:
Jurij Olasjuk (Director)
Address:
Prypiat – Stochid National Park, Wolynska Oblast, Bondarenka Str. 47, 44200 Lubieszow
Tel:
+38 0 959 276 126
E-mail:
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