D2C DaRe to Connect - Supporting Danube Region’s ecological Connectivity by linking Natura 2000 areas along the Green Belt
What is the GreenBelt?
With the European Green Belt, an extraordinary ecological network and living memorial landscape has been developed along the former Iron Curtain. In the area of the INTERREG Danube Transnational Programme (DTP) the European Green Belt connects 10 countries. It forms a backbone of the Pan-European ecological network and can provide a significant contribution to EU Green Infrastructure (GI) and TEN-G.
We dare to connect!
However, the Green Belt still suffers from a certain level of not sufficiently connected habitats and valuable landscapes. The main objective of the „DaRe to Connect (D2C)“ project is therefore the implementation of the EU Danube Strategy by further transnational development of the connectivity of the Green Belt as backbone of EU Green infrastructure (EU GI) by maintaining and enhancing ecosystems and their services.
Technology, nature and people
There are several main parts of the project:
- The project defines feasible ecological corridors between Natura 2000 areas on transnational and macro-regional level by innovative GIS and remote sensing approaches, partly based on newly available EU-Copernicus (Sentinel) data.
- Then, the project will provide concrete guidance and recommendations on planning and establishment of transnational ecological corridors connecting Natura 2000 areas on local and regional level, derived from pilot actions.
- Results will be mainstreamed via a transnational strategic vision "Green Belt in the Danube Region 2030” to be endorsed by national political stakeholders.
- The improvement of capacities of responsible public bodies and NGOs will lead to better understanding as well as to an improved knowledge exchange and cooperation.
- PR-work and events will give local/regional people and politicians an understanding of how connectivity and ESS can contribute to human wellbeing.
Project participation and learning interaction will enhance individual capacities of the project partners' staff and other involved institutions to further develop the European Green Belt in the DTP area.
The project activities are focused mainly in 6 pilot regions:
You can read more about pilot regions here.

- Start date
- 01-06-2018
- End date
- 31-05-2021
- Budget in Euro
- Overall: 2086654,1
- ERDF Contribution: 1684031,98
- IPA Contribution: 89624
- ENI Contribution: 0
- Call number
- Call 2
- Priority
- Environment and culture responsible Danube region
- Specific objective
- Foster the restoration and management of ecological corridors
Library
Filename | Date of upload | |
---|---|---|
D.3.3.1, Transnational Guiding Principle | 04-02-2021 09:58:14 | |
D.4.3.1. Regional Guiding Principles Pilot Region 1 Bavarian Forest Muhlviertel | 20-01-2021 06:01:00 | |
D.4.3.1. Regional Guiding Principles Pilot Region 1 Sumava | 20-01-2021 06:02:42 | |
D.4.3.1. Regional Guiding Principles Pilot Region 2 Little Carpathians | 20-01-2021 06:06:13 | |
D.4.3.1. Regional Guiding Principles Pilot Region 3 Orseg NP | 20-01-2021 06:07:41 |
Project Partners
Name | Type | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Bavarian branch of BUND, Friends of the Earth Germany, BUND Project Office Green Belt | Lead partner | melanie.kreutz@bund-naturschutz.de | GERMANY |
Ametyst Non-governmental organization | ERDF partner | marinakova@ametyst21.cz | CZECH REPUBLIC |
Environment Agency Austria | ERDF partner | maria.stejskal-tiefenbach@umweltbundesamt.at | AUSTRIA |
University of Vienna, Division of Conservation Biology, Vegetation Ecology and Landscape Ecology | ERDF partner | thomas.wrbka@univie.ac.at | AUSTRIA |
Őrség National Park Directorate | ERDF partner | i.szentirmai@gmail.com | HUNGARY |
Project News
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D2C - EVENT: Pan-European Green Belt Re-Connect Forum & DaRe to Connect Scientific Conference
- 02-03-2021Let us officially invite you to our 2-day online event combining an interactive get-together on 14th and an informative DaRe to Connect Scientific Conference on 15th of April 2021. Please be aware registration for each day is separated, you...
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D2C - Winter Wetlands Bike Tour along the Drava River in Croatia
- 21-02-2021On Wednesday, 3 February 2021, the Public institution for the management of protected parts of nature and ecological network of Virovitica-Podravina County , the Dare to Connect project partner, organised Winter Wetlands Bike Tour. The aim of...
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D2C - Transnational Guiding Principle published
- 04-02-2021The Guiding Principle aims to give recommendations on how to further develop the Pan-European network of protected areas. The goal of the paper is to point out to regions along the European Green Belt (EGB) in the Danube Region, where the...
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D2C - Regional Guiding Principles published
- 20-01-2021Regional Guiding Principles are one of the basic deliverables of the Date ro Connect projects., its Activity 4.3 Development of regional ecological network and wetland restoration concepts. They are based on intensive field research, sattelite...
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D2C - GIS training in Croatia
- 05-01-2021The Dare to Connect project is based on use of geographical informaton systems. Thus, it is inevitable to master GIS in order to work with and present outputs of the project. So, as a part of the DaRe to Connect project implementation, Public...