Urban-rural linkages important for sustainable development?

Wolfram Güthler, CEO, German Association for Landcare

Brussels 1/23/2009

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Bridging the gap between man and nature

Bilder

• The German Association for Landcare (DVL): umbrella organisation of 145 regional Landcare Associations (LCA's) in Germany

• LCA: societies, founded by landusers, environmentalists and local politicians; acknowledged as non-profit organisation serving the public interest

Sorry: my report is focused on Germany and our experiences

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Urban sprawl

• More than 100 ha of land consumption / day in Germany

• EFRE has pushed this development

• Reduction of land consumption needs a complex strategy (change in tax system and peoples attitudes, other funding, spatial planning)

• Compensation measures can be usefull for rural-urban linkages

New rural areas in cities

• Depopulation of cities in eastern Germany

• Former socialist apartment blocks have been brocken away

• restoration of species rich meadows in Chemnitz (Saxony) by using hay from neighbouring rural areas

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Rural people in the City:Marketing of regional products

Let´s bring urban and rural together

Urban people in the „outback“: Celebration for mountain meadows in the Saxonian „Erzgebirge“

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Regional initiatives in Germany

European Funding – example LEADER

Success storry (bottum-up approach,…)

• Max. 150.000 inhabitants possible (but exceptions)

• to have less than 150.000 inhabitants in a LEADER-process, towns are often excluded

• Result: urban-rural linkages are cut

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• Do urban citizen know a frog, or where the milk comes from etc.?

• Do they have a feeling for that?

• Sustainability needs education (not only for children)

(Not only) a matter of education

Foto: v. Elsen

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(Not only) a matter of education

Foto: v. Elsen

European Funding – example biodiversity

River Lech in Bavaria

• Central biotope network

• City of Augsburg

• Rural-urban linkages and Funding

• EFRD – Axis 3: only in rural areas

• EFRD: Natura 2000 only if it contributes to economic development and / or diversification of rural areas

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European Funding – example WFD

River Ocker in Lower Saxony

• Weir plant in the little river Ocker in the city of Braunschweig

• Serious problem for the implementation of the WDR and the Natura 2000 areas upside the river in rural areas

• No EU-Funding

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Final remark

Foto: v. ElsenEurope has a lot to do