Managing military training areas of high ecological value
in Central and Eastern Europe
Conference, 30/9 - 1/10/2009, Passau, Germany
The aim of the conference was to intensify the exchange of expert knowledge and insights between military and forestry administrations on one side and nature conservation organizations on the other side.
With this conference we continued the work of the meetings in Brussels (2005), Vienna (2007), Budapest (2008) and Hasselt (2009).
The conference was organised by the Bavarian Academy for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management, the Hungarian nature conservation agency CEEweb and the DAVID Nature Foundation. Since 2000 the DAVID Nature Foundation has been working for the safeguarding of former military areas for nature conservation (read more). CEEweb has been carrying out a project (read more) to preserve outstanding natural values in military managed areas in the CEE/SEE countries since 2006.
The conference focused on the presentation of ongoing and planned nature conservation projects on military areas. In two workshops, participants discussed ideas for new projects that could be developed in cooperation with potential sponsors like the European Commission or the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt.
Nature Conservation Projects of the DBU in CEE – examples and future concepts
Dr. Volker Wachendörfer, Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt | PDF (1.7 MB)
Military training areas of high nature conservation value in Central and Eastern Europe; first analysis of database and networking processes
Dr. Kerstin Höntsch, Naturstiftung David | PDF (1.2 MB)
Insight into practical solutions by the German armed forces in handling nature conservation in their military areas, Germany
Stephanie Puffpaff, BMVg Germany | PDF (11.2 MB)
The EU wilderness approach and wilderness management in Military Training Areas
Sarolta Tripolszky, CEEweb | PDF (0,1 MB)
Nature management in Natura2000 territory and military training area "Adazi", Latvia
Agnese Krauze, Environment Department, State Agency for Defence Properties, Latvia |
PDF (3.3 MB)
Values of nature and environmental management in military training areas in Estonia
Liina Allikas, Estonian Defence Forces| PDF part 1 (5.7 MB) | PDF part 2 (4.9 MB)
Research on the biodiversity of abandoned military training areas in the Czech Republic
Pavel Marhoul, Daphne CZ; Oldrich Čížek, NGO Hutur; Martin Konvička, University of South Bohemia| PDF (3.9 MB)
Management and sustainable development of Slovene military areas
Tjaša Djokic, BA, Bojana Fajdiga, BSc, Institute for Nature Conservation;
Margareta Jeraj, PhD, Ministry of Defence; Marjana Trontelj, MSc, Slovenian Armed Forces |
PDF (1.1 MB)
Fire use on military training sites – techniques and applications
Daniel Kraus, Alexander Held, Fire Ecology Research Group, MPI Chemistry
Freiburg, Germany | PDF (1.6 MB)
Nature conservation on military areas – opportunities for funding actions under LIFE+
Frank Vassen, LIFE Unit, E.4, DG Environment, European Commission
Military trainig area Boletice (Czech Republik): is it necessary to manage natural habitats?
Dr. Vit Grulich, University Brunn link; Dr. Alena Vydrova and Mgr. Jitka Sterbova, Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection CR | PDF (2.8 MB)
On the “extreme” biodiversity value of European military ranges: a shocking exception or expectable pattern?
Dr. Martin Konvicka, University South Bohemia| …
“Developing nature conservation and restoration projects”
The first result of the workshop was the realisation that most of the problems of nature conservation on military areas are similar in different countries of Europe. In many places, the decrease in training intensity on active military areas and the decommissioning of military areas have lead to a gradual afforestation of valuable grassland and heath habitat. To counter this trend, it is vital to develop ideas on how to secure the financing of a long-term conservation management of these sites (e.g. through the production and selling of biomass, CO_2 quotas etc.).
This is especially important for the conservation of heathland, where best-practice examples of cost-effective maintenance measures (fire, mowing, grazing) should be compiled. The use of fire should be tested as conservation tool on large areas, to develop "open wood" forest habitats and to safely destroy unexploded ordnance devices.
An alternative concept for the future of decommissioned military areas or buffer zones of active military areas could be Wilderness (non-intervention). Suitable areas for an experimental application of the wilderness concept should be identified. In the light of these topics, potential project ideas were discussed during the workshop, focussing on the projects' objectives, the necessary conservation actions, potential partners and desired outputs.
“Building up networks between military authorities and civilian conservation bodies in CEE for peer-to-peer exchange of best practice”
To enhance the co-operation between military authorities and nature conservationists it is necessary to create more confidence by different approaches. At first there is a need to further publicise the importance of military areas for nature conservation.
Possibilities to improve the “military – nature conservation” network are personal contacts, conferences, site visits, the concerted development of projects on military areas (e.g. with LIFE+ funding) and the use of the internet for information about Best practices.
PDF-files with more detailed results of the workshops can be obtained from the Nature Foundation David.
Visit of MTA Boletice, Czech Republic on 1/10/2009
Nature Foundation David
Central- and East European working group for the enhancement of biodiversity (CEEweb)
Bavarian Academy for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management (ANL)
PDF (0,2 MB)