TransEcoNet - Transnational Ecological Networks in Central Europe Landscapes without borders

Project content

Protected areas such as National Parks, Nature Parks, or biosphere reserves are often enclosed “islands” of nature protection which are barely or not at all separated from non-protected landscapes, traffic routes of residential areas. The TransEcoNet project is working to create a network of Protected Areas and countryside with little or no protection across national borders.

16 project partners from 6 countries work in remote sensing, geo-technology, nature protection, landscape ecology, architecture and art history, plus regional and environmental knowledge. The core of the project is analysis and evaluation of the landscape with regard to topology, historic development plus natural and cultural resources.

Based on this analysis, recommendations were made and strategies developed for sustainable development of landscapes with little or no protection and the connection to existing protected areas and transnational ecological networks.

As a participating environmental institution, the National Park Centre has the task of raising public awareness of the natural and cultural inheritance in Saxon Bohemian Switzerland by publicising the results of the project.

Planned measures

One focus of the work is development of a computer game about landscape change for school children. This menu driven educational game will be used as part of project days with German and Czech school children in the National Park Centre.

The children play with supervision from an environmental educator. The player has to balance various demands of planning within the Saxon Bohemian Switzerland National Park Region. The game is suitable for school children in Year 7 and above.

Student workshops are held as part of development of the game. These events aim to trial and develop the game.

There is also a plan to hold project oriented events on the subject of landscape change.

Project timing:

07/2010 - 12/2011

Funding

The project TransEcoNet is co-financed by resources from the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRE) as part of the CENTRAL EUROPE support programme for territorial collaboration within priority 3 “Using our environment responsibly”.

Other parters in the overall project (excerpt):

Dresden Technical University (Lead Partner)

Bohemian Switzerland Charitable Society(O.P.S.) in Krásná Lípa

UniversityJ. E. Purkynì in Ústí nad Labem