3. Green System

Priorities of BSR countries concerning the green system (green corridors and networks) are to support biodiversity, to safeguard cultural landscapes, and to protect sensitive coastal zones.

Biodiversity

All countries have subscribed to the goal to safeguard biodiversity. Finland issued a national action plan for biodiversity in 1988. Lithuania is setting up an action plan for the protection of bio-diversity.

In Latvia, preservation of biodiversity and characteristic landscapes is an important policy goal. The environmental policy plan of Latvia aims at improving the network of protected areas and calls for integrated management plans for those. A Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan has been prepared.

Norway stresses that the planning and management of land areas must increasingly consider biodiversity and the resources available for biological production. Similar approaches exist elsewhere.

Cultural landscapes

The protection of cultural landscapes is widely addressed in national policy papers. It is increasingly combined with nature areas protection (e.g. in Latvia). Belarus addresses the destruction of valuable cultural landscapes of national and European importance, caused by urbanisation, industrial activities and agriculture. A national concept has been prepared to develop an ecological network taking into account tourism and nature protection. Estonia has also set up a management plan for traditional landscapes. Denmark supports as a new role of farmers, to contribute to landscape maintenance.

The Lithuanian national spatial development concept has identified green corridors of particular importance. Sweden emphasises the importance to safeguard cultural landscapes in the vicinity of expanding urban areas.

In Finland, Norway and Sweden, the re-orientation of commercial forestry towards more sustainable cultivation methods is highlighted. Attention is paid to valuable cultural landscapes seriously affected by intensive forestry methods. Poland has launched a large aforestation programme and Lithuania intends to enhance the organisation of forestry for the benefit of cultural landscape protection and increased efficiency.

Preserving agricultural lands

Norway emphasises the keeping scarce fertile agricultural land free of non-agriculture uses. It promotes better consideration of agricultural requirements in land use plans. More participation of agricultural authorities in decision-making of other sectors is envisaged, as well as agricultural expert guidance for municipal planning. This is part of a general policy to promote agriculture, fishery and forest industry in Norway.

Coastal zone management

Coastal zone management plays a vital role in all BSR countries. In Estonia has launched a national action plan for the protection of wetlands according to the RAMSAR convention.

In the Kaliningrad region priority is given to avoid the swamping of lands, by repairing and maintaining hydro-technical constructions. In contrast, other countries consider such swamping as an important part of the re-naturalisation of areas having come under economic exploitation.

Norway has conducted a national research project dealing with the integration of coastal zone protection into regional development plans.

Radioactively polluted zones in Belarus

This is an important issue in Belarus, where polluted zones make up more than 20 % of the Republic (70 % of Gomel oblast and 30 % of Mogilyov oblast). In these territories agricultural land use is substituted by a special category of nature protection areas. Attempts are made to concentrate population in clean territories' settlements and to give up settlements in polluted areas. The enhancement of social and health services for the local population is addressed. These territories are subject to strong control of primary production quality and to permanent environmental monitoring.