Ulm, 6th February 2018 – Danube Office Ulm/Neu-Ulm organised the third partner meeting of the INTERREG-Project LENA "Local Economy and Nature Conservation in the Danube Region". Forty participants from seven Danube countries discussed the best means to raise awareness of environmental protection along the Danube river.

The partner meeting took place from 30th January to 1st February 2018 at the Studio of the Sparkasse Ulm, where the project partners presented the progress and success of the project so far. The main topics of the meeting were the establishment of charging stations for e-bikes and the standardised training for the so-called "Danube Guides".

Network of E-bikes: The team from Tuttlingen delivered a status report on their progress in the field of e-mobility. They recently established a network of charging stations for e-bikes in the administrative district of Tuttlingen and highlighted the project’s positive impact on regional tourism. Thus, the Swabian city will serve as a future role model and share its knowledge and experience with the European partners: Best practices on e-bike technology, maintenance, and legal aspects will be taught at a "E-Manager Course" and promoted on the “E-Mobility Days” in Tuttlingen, taking place in June, 2018.

Danube Guides: In the discussion, the partners placed the main emphasis on a training scheme for the so-called "Danube Guides" and on how to increase environmental awareness of protected areas. Within the framework of the project's pilot action, Danube-Culture/Nature Guides will be trained. The training is going to be organised by Donaubüro Ulm/Neu-Ulm and will take place in Orth, Austria at the National Park "Donau-Auen". The programme connects an intensive didactical training with various aspects of the region, such as history, ecological and social topics, as well as the cultural and natural heritage of the Danube. As a result, the freshly trained "Danube Guides" will be able to train further Guides in their home regions. Ultimately, this network is supposed to inform the public about the value of nature. The Danube Guide programme thereby creates further employment opportunities for local tour guides, enhance transnational scientific cooperation, and promote European solidarity across the Danube area. This is even more important, as nature conservation can only be achieved in cooperation with regional partners and people living in the vicinity of protected areas.

The participants discussed bilaterally how to generate income from wild plants, sustainable fishery, and the certification and marketing of organic farming products of the Danube area. Furthermore, the project partners shared their views on the development of guidelines for a sustainable management of protected areas (based on the experience made in 11 pilot areas). The discussion concluded with an update on the elaboration of recommendations for policymakers concerning the responsible use of nature reserves.

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