Partners of the Interreg-Project “URBforDAN – Management and Utilization of Urban Forests as Natural Heritage in Danube Cities” have joined hands at the kick-off meeting in Ljubljana, which was held between 12th and 14th of September. The City of Ljubljana – European Green Capital of 2016 – has taken a leading role in this partnership for sustainable management of urban forests, particularly by including all stakeholders and target groups. The purpose of the partnership is to continue to appropriately care for urban forests, to create harmony with nature, and to offer relaxing as well as educational content for visitors. The project is implemented within the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme and is supported by the European Regional Development Fund.

Looking forward to collaboration

More than 40 participants were welcomed by the City of Ljubljana Vice-Mayor, Professor Janez Koželj, who is in charge for sustainable development of the city, including urban forestry: “Since 2007, we have been implementing the long-term city vision of Ljubljana to become a sustainable city, where the urban forests are the ultimate green resource, as well as an adaptive and resilient system which provides a suitable habitat to different species. The main focus of green space policy in Ljubljana is on conserving and restoring the existing network of urban green spaces and natural areas.”

The participants were introduced to all the details related to the project, and were took to a visit of the area in question – Golovec hill. They expressed their excitement over a chance to learn from one another in the framework of the URBforDAN project. They are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration and, consequently, successful project implementation that will improve the quality of life in the partner cities and their urban forests.

Simone Borelli, Agroforestry and Urban/Peri-urban Forestry Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is optimistic about the project: “From what I've seen in the last three days, the project partners seem very committed, and I think that's the idea for maintaining the good spirit in the next two years. I think that there's a lot to learn – for you among yourselves and for us who can then share the experience with others.”

Maintaining the “green lungs” of the city

Within the URBforDAN Project, which started on 1st of June 2018 and will continue until 30th of November 2020, the project partners will reward accomplishments and efforts towards the maintenance of the “green lungs” and biotic diversity so far. They will address the preservation of natural values, the sustainable use of natural resources and the development of the social functions of urban forests in the Danube area. The purpose of the project is to create better utilisation of forest areas, which are used for various purposes, for example sports and recreation, education, relaxation, sustainable tourism and other.

Another aim of the project is to improve the collaboration among key interested parties like forest managers and owners, users and visitors, the professional public and non-governmental organizations. Under the mentorship of the City of Ljubljana and the Slovenia Forest Service, this form of collaboration will also provide the basics for the preparation of international guidelines and transfers of good practice into other European cities.

URBforDAN partnership

Twelve project partners are participating in the URBforDAN Project, as well as four associated project partners. The City of Ljubljana, the leading partner, is joined by Vienna (Austria), Budapest (Hungary), Zagreb (Croatia), Belgrade (Serbia), Cluj-Napoca (Romania), and Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine). The partnership is complemented by the Slovenia Forest Service, The Cluj-Napoca Metropolitan Organization (Romania), Főkert – a non-profit organization that manages forests and parks in Budapest, and the companies Hrvatske šume d.o.o and JP Srbijašume. The City of Prague, The Cities of Podgorica and Sarajevo, as well as the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) are the associated partners of the project within the framework of the United Nations.