On 14 May 2021, the Serbian ConnectGREEN Project Partner, the Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia (IAUS), held a workshop in which they presented the research performed under ConnectGREEN, as well as the project’s first results. Participants included numerous important stakeholders, among them 4 Government Ministries, public companies, relevant sectoral agencies and interest groups.

Image 1.: Third National Workshop on ConnectGREEN project results © IAUS

The workshop, which was held online due to the on-going restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, is the third workshop to be organised in Serbia on the work of ConnectGREEN. The objective of the workshop was to present the project activities implemented within project period 4, project period 5 and project period 6, as well as the results achieved to date: the Methodology for identification of ecological corridors in the Carpathian countries by using large carnivores as umbrella species, the Guidelines on how to use spatial planning tools in management of ecological corridors, the Decision Support Tool and new ideas for the upcoming project period and Transferability strategy, as well as a database and maps of significant areas and ecological corridors of large mammals of transnational importance in the Carpathian ecoregion – CCIBIS.  

Image 2.: Third National Workshop on ConnectGREEN project results © IAUS

The workshop organisers also shared a draft version of the Serbian roadmap on integrating ecological aspects in spatial planning policy, which contains: key areas for building capacity and inter-sectoral dialogue and an Action Plan for mitigating threats to migratory corridors in Djerdap National Park. Another objective of the workshop was to discuss newly proposed planning documents that offer the potential for incorporation of ecological connectivity, the main goal being the enhancing of cross-sectoral cooperation at the regional Carpathian level and beyond.

Image 3.: Third National Workshop on ConnectGREEN project results © IAUS

The workshop attendants were comprised of twelve representatives of the relevant stakeholders in Serbia, including: four ministries of the Republic of Serbia (Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and Ministry for European Integration); public companies, regional and provincial institutes and agencies (Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, Urban and Spatial Planning Institute of Vojvodina, PE “Đerdap National Park”), and other interest groups (WWF Adria; University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Civil Engineering, Metropolitan University - Faculty of Applied Ecology – Futura).

The workshop was animated by lively and highly fruitful discussions, which raised a number of questions, but also provided participants as well as the organisers with numerous answers to questions they had at the outset.