Since Baltic Environmental Forum was founded 25 years ago, it is successfully developing and managing environmental projects.
- Since 1995, more than 220 projects were developed and implemented, thereof 35 projects in Germany since 2003.
- Development and implementation of instruments for professional and efficient project and quality management.
- Capacity building of environmental authorities and management in the Baltic Sea Region and other eastern European states: Substantial contribution to the exchange of environmental knowledge with and between the Baltic Sea states, and for the financing and implementation of environmental policies with 50 million euros of granted financial support.
Thematic successes:
- Management of chemical substances: Reduction of emissions and exposures from and by hazardous substances in urban daily life, such as in the international flagship project NonHazCity (www.nonhazcity.eu), funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, which was extended to 2021. The project motivated various municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region to develop and implement chemical action plans with ambitious goals, such as with chemical sensitive purchasing criteria for public institutions.
- Energy- and climate change: Support of the Baltic Sea states and the Republic of Croatia with the development of national climate change adaptation strategies.
Development of a training programme for energy-efficient restorations of apartment buildings in eastern Europe.
Consultation of municipalities and ministries in eastern Europe for energy-efficient restorations, to ensure the quality of construction sites, as well as the sustainable building and urban development.
Analyses of the vulnerability and development of adaption and nature conversation strategies tackling climate change and its effects, together with the island of Fehmarn (www.soclimpact.org)
Sustainable mobility: Realization of various seminars and events for a more sustainable traffic and better infrastructure for bicycles in 14 countries in the middle, eastern and south/eastern parts of Europe with the projects mobile2020, SUMBA, and Cyclurban.
Development of individual strategies for more bicycle traffic in the cities of Warsaw, Riga, Bratislava, Tartu, Velika Gorica and Drama. The project will be continued in the cities of Prague, Brno and Bratislava (www.cyclurban.eu) from 2020 on.
- Marine protection: Since 20 years, BEF is working for the conservation of the Baltic Sea by protecting the marine biodiversity. We have established marine protected areas in the eastern Baltic Sea area, developed maritime spatial plans, carried out information activities and participated in the development of important key indicators for the Baltic Sea Commission. balticseaportal.net
- Nature conservation and biodiversity: The project VivaGrass (https://vivagrass.eu/) had the aim to preserve for Europe valuable cultural landscapes – natural grasslands with very high biodiversity – in the Baltic Sea states, those who became deserted due to the urbanization in these countries. The project tried to show the economic efficiency of small scaled grassland management to motivate the peasants.
- Acceptance of environment protection measures: Since 2012, the team in Germany investigated the connection between communication and acceptance of environmental measures in different projects. By supplying diverse communication measures and formats, the team supported individual and structural environmental actions carried out by different target groups, as e.g. in the project LIFE Wiesenvögel about predator management.