Bergwaldprojekt

Last updated
Bergwaldprojekt
Formation 1987
PurposeProtection, preservation, and care of forests through volunteer work
Headquarters Trin, Graubünden (headquarters of the Swiss foundation) and Würzburg [1]
Membership
approx. 2,500 supporters
Chairpersons
Martin Kreilinger (CEO Switzerland) and Stephen Wehner (Chairman Germany)
Website www.bergwaldprojekt.de www.bergwaldprojekt.ch

Bergwaldprojekt is a multinational environmental protection organization (NGO) that works with volunteers in forest ecosystems. It is focused on protection, preservation, and care of forests, especially mountain forests and cultural landscapes. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The Bergwaldprojekt was founded in 1987 by Swiss forester Renato Ruf and German Greenpeace employee Wolfgang Lohbeck in Switzerland. The first operation took place in Malans in the Canton of Graubünden. Initially, the project received organizational and financial support from the WWF and Greenpeace. By 1990, both organizations allowed the initiative to become independent. In Switzerland, the organization is structured as a charitable foundation under the supervision of the Federal Department of Home Affairs. In 1993, the German association was founded to independently finance and manage projects that had been ongoing in Germany since 1991. The first operation in Austria occurred in 1994, and in the Principality of Liechtenstein in 2004. Since 2007, there have been several project weeks each year in Catalonia. From 2006 to 2015, there were also several one-week projects annually in the Carpathians of Ukraine. [4]

In 2020, the Bergwaldprojekt, together with the Greenpeace Environmental Foundation, purchased 200 hectares of forest land near Unterschönau in the Thuringian Forest, including the former Moosburg castle site. The "Future Forest" project involves converting a monoculture of spruce trees, which is not adapted to the climate crisis, into a more natural forest management system modeled after the Lübeck City Forest. [5]

Activities

The organization conducts one-week work assignments throughout the year for forestry laypersons in Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, and Catalonia. The project sites range from the mountain forests of the Alps and Pyrenees to mid-mountain ranges such as the Black Forest, Rhön, and Harz, to the island forests of Amrum and coastal forests on the Baltic Sea. The organization works only in public forests or on land owned by charitable organizations, or as in Germany, part of the National Natural Heritage. [6] The various tasks during a project week include forest maintenance, young growth maintenance, construction of hiking trails, reforestation of protective forest, measures to protect against browsing damage, fence construction, building of tripods (to reduce snow movement), erosion control, landscape and biotope maintenance, and peatland restoration. Projects in Germany focuses on forest conversion. [7]

Organization

The project is organized in Switzerland as a foundation, in Germany and Spain as independent associations, and in Austria under the umbrella of the Austrian Alpine Club. The project is financed through private donations, which accounted for 6% of the funding in Germany in 2020 (2018: 5%), as well as through supporting memberships (2020: 6%; 2018: 7%). 35% of the revenues were generated through the project work itself (2018: 62%). In 2020, the German Bergwaldprojekt received a bequest of €1,025,941 (26%). The remaining revenues come from contributions from companies and institutions, public funds, and in-kind donations. [8] [9]

In 2020, expenditures were divided into direct project costs (43%), personnel expenses (39%), and other costs (including public relations and infrastructure). [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenpeace</span> Non-governmental environmental organization

Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity" and focuses its campaigning on worldwide issues such as climate change, deforestation, overfishing, commercial whaling, genetic engineering, anti-war and anti-nuclear issues. It uses direct action, advocacy, research, and ecotage to achieve its goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liechtenstein</span> Microstate in the Alps

Liechtenstein, officially the Principality of Liechtenstein, is a doubly landlocked German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east and north and Switzerland in the west and south. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy headed by the prince of Liechtenstein of the House of Liechtenstein, currently led by Hans-Adam II. It is Europe's fourth-smallest country, with an area of just over 160 square kilometres and a population of 40,023. It is the world's smallest country to border two countries, and is one of the few countries with no debt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Liechtenstein</span>

Liechtenstein's foreign economic policy has been dominated by its customs union with Switzerland. This union also led to its independent membership in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1991. Unlike Switzerland however, Liechtenstein is part of the European Economic Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Switzerland</span>

The Swiss rail network is noteworthy for its density, its coordination between services, its integration with other modes of transport, timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-Alp freight system. It is made necessary by strong regulations on truck transport, and is enabled by properly coordinated intermodal logistics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S-Bahn</span> Type of commuter rail system in Europe

The S-Bahn is a hybrid urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble commuter or even regional rail systems. The name S-Bahn derives from Schnellbahn, Stadtbahn or Stadtschnellbahn.

The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to green politics:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine Rhine</span> Part of the river Rhine in Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

The Alpine Rhine Valley is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine, the part of the Rhine between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and Lake Constance. It covers three countries, with sections of the river demarcating the borders between Austria and Switzerland and between Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The full length of the Alpine Rhine is 93.5 km.

The Super League is a Swiss professional league in the top tier of the Swiss football league system and has been played in its current format since the 2003–04 season. As of March 2024, the Swiss Super League is ranked 12th in Europe according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions. The 2023–24 season will be the 127th season of the Swiss top-flight, making it the longest continuously running top-flight national league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification</span> International, non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Switzerland

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization which promotes sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification. As of 2006, it was considered the certification system of choice for small forest owners in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feldkirch–Buchs railway</span> Railway line linking Austria and Switzerland via Liechtenstein

The Feldkirch–Buchs railway is a 18.52 km (11.51 mi) electrified single track railway line that links Austria and Switzerland passing through Liechtenstein. Owned by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), it is the only railway line in Liechtenstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liechtenstein–Switzerland relations</span> Bilateral relations

Diplomatic and economic relations between Switzerland and Liechtenstein have been close, with Switzerland accepting the role of safeguarding the interests of its smaller neighbour, Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein has an embassy in Bern. Switzerland is accredited to Liechtenstein from its Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Berne and maintains an honorary consulate in Vaduz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wikiwoods</span> Volunteer tree-planting group

WikiWoods is a group of volunteers who plant trees with the joint aims of preventing climate change and inspiring people to be environmentally aware. Founded in 2007, around 3,400 volunteers have planted 163,100 trees to October 2016. The group is based around a wiki, which enables people to register their own tree planting events, to find like-minded friends in their region, and to network with foresters and other tree experts. As of 2016, events have taken place in Berlin, Brandenburg, Göttingen, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany as well as in Hîrbovăț in Moldova. It is hoped that the idea will spread, with further volunteers getting involved in organising tree planting events using the WikiWoods software as a coordinating platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Gallen S-Bahn</span> Commuter rail network in St. Gallen, Switzerland

The St. Gallen S-Bahn is an S-Bahn-style commuter rail in Eastern Switzerland and neighbouring areas. The network connects stations in the Swiss cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Glarus, Grisons, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, Thurgau and Zürich, as well as a few stations in Austria and Germany. Some services also operate as part of the Bodensee S-Bahn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Bäumle</span> Swiss politician (born 1964)

Martin Bäumle MP is a Swiss scientist and politician. He has been a member of the National Council since 2003. Originally a member of the Green Party of Switzerland, he founded the Green Liberal Party of the Canton of Zürich in 2004 and the national party in 2007. He was the first president of the national Green Liberal Party from 2007 to 2017.

NaturVision is Germany's oldest nature, wildlife and environmental film festival. Launched in 2002 in Neuschönau in the Bavarian Forest, the festival moved to its new home of Ludwigsburg in the German state of Baden-Württemberg in 2012. The venue is the Central Theater Ludwigsburg. Since 2014 the festival has also offered a free open-air cinema, a market with regional and sustainable vendors and a science slam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hambach Forest</span> Ancient forest located near Buir in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany

Hambach Forest is an ancient forest located near Buir in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, between Cologne and Aachen. It was planned to be cleared as part of the Hambach surface mine by owner RWE AG. There were protests and occupations from 2012 against this, and in 2020 a law was passed to preserve it.

A private forest is a forest that is not owned by municipal authorities, church authorities or the state. It can refer to woodland owned by a natural or juridical person or a partnership.It is the forest which is planted, nurtured or conserved in any private land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vorarlberg S-Bahn</span> Transport project in Vorarlberg, Austria

Vorarlberg S-Bahn is a label for regional rail services in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. The S-Bahn services also connect to stations in the German town of Lindau, the Swiss towns of St. Margrethen and Buchs, and the Principality of Liechtenstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Liechtenstein referendum</span> Referendums in Liechtenstein on the HalbeHalbe proposal, dual citizenship and rail expansion

A three-part referendum was held in Liechtenstein on 30 August 2020. Voters were asked whether they approve of an initiative proposing changes to the constitution to promote the equal representation of women in political bodies, a parliament law allowing dual citizenship for naturalised citizens, and a decision by the government to fund a railway line expansion. All three proposals were rejected.

References

  1. ↑ "About us". www.bergwaldprojekt.de. Bergwaldprojekt e.V. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  2. ↑ "Bergwaldprojekt". www.bergwaldprojekt.de. Bergwaldprojekt e.V. 2020. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  3. ↑ Boris Messing (2020-11-22). "Reforestation in Germany: Serving Nature". taz.de. Die Tageszeitung . Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  4. ↑ Bote, Schwarzwälder. "Bergwaldprojekt in Schonach: „Wir machen das hier für ein komisches Tier und das heißt Auerhuhn"". schwarzwaelder-bote.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  5. 1 2 "Bergwaldprojekt Annual Report 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  6. ↑ "Schuften statt Hängematte: Mit Bergwaldprojekten die Natur retten | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  7. ↑ Grahovac, Eleonore. "Sachsen: Schuften statt Hängematte: Mit Bergwaldprojekten die Natur retten". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  8. ↑ "BahnCard". www.bahn.de. Deutsche Bahn . Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  9. ↑ "Bergwaldprojekt Annual Report 2018" (PDF). Bergwaldprojekt e.V. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2024-10-24.

Media coverage

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.