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Germany's Green Belt

The German Green Belt (Gruenes Band) is an example of a border region that serves as a model for the future of the Korean Peninsula’s DMZ. The “Iron Curtain” -- the old border that divided East and West Germany for over three decades -- has been transformed into a setting for the preservation of nature and ecological and historical tourism, emerging as a green belt not just for Germany but for all of Europe.

The German Green Belt is 1,393km long, and 50–200m wide, with an area of 177 square kilometers that passes through nine Land (state) governments. It encompasses one national park, three biosphere reserves, and 136 nature reserve areas. The area is inhabited by around 5,200 species of flora and fauna, over 600 of which are endangered, according to scientific studies.

What allowed a setting of Cold War division and death to transform into a symbol of reconciliation and peace was the Basic Treaty on relations between East and West Germany that was signed in 1972. The year after the treaty was concluded, the two sides established “border committees” to cooperate on areas including water resources, energy, and disaster prevention.

When the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989, the “zone of death” at the military demarcation line began its full-scale transformation into a green belt of peace. The “Gruenes Band” project was carried out as a way of preserving a border region that had become an ecological treasure trove. The environmental group BUND received government support to spearhead a campaign in connection with the project. Joint government and non-government participation was ensured to minimize social conflict over development and preservation. In the space of three decades, the border region was wiped clean of its marks of past division.

The process was not without its difficulties. After reunification, land on the border reverted to its past ownership, placing it outside state administrative control; some of it was sold to companies, raising the threat of ecological damage. But the German government purchased and nationalized privately owned land on the border in order to protect its ecosystem, and with its return of the land to state governments under designation area as “National Natural Heritage” in 2003, it laid the groundwork for the border region’s preservation and use.

During the 21st century, the German Green Belt has transformed into a supranational environment campaign. After visiting Germany in 2002, Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader, advocated a “European green belt” campaign to expand the belt to the north and south. The German Green Belt was extended to a length of 12,500km, passing through 24 countries in Scandinavia, the Baltic republics, Central Europe, and the Balkans.

“The German Green Belt hold great implications for the direction of the DMZ’s preservation and use, in that it was a well-harmonized mixture of preservation and restoration with a tourism model that increased its symbolic value as a space for sustainable development,” said Park Eun-jin, director of administrative planning at the National Institute of Ecology.

“We need to include local governments, NGOs, and local residents in the process to minimize societal conflicts surrounding the DMZ’s preservation and development,” Park suggested.

By Park Kyung-man, North Gyeonggi correspondent

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