In
2004, building on a decade of work in Central
Europe (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and
the Slovak Republic), we began to extend our
program to the Balkan countries of Bulgaria,
Romania, Serbia and Montenegro. With this
expansion, we are exploring new ways to foster
trans-Atlantic as well as inter-regional
exchange, helping participants work effectively
across sectors and geographic borders.
One of
the hallmarks of QLF’s trans-Atlantic exchanges
is that they put a high priority on regional
perspectives, that is, Americans participating in
the exchanges typically interact directly with
participants from several to many
countries of the
wider region. For example, a recent Fellowship
brought to the US participants from four
countries (Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia [Belgrade
and Kosovo] and Slovakia); a recent Landscape
Stewardship Exchange included participants from
the Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia, as
well as the host country of Serbia and the US and
UK.
QLF Fellows
from Southeast Europe visit a wildlife refuge in
New Hampshire
The
political changes of a decade ago in Central and
Eastern Europe—and more recently in the
Balkans—have brought economic growth but also
environmental costs. We work with groups working
to save natural areas increasingly accessible to
development, and to spread prosperity to rural
communities.
Transboundary Conservation
