Project LENA awarded German sustainability award

Berlin, Germany, 12th September 2018—The international Interreg DTP project "LENA” (Local Economy and Nature Conservation in the Danube Region) and its activities towards the sustainable rural development of protected areas have been awarded with the German sustainability award for projects: ”Projekt Nachhaltigkeit 2018” by the Regional Network Units Sustainability Strategies (RENN).

In this project TRAFFIC and WWF Hungary jointly implement transnational activities focused on engaging local communities in sustainable wild plant harvesting in buffer zones of protected areas. Finding innovative solutions to sustainably use wild plant resources, support local livelihoods, and bolster income and job generation are the primary project objectives.

These actions are based on the FairWild Standard, an internationally recognised best practice framework, to verify the sustainable and equitable trade in wild plants, fungi, and lichen.

Along with 40 German and one other international winner, LENA was selected from more than 450 competitors and received a 1,000 euro prize.

RENN also grants the award winners with access to an attractive, regional nationwide network, increased public awareness, and the chance to shape public discourse and gain supporters.

RENN are regionally organised information and action platforms for sustainable development in Germany. Their central point of reference is the Agenda 2030, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since the end of 2016, they have been working to improve the communication and collaboration of sustainability activities.

The award ceremony took place as part of the networking event: ”Project Sustainability 2018: Awarding, Networking & Thinking Forward” in the GIZ Representative Office in Berlin. By receiving the "Sustainability Project 2018" quality seal, LENA receives special recognition as an initiative committed to sustainable development across borders and the entire spectrum of society.

"I feel very honoured that LENA received this recognition and I would like to thank RENN, as well as all our fantastic partners for their hard work and great collaboration”, said Kirsten Palme, LENA project manager at TRAFFIC after receiving the award as representative for the partnership.