Achieved impacts

The two-year project "Integrationsgärten" aimed at the creation of three social integration gardens for refugees at different residential districts: transitional house Arbergen 2 (2016), a transitional house at Tannenbergstraße (2016/2017), and in Huckelriede (2017). The project involved various gardening activities and cultural events that aimed at increasing social integration of the refugees, improving their language skills, as well as stimulating neighborhoods to social engagement and participation in environmental issues in the neighborhood (Ref. 2, 3).

A pilot educational garden was created by Foundation Zaedno in Sofia in 2011 in the city kindergarten Slaveyche. The initiative was carried out with the financial support of Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and volunteers. The aims of the garden were to turn a derelict site into an attractive place for learning about and practicing gardening, playing games, learning about healthy nutrition, conservation, and promoting the creation of other Delicious Bio-Gardens. The garden has herbs, vegetables, and a rainwater harvesting system. Events connected to this initiative were taking place till 2013-14 (Ref. 1; Ref. 2; Ref. 4)

The renaturalization of the water canal Hirtenbach project was part of the larger city-wide initiative that aimed at the naturalization of different parts of the city's drainage system including small trenches and streams. The initiative aimed to decrease the risk of floods, improve the water quality, protect the local flora and fauna from the pollution, as well as provide for an additional recreational area for the citizens. (Reference 1)
In 2000, natural remodelling or the creation of near-natural structures began in sections. A 20, 000 m3 retention basin was also built. These actions improved flood protection and ecology of the area, and it provided local recreation opportunities. However, a study conducted in 2014 revealed that the restoration measures brought positive changes, but it was not enough to achieve a “good water status” defined by the European Water Framework Directive. Intensive care from silting and lush plant growth, wide margins, and the reduction of nutrients coming from the drainage and agriculture, need to be addressed. (Reference 2)
A new landscape is expected to be created when the alder trees grow. Waterbirds and waders, as well as insects like dragonflies, bees, butterflies and crickets, have been observed in the area (Reference 3).
The large drainage system of the city of Hannover includes many small trenches and streams with a total length of 152 kilometres. The intervention in Hirtenbach involved renaturalization worked on the total length of approximately 10,5 km (of which 3,3 km in the urban area). (Reference 2)

Rehabilitation of the public green space of the Park Krekovic through employment of people with a risk of social exclusion. The initiative cleaned the green areas of the park, rehabilitated the gardens with planting actions, and maintained the overall infrastructure. (ref 4)

The “Animal Species Aid Program”, also a part of “More Nature in the City” project of the Department of Environment and Urban Green, mapped out the occurrences of wild bees in Hannover including Leineaue, Alte Bult and the area of Berggarten and Leibniz University. With this program, 244 wild bees and wasp species were detected in Hannover in 2013/2014. In addition to the inventory, the program has also provided care instructions tailored to the individual species (like frequency and timing of lawn mowing) in order to protect their habitat.

The “Wild Bee of the Year” was launched in 2013 by the Baden-Württemberg Wild Bee Cadastre Working Group in cooperation with the State Institute for Bee Science and the beekeeping associations of Baden-Württemberg to draw attention to the danger to native wild bees throughout Germany. The program is part of the city of Hannover’s activities on biodiversity. As an example, in 2012/2013, occurrences of the endangered nightingale were recorded, extremely rare and highly specialized tree beetles were mapped, and amphibians and dragonflies were stocked in selected small waters. Specific care measures for individual biotopes were provided along with an overall overview of the ecological qualities of the city of Hannover.

(Reference 1 as of 2015. No information was found with regards to the current status of the project)

With the progressive monopolization of the seed trade and the industrial cultivation of hybrid varieties as well as the restrictive seed legislation, the cultivation of old crops has steadily declined and about 90 per cent of the old crops have been lost. This initiative aimed to reverse the trend by the cultivation of old crops, dissemination of their seeds among farmers and educational workshops to protect and increase their biodiversity.

The project involved the building of the propagation garden on an approximately 4500 square meter area in Ricklingen. This project started in 2013 and it involves interested residents, cooperating with Transition Town Hannover (TTH). The city of Hanover supported the initiative by providing the property and financial aid for the construction of the garden. The project has been provided with professional network from BUND (Kreisgruppe Region Han­nover), the School Biology Center, the VEN (Association for the Conservation of Crop Diversity eV) and Leibniz University, Institute of Horticultural Production Systems and the Chamber of Agriculture In 2014, the basic restoration work on the property was completed. (Reference 1, 5).
Frame beds were installed in 2016 while a garden house was built in 2017. The project was funded by the City of Hannover until 2017 but it continues until the present with the help of volunteers (Reference 9).

The project "Sustainable Support Program for Greening Buildings and Minimizing the use of space using the example of Hanover" was established jointly by BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland) and the state capital of Hanover. The goal of the project is to transform as many barren house walls and dull grey roofs and asphalted areas into green oases throughout the city. Since May 2013, all house and landowners, housing associations and building communities have been able to apply to the BUND for a subsidy for green roofs and facades. On 2017, the project was expanded to include unsealing of areas like inner courtyards, driveways, etc, thus creating new green areas. Advice on the correct greening measures and on professional unsealing have been also offered by BUND.
The project is funded by the state capital of Hanover, the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), the Sparkasse Hannover and by proKlima. The "Green Hanover" funding program will end on December 31, 2020. (Reference 1)

The Sea's Corridor is a project that created green spaces with good quality that act as green belts of the city while serving as a support for the sustainable and not motorized means of transport. It was part of a project Plan called "Plan E" of the Municipality of Palma (Ref 1). The project was completed and in 2020 there are plans to do some renovations. They want to join the Sea's Corridor to Platja de Palma, as well as create new green spaces with a wider link with the ocean (Ref 5).

“The Sintra Parks concluded the project of recovery of the English Garden, in the Park of Pena, that aimed to stop the advanced state of degradation of this area and to solve situations that represented a risk to the mobility and safety of the visitors.” (ref 1)
The NBS includes planting trees to regrow the tree cover of the area. (ref 1)

An intervention in the parks of Sintra relying on volunteer participation to eradicate invasive species from the green areas. The intervention was carried out on International Volunteer Day and volunteers removed the exotic weed species manually.
The manual work with volunteering was carried out in more sensitive places where herbicide can not be applied (water lines, protected habitats, etc ...) (ref.5)