New beginnings: Resilient development of abandoned landscapes in Polesia (Ukraine) (LaRe)
Keywords: landscape resilience, abandoned landscapes, landscape functions, ecosystem services, landscape planning, municipal spatial planning, GIS-based methodological toolbox, digital landscape plan, WebGIS, participation, post-conflict landscape development
Subject and objectives of the project
The LaRe project is developing and testing a resilience-oriented approach to landscape planning for the landscapes of Polesia (northern Ukraine), which are characterized by population decline, degradation and war-related pressures. The aim is to provide a technically sound basis for local authorities to anchor ecological priorities in planning and implementation – in particular for nature and water protection and the safeguarding of key natural landscape functions and ecosystem services. To this end, a diagnostic framework for natural resilience factors and stressors as well as a GIS-supported methodological toolkit are being developed, which will form the technical basis for resilience-oriented landscape plans.
Innovation and exemplary nature of the project
The systematic linking of the phenomenon of abandoned landscapes in Polesia with the concept of landscape resilience is innovative. This approach is being tested in practice in the pilot incubator of the municipality of Snovsk, so that the results can be directly transferred to municipal spatial planning and anchored there in planning documents and procedures. The direct transfer of the results into binding municipal planning processes with a long-term steering effect is exemplary. Standardized and reproducible approaches to digital planning are being developed as part of the project. They are based on GIS models for evaluating key landscape functions and enable the creation of a digital landscape plan. The consolidated results will be prepared as a WebGIS in the form of a reference model and a guideline for municipal planning and decision-makers – for use in over 200 municipalities in Poland.
Special aspects of the project
LaRe is implemented in close German-Ukrainian cooperation and specifically builds up local application expertise. Municipalities and planning institutions are trained in the practical application of the GIS-supported methodological toolkit and in using the results as a reliable working basis for municipal planning and coordination processes.
Funding theme 9: Nature conservation and water protection
Project implementation:
- Restart Agency (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine)
Location: Ukraine
Funding period: March 2026 to February 2028
Project costs: Total volume: 175,128 euros, funding from DBU: 160,128 euros
DBU-AZ: 40848
Status: 10.03.2026