Conference 2010

EUROPARC is proud to invite you to attend the next annual EUROPARC conference in 2010 which will be held in Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise National Park (IT) from 29^th September to 02^nd October.

2010 has been proclaimed the International Year of Biodiversity. The EUROPARC conference will consider this important theme with workshops, excursions and speeches on the topic "Living together. Biodiversity and Human Activites: A Challenge for the Future of Protected Area".

Keynote speakers from Europe and internationally will consider the response we all need to make locally, in the face of global biodiversity loss. Full day workshops will examine practical solutions more thoroughly and offer an opportunity for all concerned with the management of Europe's protected areas to share experience and learn from each other.

Registration will start on May 11^th and will close on September 20^th

Watch this space for more information.

EUROPARC 2010: Location, location, location

This year the annual EUROPARC Conference will be held in Pescasseroli, in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. Founded in 1922, Italy’s oldest national park occupies an area of 130.000 ha between 900m and 2.200m above sea level. Its flora and fauna, with its pristine terrains and endemic mammals such as the Apennine chamois and the marsican brown bear, is of extraordinary importance.

The conference will begin on September 29^th, a time of year which promises astonishing views with an array of beautiful colours. It is one of the most beautiful seasons to visit the park, as the colour of the forests ranges from yellow to orange, from red to brown (70% of the areas forest is beech). Autumn is however also one of the quietest times to enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings. It is a great time to discover the large variety of fruit trees and shrubs, the extraordinary number of mushrooms, to enjoy the fragrance of the soil after the first autumnal rains and to find animal footprints left in the moist soil.

Pescasseroli is the historical “capital” of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. The village lies in a valley at the entrance of the High Sangro Valley, 1167m above sea level and has just 2234 inhabitants. This plateau is rich in pastures surrounded by ancient woodland and extraordinary mountains. Here you can discover an evident symbiosis between nature and architecture: the town is in perfect harmony with the beautiful natural surroundings. The village was developed around an ancient abbey and is characterized by traditional masonry built stones and the main square, S. Antonio, is decorated by beech trees and the fragrant small flowers of the linden trees.

A legend tells a dramatic story of a young knight called Serolo, son of the Count Maracino, lord of the castle. Serolo met the beautiful Saracen Pesca in Palestine whilst participating in the first Crusade, fell in love and married her and sent her back to Italy. However the old Count also fell in love with her. A fight ensued and Pesca was killed near a spring. When Serolo returned from the crusade he died of grief and was buried next to his wife. In an act of atonement the old Count established the village of Pescasseroli: the union of the two names.

The theme of this year’s event will be “Living together. Biodiversity and human activities: a challenge for the future of protected areas.” On September 30^th the keynote speakers will kick start the day, after which the EUROPARC General Assembly and side meetings will take place as well as entertainment and short trips for non-members. October 1^st will be dedicated to excursions so that delegates have the chance to discover the beauty of the protected area. Last but not least, on Saturday 2^nd participants will be full immersed in a number of interesting workshops, followed by the awards and certifications ceremony before the Gala Dinner. Departure is foreseen on 3^rd. Preconference tours will also be offered.