Ignace Schops at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting

Ignace Schops at the meeting "Nature-based Solutions" - UN Convention on Biological Diversity

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EUROPARC President, Ignace Schops, is in Montreal for the 20th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

Ignace will participate in the Conference “Let Nature do the Job” organised by the European Commission, where he will introduce how protected areas provide solutions for the environmental challenges, by delivering benefits to society and economy. Mainstreaming biodiversity, providing ecosystem-based adaptation and disaster risk reduction and restoration will be some of the topics covered in the meeting.

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice gathers every year, and provides assessments of the status of biological diversity and the types of measures taken in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.

What is the Convention?

convention on biological diversitySigned by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development. Conceived as a practical tool for translating the principles of Agenda 21 into reality, the Convention recognizes that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and micro organisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live.

Read more about the Convention on Biological Diversity at: www.cbd.int/ 

Nominations for the Alfred Toepfer Medal are open!

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The Alfred Toepfer Medal is awarded by the EUROPARC Federation every year to those who have made a contribution to nature conservation in Europe.

The candidates are nominated by EUROPARC members and the winner is selected by the Juri, comprised by EUROPARC Council members. Do you have someone in mind who you think deserves recognition for their dedication or achievements in the field of nature conservation and protected areas? If so, please consider nominating that person for the award!

Nominations can be done by filling the form below, before the 20th of June.

For more information about the Alfred Toepfer Medal please contact Mrs. Langenfelde to m.langenfelde_at_europarc.org.

If you are looking for inspiration from previous years, have a look at our page dedicated to previous Alfred Toepfer Medal winners.

Good luck to all candidates!

The European Parks‘ Academy

European Parks Academy

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This summer, protected areas professionals will have a unique chance to develop their skills and learn about the emerging trends, new approaches and technologies in protected areas.

The European Parks’ Academy (EPA) is a summer school with seminars, which will take place in July, in Klagenfurt, Austria. The programme has been elaborated in collaboration with IUCN WCPA, together with partners in Austria and with support of the Austrian Ministry of Environment. The first two modules will be on “Governance of protected areas” and “Financial management of protected areas”.

The seminars of EPA focus on new international and European standards, policies and guidelines and their implementation in protected areas, such as policies of IUCN, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, UNESCO or Convention on Biodiversity.

Registration is open now as well as the application for scholarships!

More information is available here and in the flyer below. For any questions, contact Michael Huber (epa@e-c-o.at)

Training the 4th generation of protected area specialists

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Braşov, 07 April 2016

After three successful editionsProPark – Foundation for Protected Areas continues training future protected area specialists in Romania. The trainings are divided in two parts: an online course followed by a face-to-face training. The 4th training is taking place in Saschiz between 4th and 23rd April 2016, and the first part of the face-to-face training was hold last week.

The 20 participants coming from more than 15 protected areas, who had previously gone through the online stage on the learning platform www.proparktraining.ro, are about to also complete the face to face courses and to be awarded the graduation certificates for the Protected Area Specialist occupation. The Certitification, COR code 213306, is issued by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and the Elderly and the Ministry of National Education. The main objective, according to Paul Hac, coordinator of this session and director of the Nature Park Lunca Muresului, is to establish the skills of the trainees on developing a management plan.

Participants come with different background experience. Monia, one of the participants, who is already working in the field stated “I had already learned by doing, but I needed a theoretical frame”, adding that this programme gives a general understanding of how protected areas work”. Other participants, like Agnes, who is also one of the winners of the Alfred Toepfer Natural Heritage Scholarship 2015, have other reasons to attendfirst, it helps me to have a good basis on protected area management and to know better different ways of working. All information I collect here will help me for the ATS, to understand how they deal with situations in other countries. Secondly, I came here to get in contact with Romanian PA managers and develop my personal network. It is also quite challenging to work with people with a lot of experience.”

training, propark, protected areas, capacity building

4th Edition of the Protected Area Specialists training © Propark

training, propark, protected areas, capacity building

 4th edition of the Protected Area Specialist training © ProPark

training, propark, protected areas, capacity building

4th Edition of the Protected Area Specialists training © ProPark

training, propark, protected areas, capacity building

4th Edition of the Protected Area Specialists training © ProPark

The vocational training programme is organised within the 3 years project “Increasing education opportunities on sustainable development for Protected Area managers in Romania”,   funded by DBU – Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, in partnership with the EUROPARC Federation.  Although the project is finished in July 2016, the online learning platform keep being used by Propark.

This professional training programme provides participants with the opportunity to acquire specific skills for the efficient administration of natural protected areas, thus contributing to their promotion as model areas for conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources

said Georgiana Andrei, project manager, adding “we believe the success of this project will consist exactly of the contribution of these specialists to changing the public’s perception of protected areas“.

 

For further information about the project please contact:

Georgiana Andrei, Project Manager, Telephone: 0723172933, E-mail: georgiana.andrei@propark.ro.

Antonia Cucu, Project Assistant, Telephone: 0747766239, E-mail: antonia.cucu@propark.ro.