Previous scholarship winners

2011

Tünde Ludnai:  Her intention is to study the role of rangers in the different fields of management of Special Protection Areas (SPAs under the Bird Directive) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) under the Habitats Directive. She is not only trying to collect best practices from the sites to be visited, but would also like to share her experiences with colleagues in the target countries (Wicklow Mountains NP, Ireland and Biebrza NP, Poland). After her study visit she will work with the Baltic Environmental Forum in Lithuania to support the development of the ranger concept in Lithuania. 

Ross Watson: Ross is 31 years old, lives in Scotland and currently works as Operations Manager for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds at Abernethy National Nature Reserve. His projects aim is to develop European partnerships and information sharing in the field of grazing management across three different woodland habitats. He hopes to learn from experienced practitioners in Dovrefjell National Park (NO), the Bialowieza forest in Poland/Belarus and Porojhe (SL) how they have managed to work with different interest groups to manage large areas of grazed land for the benefit of forest expansion, field layer and deadwood. In addition, he hopes to see, on the ground, how a dynamic grazing system is creating a more robust woodland for a wider range of species, knowledge that could be translated to the Highlands of Scotland. 

Robbert Casier: Robert comes from Belgium, is 24 years old and has a master in geology.  Until July 2011 he worked as Assistant Programme Specialist for the UNESCO World Heritage Marine Programme in Paris. The general aim of his project is to increase communication and exchange of knowledge between MPAs and World Heritage marine sites in the Mediterranean Sea.  He will do so by determining the most important threats and management gaps of all visited sites; investigating the common problems and challenges of the studied sites; demonstrating that more transboundary communication between MPAs and World Heritage marine sites can be beneficial for both parties; and by determining whether World Heritage marine sites can be considered as “examples of management excellence” for MPAs. His chosen target areas are Parc Natural de Ses Salines (SP), Brijuni MPA (HR) and the Cres-Losinj dolphin reserve (HR).

2010

In 2010 the number of applicants for the scholarships rose dramatically. The EUROPARC Council chose between 17 brilliant applications. The three winners who were selected in June 2010 come from all over Europe: Ekatarine Kakabadze comes from Gorgia, Alina Ionita from Romania, and Matthew McGettigan from the United Kingdom. They are undertaking studies in the fields of transboundary cooperation, rural development and climate change. These trips will take place in 2011 to various EUROPARC member protected areas. Each scholarship has to produce a report at the end of it, which will be published on the EUROPARC website.

Ekatarine works for the IUCN in South Caucasus. She will use her scholarship to learn and compare existing practices of co-management in protected areas in South and Central Europe. She will visit three protected areas: Nockberge National Park in Austria, Triglav National Parks in Slovenia and Parco Naturale Prealpi Giulie in Italy. These three protected areas are particularly interesting, as they allow studying different approaches to co-management, while being geographically close to each other.

These study visits will help Ekatarine to gain on the ground experience and knowledge about existing co-management approaches in different location and situations. The comparison would serve as a basis to develop further actions toward increased public involvement in protected area management, adjustment of national legislation to introduce alternative governance types, and thus contribute to sustainable natural resource use and conflict resolution among local populations and the government agencies in the South Caucasus countries.

Matthew will carry out a comparison of woodland management practices between the UK and the Galicia (ES). With the results of his study he hopes he will be able to: identify changes that may result in British woodland ecosystems should climate change bring warmer weather, develop a familiarity with the ecosystems present in Galicia and particularly species who's natural range may shift to cover Britain, appreciate differences between the British and Spanish approach to woodland management, as-well-as the reasons behind these differences (e.g. attempting to integrate aspects of Spanish management practises based on cultural heritage differences, rather than climatic differences, would not benefit ecosystems under climatic stress but would rather just dilute British cultural heritage).

Alina will explore the connections between the protected areas and the rural development, the progress done in linking the two components in the framework of LEADER Programme for integrated rural development and the role of partnerships and associative structures in integratingrural development. She will analyse some case studies which illustrate the successful integration and balancing of the conservation objectives with rural development ones. She will travel to Abruzzo National Park (IT), Wienerwald Biosphere Reserve (AT), and Triglav National Park (SL).

2009

In 2009 the scholarships were awarded to Saira Sheldrake (UK), who will develop a tool to predict disturbance distances of the recreational sport of Kite-surfing on wintering and wading birds in protected areas with coastlines. Naomi Barker (UK) will visit the national parks in Germany and report back to us about the management of areas without human impact, so called “non-interventional-management-zones” and conflict management between species protection and landowners. Urszula Biereznoj (PL) will visit protected areas and environmental institutions in United Kingdom, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, to exchange knowledge, experiences and best practices of biodiversity conservation and Natura2000 management.

Naomi Barkers (previously Scuffil) report can be downloaded below. The others will be available shortly.

2008

In 2008 the scholarships were awarded to Rachel Danemann (UK), who looked at fire management in protected areas as well as examine marine protected areas in Greece, David Rodriguez (S), visited the less well known country of Moldova and reported back to us on their protected area management system and Razvan Deju (Ro) who studied Bison management in Poland with the aim of reintroducing them into Romania. Their reports can be downloaded below.

2007

In 2007 the scholarships were awarded to:

• Kveta Cernohlávková (CZ): Junior Ranger Projects in Europe
• Andrzej Ginalski (PL): Management in national parks and nature conservation: Report of study visits in the British National Parks
• Stephan Krasser (A): Photo project “59” 

The project reports from Kventa and Andrzej are available to download below. Stephans photo project can be seen at www.stephan.krasser.com.

If you would like more information about the scholarship please contact Regina Schoefer.