European Day of Parks
The European Day of Parks was launched by the EUROPARC Federation with the aim of raising the profile of Europe's protected areas and generating public support for their aims and work. It was first held in 1999 and a broad variety of events in and about protected areas highlighting the need to protect these have been organised. Events have been celebrated across Europe on an annual basis on and around 24 May, a date that has been chosen to commemorate the creation of Europe's first nine national parks in Sweden on 24 May 1909.
Want to participate in the European Day of Parks 2012?
Protected areas and other bodies working in nature protection
A hot topic in the field of nature conservation currently is the growing distance between people and nature, particularly young people. One of the most relevant questions of our time is how to reconnect humans to nature, how can nature conservationists and protected area managers and staff communicate to them about the values and benefits that nature has to offer?
In 2012 we want to use not only our annual conference but also the European Day of Parks to explore these questions. We ask not just protected areas but also NGOs and public agencies working with the management of our green gems to get involved in the Day of Parks. Join the movement across Europe and organise events that reconnect people with nature using the theme: See the sky. Touch a tree. Feel the air. Find yourself.
We ask all participating protected areas and other organisations to register their events with us using the form opposite so that we can showcase them. Every organisation or agency that is participating this year will recieve a European Day of Parks pack including digital posters, pens and more. The more events organised, the stronger the message!
If you are not the person responsible for organising events please let those know about this who are!
Members of the public
The European Day of Parks is a series of events that are organised in beautiful natural areas across Europe but also in your region. These events are fun and innovative ways of discovering more about the great things that nature can offer us and also a way to get to know the green wonders that are just around the corner.
So if you do something this May ask your local nature park, national park, AONB, Biosphere Reserve or Regional Park is organising for the European Day of Parks and take part: See the sky. Touch a tree. Feel the air. Find yourself.
We will publish a calendar of the events taking place during the European Day of Parks here shortly.
More information from Morwenna Parkyn
