EUROPARC Working Groups are opportunities to mobilise the expertise from the network and Protected Area community to drive forward key areas of work for the Federation.
What are EUROPARC Working Groups?
Working Groups (WGs) create opportunities for EUROPARC Federation members to actively contribute to important discussions and strategic initiatives. Each group is established to support the Federation’s vision and mission, drawing on the knowledge and expertise of members on a given topic. Most EUROPARC Working Groups are established for the duration of a EUROPARC Council term (four years). The exception is the Standing Working Groups. These focus on topics of ongoing significance to the Federation and are therefore considered permanent groups.
Following each Council election, the EUROPARC Directorate reviews the Federation’s Strategy, member recommendations, developments in the international policy agenda, and priorities emerging from Council discussions. Based on this assessment, a proposal for new Working Groups is presented to the EUROPARC Council within three months of its election. The Council, together with the Directorate, then agrees on the final structure and focus of the Working Groups.
Members are, of course, encouraged to suggest ideas to the Directorate about the topics of the Working Groups, including potential capacity and/or resources that they are ready to commit to support its functioning, and the Directorate shall consider such ideas for the elaboration of the proposal.
The process is detailed in the Guidelines that are available for download at the bottom of this page.
Current EUROPARC Working Groups
After an evaluation by the EUROPARC Directorate and Council, the following Working Groups were agreed and established in 2026:
Sustainable Tourism Working Group (Standing)
The Sustainable Tourism Working Group is a Standing EUROPARC Working Group. It supports the development and implementation of EUROPARC’s European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas (ECST) Programme.
The main objective is to ensure that the ECST remains fit for purpose: oversee, update, and strengthen the programme so that it continues to be relevant for Protected Areas and the tourism businesses linked to them, taking into account evolving European policies, emerging tourism trends, and changing visitor patterns.
Transboundary Programme Working Group (Standing)
The Transboundary Programme Working Group is a Standing EUROPARC Working Group. It supports the development and implementation of EUROPARC’s Transboundary Parks Programme by promoting ecological connectivity across borders and fostering cross-national learning and impact.
Specifically, the main objectives of the WG are to:
- Facilitate and strengthen transboundary cooperation: Enable PAs that span or neighbor international borders to work together effectively on shared conservation challenges, governance, and sustainable development.
- Exchange knowledge and best practice: Foster peer learning and capacity building among park managers, enabling adaptive approaches to cross-border issues such as habitat connectivity, climate change, sustainable tourism, and stakeholder engagement.
- Guide to policy and advocacy: Contribute to EUROPARC’s collective voice in European and international policy by highlighting the importance of transboundary Protected Areas.
Periurban Parks Working Group (Standing)
The Periurban Parks Working Group is a Standing EUROPARC Working Group. It arose from the merger of Fedenatur with EUROPARC in 2017. The main objective of the Working Group is to produce and promote policies for conservation and sustainable management of natural Protected Areas located in urban regions and peri-urban contexts. It drives the Federation’s work on Periurban Parks.
Health Working Group
The Health Working Group supports the promotion and development of EUROPARC’s Healthy Parks Healthy People Europe Programme. This WG can ensure ownership and contribution to the implementation of the Healthy Parks Healthy People objectives and policy priorities, including:
- Provide a platform for and promote EUROPARC’s leadership on the health-PAs interface;
- Build the capacity in members to support the improvement of public health and well-being for all, while reducing health inequalities;
- increase public support and action through the delivery of this work for protecting, restoring, and investing in biodiversity & responding to the climate emergency.
Policy Advisory Working Group
The Policy Advisory Working Group (PAWG) supports EUROPARC’s policy work. The main objective of the Working Group is to provide strategic advice to EUROPARC’s Directorate and Council to support general decision-making & the implementation of the EUROPARC Strategy to 2030, aiming to bridge policy and practice.
For this purpose, the PAWG:
- supports the development, review and implementation of Policy Strategies;
- helps identify priorities and policy areas that require particular attention and supports the gathering of intelligence on relevant policy developments;
- provides evidence- and science-based advice, insights and expertise across different policy areas at EU, wider European and international levels;
- complements and supports the work of other Working Groups, and
- contributes to the delivery of targeted communication and positions.
Sustainable Agriculture and Grasslands Working Group
The Sustainable Agriculture and Grasslands Working Group:
- advocates for sustainable agriculture practices to be integrated and valued in European policies, strategies and funding schemes;
- aims to raise the expertise of Protected Area managers and stakeholders on sustainable agriculture practices, with a specific focus on the management and benefits of seminatural grasslands;
- highlights the concrete benefits of sustainable agriculture – in particular semi-natural grasslands.
The main objectives of the Working Group are to:
- Provide advice, insights and expertise to the EUROPARC Directorate on sustainable agriculture and seminatural grasslands management in Protected Areas.
- Inform EU policy development with good practices of sustainable agriculture and grassland management in Protected Areas.
- Provide Protected Areas with tools to support the conservation and management of semi-natural grassland farming systems.
- Explore the development of a European-wide initiative to value, promote and reward sustainable agriculture in Protected Areas.
Nature Regional Landscape Parks Working Group
The Nature Regional Landscape Parks Working Group is currently being established – more information will follow.
The process of forming all Working Groups is ongoing. More information on the members and actions of the Working Groups, as well as their Terms of Reference will be shared in due time.
History of EUROPARC Working Groups
Previously, there were a range of different participatory groups within EUROPARC, like Task Forces and Commissions. The EUROPARC Directorate and Council have undertaken work in 2025 to simplify this landscape. All participatory groups are now called Working Groups. A full Guidance on the creation and functioning of the Working Groups can be found below.