Yorkshire Dales National Park (UK) © Hilary Fenten
Year of creation: 1991
Number of members: 50
The core areas of work: Personal development and learning, youth engagement, best practice sharing for climate, nature and people
Website: www.europarc-ai.org
Contact person: Deb Brookes, deb at europarc-ai.org
Chair: Tim Duckmanton, Lake District National Park Authority.
About their work
EUROPARC Atlantic Isles brings together organisations and individuals who manage protected areas in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. We are a section of the EUROPARC Federation, and our members bring a wealth of experience and expertise from National Parks, National Landscapes, national government agencies and non-government organisations.
We aim to use our strong European and international connections to promote good practice and influence policy in protected area management, for the benefit of the all.
Our objectives include:
- To promote good practice and contribute to the effectiveness of protected area management by bringing together those who are involved in their management – to share experience and solve common challenges;
- To organise training and the sharing of best practice in protected area management through seminars, conferences, newsletters, and online channels;
- To raise the profile and value of protected areas by influencing public policy for the benefit of all sections of society;
- To ensure our continued relationship with the wider European network of protected areas to facilitate knowledge sharing and relationships between EUROPARC Atlantic Isles members, whatever future political outcomes are;
- To become a resilient organisation organisation with both the human and financial resources necessary to meet the expectations of our members and represent their views to the EUROPARC Federation.
Our work programme is centred on training through networking and the exchange of expertise in the management of protected landscapes. As part of the EUROPARC Federation, As part of the EUROPARC Federation, EUROPARC Atlantic Isles is able to integrate the European dimension to this work, bringing in experts from other European countries to participate in the EUROPARC Atlantic Isles series of webinars, as well as facilitating member participation in pan-European projects and programmes.
EUROPARC Atlantic Isles developed a Protected Area Learning Programme, which brings together different means of sharing information, experience and good practice in cost-effective ways. These have included E-news, webinars and thematic networks. We have also been successful in securing Erasmus and bursary funding to be able to provide funded learning study travel across Europe for our youth members.
There is also a growing recognition of the value of the natural environment for positive health benefits and the importance of equal access for all to our protected areas. These are both key themes for EUROPARC Atlantic Isles to develop in 2026 and beyond.