This year, at the online EUROPARC Conference, we hosted 10 different participatory workshops, which focused on the key theme: Parks in the Spotlight. Powered by People; Inspired by Nature. The 2 hours sessions enabled participants to debate, discuss and deliver new ideas, thinking and approaches about how we can address the political, societal and environmental challenges of today, to plan and prepare for a better future. Below you can download the presentations.
Read the EUROPARC Conference Report 2021!
Download the Workshop presentations:
1. Climate Change
Managing Protected Areas in the face of climate change: how can we implement large-scale, long-term integrated land-use management?Adapting Protected Area management to the potential negative effects of climate change is a new challenge. Although uncertain and context-specific, integrating climate change pressures will inevitably require changes in the way we conceive and implement nature conservation.
In this participatory workshop, participants worked together with members of the EUROPARC Climate Change Task Force to collaboratively better define how Protected Areas can support the implementation of large-scale, long-term integrated land-use management and adapt to climate change in new ways that benefit nature and people.
Moderated by Olivier de Sadeleer – EUROPARC Federation & representatives of the EUROPARC Climate Change Task Force.
Workshop 1 overview presentation
Case study: Opportunities for Protected Areas in the face of Climate Change: Natural solutions for sustainable water management and coastal defence in the Netherlands, by Myrthe Fonck – Nature Senior Advisor, Puur Water and Natur (PWN). Member of the EUROPARC Climate Change Task Force.
2. Ecosystem Restoration
How do we move from planning to implementation and what is the role of Protected Areas?Protecting the nature we have will not be enough to reverse biodiversity loss: a complementary ambitious effort is needed on nature restoration. The EU, in the framework of the Green Deal and Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, has started the process for the development of a dedicated legislation for restoration. How restoration is being planned, prioritised and implemented in some countries? What is the role that Protected Areas should play and how to overcome current barriers to effective restoration? What opportunities and benefits restoration can bring and what is the role of communities and local actors to achieve success? Those are some of the questions this workshop addressed.
Moderated by Federico Minozzi – EUROPARC Federation.
Case study: National restoration in Estonia: planning, implementation and results. by Kaja Lotman – Estonian Environment Board.
3. HPHPe – Has Covid-19 put park’s health work in the spotlight?
What has the pandemic taught us about the connections between people, nature and well-being? We shine a light on social prescriptions as a tool to help develop partnerships with the health sector.This session focused on re-imagining Europe’s Parks and Protected Areas as Nature-based solutions for better health and well-being. The connection between nature, climate, human health and well-being has become more evident than ever during this time of crisis. In building back better from the pandemic, we need to re-image our parks and protected areas as nature-based solutions for improving health and well-being in ways which allow everyone to connect with, and benefit from, nature as part of their lives. Looking at the HPHPe toolkit this participatory workshop considered how to form partnerships with the public health and medical health sectors, whilst also developing new programmes that are good for people and nature.
Moderated by Pete Rawcliffe – NatureScot and HPHPe commission; Carol Ritchie – EUROPARC Federation.
Workshop 3 overview presentation
Case study: Trialling the new wonder drug – nature on prescription, by Daan Bleichrodt.
4. Natural (& unnatural?) alliances
What types of alliances are required for effective nature management? With whom should these be formed and what capacities need to be built to make them work?EU policy priorities are increasing the demands and expectations on PAs. To achieve priorities for nature, PA managers need to be able to develop productive working relationships with people and organisations in other sectors. This requires specific skills and competencies that go beyond traditional technical or specialist ecological expertise. In order to forge new alliances today, required for tomorrow’s nature, we used a variety of interactive group working activities to discuss:
- What types of partnerships do we need to create to benefit nature and people?
- What management challenges do these bring?
- What capacities and training do nature managers need in order to be able to protect nature better?
Moderated by Neil McIntosh and Sandra Grego – EUROPARC Federation.
Case study: Capitalising on the experience of the LIFE ENABLE project partners, we will discuss how different partnerships have been and can be formed to create multiple benefits for nature and people. Presented by Neil McIntosh and Sandra Grego – EUROPARC Federation.
5. Technology to protect nature and our landscapes
How can new technology help us to understand nature?From cell phone applications to drones, digital technologies provide unique resources to bring people closer to nature. Widely used for learning, exploring and collecting data, technology has allowed us to overcome barriers and get to understand nature in a way that previously was inconceivable. In this participatory workshop we learned from the example of NatureScot in developing a cellphone app for the protection and understanding of nature. What are the main challenges of deploying technological solutions to protect nature? What specific needs do Protected area managers have that can be covered through technology use?
Moderated by Fernando Pinillos – EUROPARC Federation.
Workshop 5 Presentation: How can new technology help us understand nature? by Fernando Pinillos, EUROPARC Federation.
Case study: Zepto – the outdoor learning App. by Stewart Pritchard – Nature Reserves Senior Adviser, NatureScot, Scotland, UK.
6. Sustainable agriculture
How do we achieve nature inclusive agriculture? How do we reach an alliance with farmers?Healthy landscapes and nature resources are necessary for healthy and sustainable food production. Farmers are key actors to guarantee and maintain healthy ecosystems. The EU Green Deal underlines the importance to build a new green economy. To achieve these aims, agriculture and PA managers can and should be allied, together with consumers. In this session we discovered new experiences and projects that can help to answer to these questions: How to reach this alliance? How to implement a nature inclusive agriculture that can benefit farmers, consumers and landscapes? What contributions can we expect from and we can offer to the new Common Agriculture Policy, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy?
Moderated by Stefania Petrosillo, – EUROPAC Federation; Joao Melo – EUROPARC AGRI Commission.
Case study: Biodiverse farming in Schiermonnikoog National Park, by Enit Scholtens and Jan Willem – Zwart Schiermonnikoog National Park, the Netherlands.
7. Visitor Management
How can we learn from the experiences of Protected Areas working for sustainable tourism?This session drew upon the experience of the EUROPARC Charter for Sustainable Tourism, looked at how the Charter works and learned about the lessons learned to the challenges of visitor management, especially when the landscape around PA’s acts to increase visitor numbers. This can be a significant challenge – especially in COVID times – without compromising nature, education.
Moderated by Marta Mugica – EUROPARC Spain.
Case study: Visitor management in the Cap de Creus Natural Park, Catalonia. Presented by Ponç Feliu, Director Parc Natural de Cap de Creus Catalonia.
8. Spotlight on Youth
How can your Park become #StrongerWithYouth? Implementing the EUROPARC Youth Manifesto to include young people.Youth have especially suffered during the corona pandemic. It is therefore high time to put the spotlight on them! Parks are well placed to help give young people a voice, especially in rural areas. At the EUROPARC Conference 2018 EUROPARC’s Youth Manifesto was launched. A source of ideas and inspiration for decision-makers in Protected Areas and rural communities to ensure the involvement and empowerment of young people. During this participatory workshop, we looked at how your Park can use and adapt the manifesto to ensure viable rural and Protected Areas for the future. How do we connect to young people? Where can we make space for them in our Protected Areas? What partnerships can help? This workshop endeavoured to help you answer those questions, leaving you inspired to implement the Manifesto in your park!
Moderated by Esther Bossink – EUROPARC Federation.
Workshop 8 Presentation: Spotlight on Youth, by Esther Bossink, EUROPARC Federation
Case study: The Youth Manifesto in the NL Delta Youth Community, by Marianne den Braven.
9. New Times, New Tourism experiences
What can we do to help our sustainable businesses to innovate their tourism offer?The pandemic, the online work, the thirst for nature…all is changing the way people want to experience their holidays. In this participatory workshop, we explored all together new ideas on how Protected Areas could help business to respond to these new needs. Who knows? It might only take a bit of more wifi somewhere in the park, or opening a new trail …. for a business to offer new tourism products.
Moderated by Paulo Castro – EUROPARC Federation; Isa Vroom – Policy intern at EUROPARC Federation.
Case study: Kullaberg Nature Reserve Sweden, by Elena Bazhenova.
10. Periurban Parks
Nature is back! How do we effectively involve other sectors to bring nature back to our cities?Periurban Parks are good starting points from which to start re-naturing urban areas. For that, we need to cooperate with other sectors, including Health, Transport, and even Business and Citizens. How do we sit all these people together? What techniques could we use to involve them? In this participatory workshop, we put in practice some of the techniques used to engage stakeholders. We also had with us Pete Frost, Urban Green Infrastructure Advisor at Natural Resources Wales, who has a large experience on designing stakeholder engagement programmes.
Moderated by Teresa Pastor – EUROPARC Federation.
Workshop 10 overview presentation
Nature is back! How do we effectively involve other sectors to bring nature back to our cities, by Teresa Pastor, EUROPARC Federation
How to involve business companies, Parco Nord Milano.
Case study: Involving local population in greening the neighborhood, by Owen Veldhuizen –Community Regeneration Manager & Matt Stowe – MHort (RHS), HNC, NCH. Environmental Development Officer, Cartrefi Conwy, Wales