2016 Switzerland

EUROPARC Conference is the largest gathering of parks professionals in Europe. Every year, the EUROPARC Federation members, partners and friends gather to discuss and debate the importance of Protected Areas and to share news, experiences and ideas.

EUROPARC Conference 2016: WE ARE PARKS!

Parc Jura Vaudois, Switzerland,  18-22 October 2016

EUROPARC Conference 2016 was host and organised by the Parc Jura vaudois, in Switzerland.

The Conference brought together  over 300 delegates from 36 European countries, who had the chance to learn, exchange experiences and discover interesting examples  from all over Europe. Under the theme “We are Parks”, we examined the role of the people in our parks – from fund raising to governance models.

The bottom-up democratic model of parks in Switzerland helped us consider how communities can and do participate in the governance of our parks, while inspiring keynote speakers from the European Environmental Agency and the IUCN gave us interesting overviews on what’s going on in Europe and in the World. See the Plenary Session page to download all keynote speakers’ presentations.

Parks are ideal laboratories, playgrounds for democratic and participatory processes (regardless of the national context : Swiss approach or other European approaches). There is a need to transmit the importance of long term processes in order to improve our enviromental conditions for nature and mankind.

Watch the conference films  check the Photo album and download the Report!

Good Governance in Parks is real and at the same time a myth

Olivier Schär. plenary session

We are experiencing a second generation of governance within Parks, because we are look for new guidelines and orientation. We need authencity, infomation (facts & figures) and time to digest this information

Dominique Bourg, plenary session

Lessons learnt – tutorials and workshops

It is crutial to identify and engage key actors among the local population.

Build up on the patrimoine and heritage of the local area (transmission of memory). Incorporate local knowledge and know how to increase credibility, authenticity and knowledge managment.

Roles of Parks

  • Parks are mediators
  • Parks are transmittors of information and skills
  • Parks are reflection platforms and partners – Sounding boards
  • Parks are Enablers – skill building and building up connections
  • Parks are forerunners to live sustainable futures

What is needed for good governance in Parks

  • Clear Frameworks
  • Transparency
  • Good communication
  • Trust-building
  • Respect
  • Resilience
  • Open Mindedness

For more information about previous EUROPARC Conferences please follow the link: Previous EUROPARC Conferences

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