Plenary Session presentations

Plenary Session at EUROPARC Conference 2016, Parc Jura vaudois, Switzerland © Joao Romba

Below you will find the presentations of each keynote speaker and a short summary of their lectures.

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Hans Romang

Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Head of the Species, Ecosystems, Landscapes Division

The creation of parks of national importance in Switzerland (download presentation)

Main outcomes

  • Distinct Swiss challenges on a Federal level: landscape shortages in Switzerland
  • 2008, new Swiss initative for parks. 15% of the CH surface, 300’000 inhabitants
  • 3 instruments in order faciliate park creations : financial support, park label, product label (regional products). Yearly budget of 19.4 Mio
  • Parks are catalyts for further funding
  • Having an influence on sustainable regional development with the local producers

Outlooks: securing funding, creating valuable bonds, increasing cooperations possibilities, linking actors, making a contribution to the quality of life.

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Sébastien Beuchat

Canton de Vaud, Director of ressources and nature heritage

La création des parcs sur le territoire vaudois (download presentation)

Main outcomes

  • Main aim: conservation (preservation) of local spaces
  • 17th Dec 2008, law of the Cant VD, important for the status of the parks
  • Cant VD has 3 parks : Jura Vaudois, Bois Jorat, Pays d’en Haut
  • Regional parks are «fine antenne» into the region and have a high credibility due to the proximity to the inhabitants.
  • Ecological infrastructures can easily be implemented on a park level. The notion of ecological infrastrutures are good communication vectors for the purpose of parks.
  • Challenges with «governance on a regional level»
  • It is important to follow the local bonds and cooperations
  • Information and sensibilisation are the main purposes for the parks

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Olivier Schär

Parc Jura vaudois, Switzerland, Director

La fourmi et le papillon qui voulaient construire une super-colonie (download presentation)

Main outcomes

  • Essential qualities in order to create a new community : enhance independance, document, limit, control (monitor)
  • Create a new community
  • Create a patronage
  • Continual evaluations on a local level
  • We should give « governance » a new content and wording. It is a the same time real and at the same time a myth. Why should not believe in it.

Karmenu Vella

European Commission, Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

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Dominique Bourg

University of Lausanne, Institute of geography and durability (IGD)

What rurality, which parks and gouvernance at the future (download presentation)

Main outcomes

  • What is the motivation for and the definition of «democracy » in the context of the parks. The aim to increase well-being for all.
  • Switzerland places are a high value upon democratic processes as well as the research for dialogue and consensus. (the art of building up a good dialogue)
  • Today, certain dogmas (ever increasing GDP) need to be put into question
  • General acknowledgement, that the interconnections (relationships) within processes are more complex than originally believed. There is a motivation to go for more authenticity.
  • Reflective question : Is the question about governance, emerging now because we are loking for a new orientation ?
  • There is a development of a second generation of «governance»
  • In order to develop a good basis for governance, information structures and diffusion are essential. Not only is it necessary to diffuse information but also to have enough time to digest and reflect these informations.

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Carlos de Oliveira Romao

European Environment Agency, Project Manager

Protected Areas? Isn’t that old fashioned? (download presentation)

  • Biodiversity has become a transversal and important issue for parks: parks have a crutial role in the promotion, knowledge management and upkeep of biodiversity strategies and measures.
  • National Parc Strategies are essential
  • Natura 2000 has positively contributed to the creation and taking care of the protected areas. The Natura 2000 approach has enhanced sustainable regional developments as well.
  • The parks, therefore the protected areas, function as networks for all species. At the end this will benefit the cause for biodiversity.
  • We already know, that the Strategy 2020 will not be achieved. Mainly, the semi-natural areas will have the most difficulties.
  • Farmlands will also be subject to high pressure in the aim for biodiversity.
  • In the future more investment is necessary in the protected areas. And more involvement of the local populations to collectively support these actions/initatives.
  • Biodiversity outside protected areas is in serious decline. Therefore the involvement of the population is crutial.
  • Networks within individual protected areas stand under re-evaluation. New models have to be evolved and procedures have to be evolved.

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Inger Andersen

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Director-General

Conserving nature, embracing diversity, making it count (download audio)

  • Our planet stands at a crossroad: parks have a unique role as lighthouses in the field of sustainable development
  • An awakening is taking place : a growing degree of awareness for nature conservation issues is becoming more and more apparent.
  • Protected areas, therefore the parks, are becoming the key areas for action
  • A clear shift is apparent purely nature protection areas to the role which urban areas
  • There is a necessity : How to engage and incorporate larger parts of society in this movement?
  • youth groups / youth movements / youth programms
  • Parks are not only «lighthouses» or «islands» : they are part of a larger system – ecosystem.
  • There are three main issues to be focused upon. A healthy balance needs to be developed! Stories need to be collected and created.
  1. urban development
  2. (human) health
  3. food (production)
  • There is a need to enhance the local population to pick up their voices and take ownership of «their» protected areas. This means developping a bondage, pride as well as identity and reponsibility for an area.
  • It is crutial to assure that the project success / outcomes are worked up and diffused. These results and stories are the bases of the success stories for this global movement.
  • A cross-fertilisation of the levels and content : networks and interfaces need to be worked up and further employed.
  • To practice a holistic approach : not just on the level of the parcs but also peripheral area around the core zones. The connects are important to be communicated.
  • Set a focus upon the «healthy» communities who have the force and energy to transmit the messages.
  • The need to transmit the importance of «long term processes» in order to improve the conditions.