Krutynia meanders, Mazurski Park Krajobrazowy (Poland), photo by Waldemar Bzura
NaturaConnect – Designing a resilient and coherent Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N)
In a nutshell
Project period: 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2026
Duration: 4 years
Granting Authority: European Executive Agency Horizon Europe
Lead Partner: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
EUROPARC Federation is bringing its hands of experience of Protected Areas and Parks by joining a new consortium under the Horizon applied research project NaturaConnect.
NaturaConnect brings together universities, research institutes and non-government organisations from 22 partner institutions, aiming to support the European Member States to realise the ambitious targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. The NaturaConnect team conducts research, engagement and dissemination activities at the European scale and in a set of six case studies on regional, national and international levels (see image below). The project mobilises data and creates spatial prioritisation analyses and tools to support the design and implementation of the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N). NaturaConnect also taps into best practices in Protected Area Governance and identifies mechanisms for conservation financing.
In summary, the project consortium is:
- Developing spatial planning and mapping support tools to identify conservation and restoration priorities across Europe.
- Providing baseline data and scenario projections, e.g. species and habitat distribution, current and projected climate conditions, socio-economic opportunities and constraints, and land-use scenarios.
- Identifying financial support and best practice policy guidelines for the implementation of new Natura2000 or other Protected Areas.
- Engaging stakeholders at different levels and creating a training course for biodiversity and conservation managers, spatial planning technicians and data analysts.
The Role of EUROPARC Federation: Stakeholder Engagement, Communication and Capacity Building
Conservation, restoration and sustainable management must be grounded with accessible and relevant capacity building and communications for stakeholders who will implement and manage such a network. EUROPARC Federation leads the work package “Engagement, Communication and Capacity Building” jointly with the WWF-CEE. Together we are developing the overarching strategy for engagement, implementing communication activities and developing the NaturaConnect Learning Platform available at the European Nature Academy (ENA). The NaturaConnect Learning Platform is the project capacity-building hub that includes a self-paced training course with sequential and stand-alone modules aiming to improve conservation planning. The materials and activities empower users to utilise the NaturaConnect outcomes and effectively create stakeholder engagement across various scales.
Wish to know more about this project?
Please be in touch!
Marit Schnepf, project manager: marit.schnepf@europarc.org
Simone Prestes Dürrnagel, project officer: simone.prestes.duerrnagel@europarc.org
Sandra Grego, communications assistant: sandra.grego@europarc.org
