Open air theatre at visitor centre in National Park De Meinweg (NL) © Silke Weich
People need Nature
It enhances our lives, helps us feel better, has positive impacts on our social skills, and helps us be environmentally responsible citizens. Never mind that it provides all food, air and water that we need to survive!
Our society, says Richard Louv (author of “the Nature Principle” and “Last child in the woods”), has developed such an outsized faith in technology that we have yet to fully realize or even adequately study how human capacities are enhanced through the power of nature.
EUROPARC members across Europe endeavour to connect people to these special places. They hold these places in trust as our natural insurance policy for European society, ensuring that through positive management the life support systems needed are secured for nature, for people and for our economies. Further the work pioneered in these Protected Areas can act as catalysts of learning and management to ensure a wider connectivity across Europes’ fragmented landscapes.
Parks are created by people, managed by people, for people because people need nature.
Nature “needs” people
When people lack a nature experience, it can lead to apathy towards environmental concerns. It is any wonder then that nature is being lost – 60% of the species assessed have declined over recent decades and 30% have declined very strongly (RSPB Connecting with Nature 2013). People its seems are not concerned enough about nature. EUROPARC members across Europe, manage national parks, N2000 sites and other Protected Areas which are what remains of a once vast natural treasure of European society.
EUROPARC members, through their management of some of Europe’s iconic places for nature are in a unique position to win back the hearts, minds and opinion and behaviour of European citizens from a local to a national level. To provide young people, and grownups, with nature experiences, to inspire them to live more sustainably and value nature. Through sharing ideas and experience, EUROPARC members can learn new techniques of management and communication that seek to ensure people are part of sustainable development and nature conservation processes and are not apart from it.
By working together EUROPARC can be the voice of Europe’s Protected Areas, showing the value of Protected Areas to society and the large array of services they provide, and by influencing decision makers and acting in the interest of the Protected Area community.
Lend your voice and join with the EUROPARC Federation the benefit of nature and people, know that you are part of something bigger and connect to your colleagues across Europe.