Issued by Jakub Kašpar, President of EUROPARC CEE

Our youngest EUROPARC Section – Central and Eastern Europe – had its second Members Assembly  between the 16th-18th March, at Environmental Centre Veronica in Hostetin*, White Carpathians PLA, Czech Republic.  

During the Assembly,  Members discussed information from the EUROPARC Federation Council and especially changes planned for next years, in terms of the relationship between Council, main office in Regensburg and Sections, and confirmed that the Central and Eastern European Section is ready to take coordination role in Transboundary Working Group. We have also discussed our objectives and the opportunity for joint projects within our region using especially the INTERREG Programme.

Important to remember that our Hungarian colleagues organise a Section Experts meeting on “Invasive species in protected areas”, which will take place in Hortobágy National Park, in May. “Next year there will be a similar practical meeting about forest inventory and remote sensing in nature conservation organized by Sumava National Park, Czech Republic.

The final field excursion to Čertoryje Natural Reserve was a nice final bonus as well as a great guidance by the botanist Ivana Jongepierová from White Carpathians PLA Administration.

*About our host:

The Environmental Centre Veronica in Hostetin is placed in a village which became a model eco-village in all the country on the edge of 1990’s and 2000’s – using reed-bed sewage treatment plant, biomass heating plant or solar thermal and photovoltaic panels on house roofs 10-15 years before all others started to think about such solutions.

EUROPARC CEE Section members assembly 2016 at Environmental Center Veronica, CZ © Jakub Kašpar

EUROPARC CEE Section members assembly 2016 at Environmental Center Veronica, CZ © Jakub Kašpar

Garden of the Environmental Center Veronica, CZ © Jakub Kašpar

Earwig house, Environmental Center Veronica, CZ © Jakub Kašpar

ESPARC is the annual congress of EUROPARC-Spain, targeting protected areas’ managers and planners, and all professionals and stakeholders involved in the management of natural and cultural heritage of protected natural areas.

The XIX Congress will focus on “Society and protected areas”, and the event will take place in Laguardia, Álava, from 7th – 10th June.

Esparc 2016

The Congress is organised by EUROPARC-Spain and the Provincial Council of Alava, with the collaboration of the Department of Environment and Territorial Policy of the Basque Government and Basquetour and the Basque Tourism Agency.

Delegates will have the chance to participate in 5 workshops, where they will learn best practices and examples regarding:

Workshop 1. Collaborative governance arrangements.
Workshop 2. Adapting to climate change in planning and management.
Workshop 3. Conservation status of habitats and species.
Workshop 4. Funding for conservation of the Natura 2000 network.
Workshop 5. Mountain races and public use.

For more informations please visit: http://www.redeuroparc.org/congreso_esparc2016.jsp

NGOs ask for a CAP Fitness Check

EUROPARC joined the group of over 100 environmental, health, and social NGOs that are calling on European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to initiate an in-depth review of food production and consumption in Europe by conducting a Fitness Check of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Here you can read the letter sent to Mr. Junker, that was sent on the 22nd March 2016.

The organisations that signed the letter believe that this system is largely broken and that the main policy currently addressing it – the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – requires an urgent assessment, as it seems not equipped to address the fundamental challenges that Europe is facing in this sector.
Some of the most important indicators of the state of the food and farming system in Europe include an unfair system for farmers, a constant crisis on agricultural markets, a continuous decline in the state of natural resources, failures in delivering on animal welfare, negative public health outcomes, and severe negative impacts beyond Europe’s borders. The CAP has not only failed to prevent these problems but in many cases has exacerbated them.

In order to decide whether or not it makes sense to maintain the CAP in its current form, and whether the allocation of substantial budgetary resources towards it is justified, we believe it is essential to answer all five

Fitness Check questions :

• Is the CAP effective in achieving its objectives?
• Is the CAP efficient in achieving its objectives?
• Is the CAP coherent with other agreed EU political objectives and policies?
• Is the CAP still a relevant policy?
• What EU added-value does the CAP provide to EU citizens?

It is time to have an unbiased debate about the reform of the CAP, the EU budget, and other policies that have an effect on our food unbiased debate about the reform of the CAP, the EU budget, and other policies that have an effect on our food and farming system.

Imagine a day when all Parks and Protected Areas come together across Europe, celebrate their successes and declare the value and benefits of Europe’s Protected Areas to communities, decision makers and the wider public. Well it is EUROPARC’s European Day of Parks!

Every year European Day of Parks takes place on and around 24th of May. It aims to bring people closer to nature and raise public awareness on the importance of the natural beauty preserved in Protected Areas and the importance of conservation and sustainable management of those places.

European Day of Parks 2016 “A Taste of Nature”

On the UN International Year of Pulses, let’s surrender to the taste of our local and seasonal products, and bring together nature, people and gastronomy! “A Taste of Nature” will enhance the link between protected areas and sustainable agricultureand promote the value of a healthy nature for Europe’s food security.

EUROPARC just published Promotion tools in different languages!

In this page you will find different tools for online dissemination and a poster template that you can adapt with your logo and activities’ details.

Still haven’t organised your activities?

Take a look on our suggestions for 2016 and register your activities by filling in this online form.

Join the biggest celebration of European Protected Areas!