We Manage Nature-Regional-Landscape Parks

Published on:

Different parks, different continents

Last week, the United States of America were celebrating the 100 anniversary of the creation of their National Parks Service. This public institution was founded in 1916 and currently manages a network of 412 parks around the country, covering an extension of 340.000 square kilometres.

At the moment of its foundation, the National Parks Service aimed to provide US citizens with free access to their natural areas and to involve North America’s industrial based society in the conservation of their natural and cultural values.

At that time in Europe, things worked a bit differently, and in many cases the access to natural areas was only allowed to aristocrats and high society members. However, since last century, things have changed in our continent, and the use of natural areas is not a privilege restricted to a minority anymore.

Nowadays, Nature, Regional and Landscape Parks constitute one of the main recreational places for European citizens and play an important role in safeguarding our cultural heritage and natural values. For this reason, the integration of society in parks management is paramount.

The European diversity

However, and contrary to the US, European territories are marked by a great cultural and political diversity, and the management of Parks is not carried out in the same manner across them. Park governance may determine how nature and society interact.

Hence, is not surprising that knowing and sharing good governance practices among different European regions is something that every park manager should care about.

Learning from our neighbours

In 2014, EUROPARC Federation together with other European partners and lead by the Association of German Nature Parks, joined efforts and formed the project “Europe’s Nature-Regional-Landscape Parks”. The objective of this initiative was to strengthen cooperation and to foster experience exchange among Nature, Regional and Landscape Parks across Europe in order to improve their governance and promote their value.

We Manage Nature-Regional-Landscape Parks Workshop

After two years, this ongoing project has allowed us to better understand the importance that involving people into park management has and to identify which governance systems are yielding best results around Europe. Thus, In order to share this knowledge and allow other European park managers and specialist to join the discussion, we will be presenting the workshop We Manage Nature-Regional-Landscape Parks at EUROPARC Conference 2016.

At this workshop you will have the opportunity to learn about specific practices that are considered as best examples of governance among European parks, discuss how we can improve the involvement of people in the decision making process and other matters concerning governance of Nature, Regional and Landscape Parks.

You can find further information about this and other workshops at the Conference Program. Don’t miss the opportunity and join us at EUROPARC Conference 2016!

We are Sustainable Farmers!

Liesjärvi National Park © Tuomas Uola (FI)

Published on:

During millennia, men have been sculpting landscape with farming and pasture lands, creating complex ecosystems where men and nature cooperated in harmony. Thousands of species have adapted and currently depend on these agroecological structures and men developed an intimate relation between food production and cultural heritage.

However, in a rapidly urbanized population, people are losing contact with their food sources, while modern production practices – large monocultures and use of pesticides – threatens our biodiversity and food safety. Protected areas have the potential to be places where people and farming can live, work and learn how to manage the land sustainably.

How can we make farming in and near protected areas more nature friendly? What are the needs of farmers in their relationship to a protected area? How do we develop local products and brand them with the park?

europarc conference, conférence europarc, 2016, europarcDuring EUROPARC Conference 2016, we will be finding solutions together for sustainable agriculture practices and farmers engagement in protected areas. “We are Sustainable Farmers” brings examples from across Europe, and will discuss how we can achieve a better understanding between nature conservation and farming perspectives.

Sustainable Agriculture: European Perspectives

The Wicklow Uplands Council, Ireland

In response to the challenges facing the uplands (caused by the decrease of sheep grazing and growth of uncontrolled wildfires), cross community discussions have been taking place in Wicklow, over the last four years, to develop a new consensus based approach to upland management which seeks both to restore biodiversity and support a recovery in upland farming. The Wicklow Uplands Council will share how they have been involving the population for the establishement of a Working Group with representation from local and national stakeholders.

West-Estonian Islands Partnership LAG, Estonia

In the province of Saarema, LAG is supporting the creation of nature-based businesses with the local and traditional products. They provided training and organised several activities to promote cooperation and share of experiences among small farmers. By working directly with the local communities, and investing in infrastructures for co-production and innovation, they were able to stimulate local entrepreneurship and developed a regional brand for products. LAG will be sharing the bottom up approach and the results of the project.

More about Sustainable Agriculture

Agrobiodiversity is the result of years of interaction between man and the environment. It is the virtuous small-scale producers, farmers and artisans who, with their work, contribute to safeguarding biodiversity, ecosystems, the landscape, plant varieties and animal breeds in every corner of the world. Small-scale food producers are the most important guardians of agrobiodiversity. The creation of alliances between protected areas and local farming will mean being able to:

  • put into effect good practices for environmental sustainability in agriculture
  • add value to local production, offering a future to the traditional knowledge of rural culture
  • promote local social and economic development, contributing to preserving the diversity of parks’ habitats and endemic species
  • give significant added value to the parks and agricultural businesses involved, creating places where agrobiodiversity can be promoted.

Additionally, joint initiatives of education and awareness-raising aimed at the public are essential to spread the awareness that all together, with our choices as consumers, we can have a crucial impact on the safeguarding of biodiversity.

EUROPARC and Slow Food are working together to promote closer cooperation for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity among Protected Areas and local producers, and as part of our joint cooperation, we are pleased to publish the leaflet “Agriculture and Biodiversity in Protected Areas”.

Passion for Nature – Biogeographical Seminar

Parc Naturel Regional Montaigne de Reims (FR) © Fanny Husson

Published on:

Which are the priorities for governance models in Natura 2000 sites? What is the link between nature and human dimensions such as tourism, human health, economic development or job creation?

On 12-14 October, in Lommel, Belgium, Natura 2000 sites managers will be exploring these dimensions and exchange solutions for the sustainable development of regions across Europe. The Biogeographic seminar “Passion for Nature” will focus on the subject of “Integrated Governance: Mainstreaming Opportunities for Nature & Society”, aiming at disseminating best practices and discuss new approaches that benefit nature and people.

working with people’s “Passion for Nature” enables us to position biodiversity, nature and ecosystem services as essential pillars for greening economies, as well as for innovation,

stated the Biogeographical organiser, Bosland (a statutory partnership between the municipalities of Hechtel-Eksel, Overpelt, and Lommel, the Flemish Agency for Nature and Forest, Regionaal Landschap Lage Kempen and Limburg Tourism). The Biogeographical Seminar is co-organised by the European Center for Nature Conservation and overlaps the Bosland‘s 10 years Anniversary Conference. The detailed programme is available here and it is an interesting opportunity to network with colleagues from around Europe, therefore, every Natura 2000 site managing authority is invited to participate, by clicking here

About the Biogeographical Process

In 2012, the European Commission launched the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process to help meeting the targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy. It is a multi-stakeholder cooperation process at the biogeographical level that includes seminars, workshops and cooperation activities aimed at enhancing the effective implementation, management, monitoring, financing and reporting of the Natura 2000 network. It is a process that “promotes the exchange of knowledge and cooperation on Natura 2000 management beyond national borders, within and between biogeographical regions”.

More information can be found here.

Periurban Parks: nature closer than you imagine

Collserola Nature Park, aperurban Park in the doors of Barcelona Photo by Caminar BCN 12 blog ( http://caminarbcn12-13t.blogspot.de/2012/12/collserola-un-parque-aislado-para-la.html)

Published on:

How would it feel to relax in nature after a long day of work? Trekking in a forest, running through a meadow, or simply wandering along a river, just nearby your town?

Periurban parks bring us these possibilities and much more: they protect us! They refresh city temperatures; absorb air pollutants and decrease traffic noise. They look after our physical and mental health. They are outdoors gym, nature-schools and a green place to meet with family and friends. In some areas, Periurban parks are also places where one can grow and buy fresh and organic vegetables!

Besides, periurban parks are essential components of Green Infrastructure – a new way to provide landscape connectivity and to preserve the territory and its ecosystem services. Periurban parks can adopt very different forms: they can be forests, rivers, green rings, agro-ecological spaces and re-naturalised landscapes. All located at the city doors! 

But life in a city can be harsh; for periurban parks as well. They receive a lot of pressure: visitors overflow, unwanted city equipment, exotic species and vandalism. These are threats that managers have to deal with, while trying to protect biodiversity.

Today, with over 80% of the European population living in urban and suburban areas, the conservation of this natural non-urbanized areas on the outskirts of cities urges to be addressed.

We are close to cities

In the tutorial We are close to cities at EUROPARC Conference 2016, we will exchange good practices, ideas, thoughts and learn from Periurban parks with a long experience in this matter!

In the tutorial we will showcase:

  • The Collserola Natural Park, a well-preserved 8,000-hectare forest located at the heart of the Barcelona metropolitan area. Protected since 1987, Collserola is a much-loved place, an immensely valuable natural area for the huge population that lives around.
  • The Parco Nord and Parco agricolo Sud Milano, the two main natural areas composing the greenbelt of Milan city. The Parco Nord is a re-naturalised greenspace, built from scratch 40 years ago. It is today’s green place for Milano citizens. The Parco agricolo Sud Milano is a vast agro-ecological space, which combines productive activity with the ever higher social demand of open space.

Further Readings

FEDENATUR –  the European Federation of Natural and Rural Metropolitan and Periurban Spaces – now forms part of the EUROPARC family!  If you want to know more about Periurban Parks, visit the website www.fedenatur.org.