It is less than one week left for the beginning of EUROPARC Conference and, for those of you who couldn’t decide yet if attending or not, we want to introduce you to one of the most interesting topics that we will be covering within our program; fund raising.

Problems finding money? You are not alone…

Money has always been one of the biggest challenges when running an organization, and protected areas are not an exception. Its availability plays a major role in our way to success, and therefore we invest great part of our time and effort in finding money, managing money and trying to make the most of our money.

However, money is becoming increasingly harder to find, so new financing solutions are being explored all around Europe to keep institutions well nourished. For some Protected Areas, this solution resides in forming partnerships with private companies and to establishing good work relationships with corporate sponsors.

But, what kind of sponsorships work for parks? And what ethical considerations should be taken into account when building a relationship with companies that may not be a sustainability model?

Join the workshop “We Need Money”

In order to answer this questions, we want to invite you to join the workshop “We Need Money” at EUROPAR Conference. In it, we will explore what Protected Areas do to find the funding they need, and we will learn from two specific examples from two of our members: Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria, and De Hoge Veluwe National Park in the Netherlands. Likewise, you will have the opportunity to learn and discuss with other attendants about different approachs being taken around Europe.

Places are still open, meet us at Parc Jura Vaudois for this and other exciting workshops. More information at the EUROPARC Conference website.

Join us at EUROPARC Conference 2016!

The Alfred Toepfer Medal was awarded to Giuseppe Antoci in 2016, Director of the Nebrodi Regional Park in Sicily, Italy, as a recognition of his strong courage in defense of nature against organised crime.

Since he was appointed as President of the Nebrodi Regional Park Giuseppe Antoci’s commitment has been addressed to guarantee the utmost administrative regularity of the Park Authority. Antoci is fighting the local mafia system that has spread in recent years and that allowed to receive European funds for the support of fake farmers and shepherds pretending to manage large areas of agricultural land.

Therefore, he has adopted a specific legality protocol with the Messina Prefecture which includes the anti-mafia certification (i.e. a check that there are no mafia infiltration in the farms management) for all the pastures in the park territory.  The so called “Antoci’s protocol”, is now recognised as a successful model that has been signed by all Prefects and the President of the Region, and extended to the entire island.

Because of his daily commitment against the mafia, he received many life-threats and is under protection since December 2014. In 18th May 2016, he was victim of an attack by the local mafia but thanks to the State Police, he miraculously survived. The results Mr. Antoci is achieving demonstrate how protected areas can play a crucial role not only for the conservation of biodiversity but also for ensuring a legal defence especially in those territories in which the local communities are victims, along with the environment and landscape values.

About the Alfred Toepfer Medal

The Alfred Toepfer Medal, named after the founder of the EUROPARC Federation, Dr h.c. Alfred Toepfer (1894-1993) is awarded annually in recognition of a particular individual who has made a significant contribution to nature protection in Europe. The medal is presented at the annual EUROPARC conference.

Learn more about the Medal and get to know all Alfred Toepfer Medal winners.