Transboundary Parks – Award Ceremony 2017

Published on: 19/09/17

The EUROPARC’s Transboundary Parks Programme aims to promote and facilitate transboundary cooperation between European Protected Areas. Since the Basic Standards evaluation system was launched in 2003, 23 European Protected Areas have been successfully certified as 10 Transboundary Parks under the EUROPARC programme “Transboundary Parks – Following Nature’s design”.

Every year during EUROPARC Conference we celebrate success with our Transboundary Parks at the Award Ceremony. In 2017, 2 members of the network were successfully re-evaluated, proving that working together for nature regardless political boundaries leads to better management of protected areas.

and the awardees were…

The Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland Transboundary Parks (DE/CZ)

Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland, also known under the geographic name Elbe Sandstone Mountains or Elbsandsteingebirge in German, is the largest sandstone rock region in Europe. The history of conservation dates back to the early 20th century when first nature reserves have been declared. However, the real transboundary work begins after World War II when a landscape protected area was established first on the German side (1956) and later on the Czechoslovak side (1972). They engaged with the Transboundary Parks Programme in 2012 and according to the verifier who conducted the re-evaluation:

The Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland parks form a great example of transboundary protected area cooperation with extremely professional staff and practices.

For the Award Ceremony, they left us a very nice film:

Handrij Härtel receiving the Transboundary Certificate at EUROPARC Conference 2017, Sao Pedro do Sul, Portugal

The German-Dutch Nature Park Maas-Schwalm-Nette (DE/NL)

The Nature Park Maas-Schwalm-Nette is located on the border of the German federal state North Rhine-Westphalia and the Dutch province Limburg. Within 800 km2 rivers, forests, heathland, bogs and varied cultural landscapes make it a very special attraction. In the heart of the park lie 10.000 ha of forests and nature reserves of European importance (NATURA 2000). The Park was first certified in 2007 and re-evaluated in 2012. According to the Verifier who conducted the re-evaluation process,

At the moment TB Nature Park Maas-Swalm–Nette is the only example inside EUROPARC Transboundary program, that has developed united system of management with one office and representatives of the parties work shoulder by shoulder every day. This is good example, which should be spread to other transboundary territories.