EUROPARC Star Awards 2019

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Welcome to the EUROPARC Sustainable Tourism Partners’ Award.

Tourism is one of the main economic drivers of Europe’s rural areas. EUROPARC has long recognised the need to ensure we have a thriving, living, working landscapes that support nature and people. Tourism, therefore, has to be developed and managed along with sustainable principles, if we are to ensure a positive future. Parks and Protected Areas are at the core of the natural and cultural assets of an area and are often the main reason for visiting.

However to be a Sustainable Destination, depends on businesses, community, and municipalities all working to that common purpose.

In these STAR Awards, EUROPARC seeks to celebrate, champion and acknowledge the effort and investments made by tourism businesses to be more sustainable and help care and protect their natural and cultural heritage.

To be less impactful on the environment in which the businesses reside, to work alongside the park, and to play a supporting role in the community are all the excellent actions of “Charter Partners”.

EUROPARC, therefore, invites all current Charter Partners and Tour Operators to apply for the awards in order to highlight the sustainable action being done which are Good for Nature, Good for People and Good for Business.

>>>> Download the Guidelines for Candidates <<<<

English – Guidelines for candidates

Spanish_- Instrucciones para los candidatos

Italian – Linee guida per i candidati_2019

French – Directives destinées aux candidats

Eligibility

The Star Awards is open to all Sustainable Business Partners or Tour Operators who have a current validated partnership (under Charter Part II or Charter Part III) with a park or protected area, itself currently awarded by EUROPARC. If you are unsure of your eligibility please contact your Park for further information.

Categories

We really want to learn of your experiences and share your stories, so we have endeavoured to ask questions in different areas in which you may contribute to the Sustainable Destination. We have tried to make the questions as intuitive as possible to answer. There are 3 categories you can choose from:

Apart from the 3 voluntary categories, there is one compulsory category- Contribution to Conservation, which each applicant must complete. Contribution to Conservation will appear at the beginning of each category. You need only fill in the questions once, if you choose to apply for multiple categories.

As this is a fundamental of the Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected areas, we are asking you to tell us about your direct actions or contributions for habitats and species of your protected area.

The Application Process

We invite you to apply in as many categories as you like. Using the only form in either French, Italian. Spanish or English.  The deadline for entries is 21st June.

APPLY in ENGLISH (French, Spanish and Italian Versions are also available)

Building My Community

Reducing the Impacts on the Environment

Communicating the Values of my Park and my Business 

These will be assessed by an in-country jury and a representative from EUROPARC. The best from each country, in each category, will be adjudicated by an international jury who will select the overall winner in each category.

These will be announced at the EUROPARC Charter Award Ceremony 2019. A local handover ceremony can be arranged for each winner, but winners will be invited to attend the award ceremony at the European Parliament in Brussels, in late November/early December 2019.  (Date to be confirmed)

The winner in each category will go to a public vote, where the overall winner will receive, along with a representative from the park or Protected Area with which they are a partner, a free place at the EUROPARC Conference 2020.

For more information please contact: sustainable.tourism @ europarc.org.

Apply now for the 2019 LIFE calls for proposals!

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Are you looking for funding for your environment, nature, or climate action project? Check the 2019 LIFE calls for proposals and take a look at some tips to help with your application.

LIFE funds projects under sub-programmes for the environment (which also includes nature and biodiversity), and climate action. It covers traditional smaller projects and larger integrated projects which allow beneficiaries to receive and use funding from many sources, including the EU, national budgets and the private sector.

Other funding in the form of operating grants is available for NGOs.

Deadlines

Most environment projects should be submitted in June 2019 and climate action projects in September 2019. 

Latest calls

Browse the latest calls and download the application packs

Help with your application?

Read about how to apply for funding

Close-to-market projects

Get tips on how to apply

European Youth Week 2019

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It is time for the European Youth Week 2019, an opportunity for discussions with policy-makers and young people in the European Parliament that will open its doors to hundreds of participants.

What is the European Youth Week?

Every second year, the European Youth Week aims to celebrate and promote youth activities through events organised in all countries participating in the Erasmus+ programme. Next grass root activities at a national level, the European Youth Week will bring together young people, project participants, youth organisations and policy-makers in a European event held in Brussels at the European Parliament.

From 29 April to 5 May, events will be taking place across Europe under the theme “Democracy and me”.

The goal is to explore all the ways young people can influence decisions and be active in society.

Leonardo Cerno, ex-Junior Ranger and active member implementing the EUROPARC Youth Manifesto in Italy (Prealpi Giulie Nature Park) will be the voice of protected areas in the meeting, share his experience working with the park authority and the creation of a local Youth Council, and, of course, will present them the EUROPARC Youth Manifesto!

Why “Democracy and me”?

Because you can influence decisions that influence your life! Upcoming European elections on 23-26 May are approaching. Make sure that this time you are voting.

Also because what happens between elections is equally important for a democracy to thrive: getting involved in voluntary work, talking to policy-makers or making yourself heard in other ways in order to attract attention to the issues that are important, be they climate change or youth unemployment.

Democracy is a value that we may take for granted, but in Europe, we have developed and nurtured it for years. It’s ours. It’s our voices. It’s our achievement. It’s you.

Who organises the European Youth Week?

A European event is organised by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture in partnership with the European Parliament and involving other Directorates-General of the European Commission. At the national level, organisation and coordination are entrusted to the Erasmus+ National Agencies in close cooperation with the Eurodesk network.

You can check out the full program here!

International Forum of Friends of Protected areas

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Environmental education Centre “Zapovedniks” invites you to take part in the International Forum of the Friends of Protected Areas, which will take place in Russia, Petrozavodsk, September 23-26, 2019.

About the Forum

The forum is a large-scale environmental education event that will gather active youth, their mentors, protected areas educators and many others who care about nature of our Planet, friends of protected areas (PA), including PA volunteers, representatives of responsible business, etc.

The organizers of Forum are Environmental Education Centre “Zapovedniks”, Russian Movement of Schoolchildren with partners.
The aims of the Forum:

  • to foster environmental culture, environmental awareness, and education of children and youth,
  • to build public support for the PA system

The Forum should promote cooperation, sharing information and experience between children’s and youth public organizations as well as initiative groups aiming to preserve natural and cultural heritage; as well to promote and scale up modern forms and methods of working with children and young people, including new interactive technologies for organizing FPA clubs activities; and to outline prospects for the FPA movement development; to engage new members in the FPA movement.

Forum program

Forum program will include many events for youth (school of friends of nature, master classes, quests, quiz and etc.), round-table, conferences, discussions for PA specialists, teachers and scientists, as well business meeting, flashmob, fairs, concerts, and exhibitions.

You can find the first draft of the program here!

Participation fees

Fee includes participation in forum events, accommodation in Petrozavodsk for 4 nights, as well as all meals during the Forum. The fee does not include visa and travel expenses to Petrozavodsk.
Participation fees: 250 EUR per participant – till May 30, 2019; after this date, the fee will be 300 EUR (accommodation in double room).

 An additional option: A visit to Kizhi Museum-Zapovednik on September 27th   Fee: 150 euro including:
overnight stay and meals at a hotel in Petrozavodsk, transfer, and excursion to the Museum, one-day excursion program, transfer Petrozavodsk-Kizhi-Petrozavodsk onboard the “Comet” motorboat.

Applications for delegation are accepted until May 15, 2019, at slet @ wildnet.ru (marked ‘FPA Forum’).

An application letter should contain organization name, full names of participants, position, age, contacts (e-mail and tel.).

You can find more information about the entire program here!