The EUROPARC Conference is the event of the year for those working in Europe’s Protected Areas and Natura 2000 sites.

Due to the challenges arising from covid-19 this year’s EUROPARC conference will now be ONLINE!

International cooperation and connection is more important than ever, so we want to ensure we provide this opportunity to bring members together, albeit virtually!

Our new future: How ready are you?

EUROPARC CONFERENCE 2020, will be an innovative 2 day ONLINE event on the 8th AND 9th of September. After we have looked at the value of nature across multiple sectors of society at EUROPARC Conference 2019, in 2020 we will look to the future… We will be exploring, what skills and capacities protected areas need, to implement the 2030 biodiversity strategy, in the post COVID-19 world. We will bring you an interactive online experience, to connect with colleagues from across Europe and bring you the best of EUROPARC networking, in these challenging times.

DETAILS and registration will be available at the beginning of JUNE: So SAVE THE DATE!

The conference originally scheduled for  27-30th October, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park Austria, will now take place in MAY 2022.  We will gather then, to consider Communicating in the 21st Century? Question your mind set! Perhaps even more important as we will have absorbed the implication of a post-COVID world, and indeed will be in year one of what will be by then the new EUROPARC strategy.

The EUROPARC conference in May 2022 in Austria, will also incorporate the Transparcnet meeting so will have an emphasis on transboundary cooperation and communications.

This year’s General  Assembly of 2020 will also be ONLINE and will take place at the originally scheduled date of 27th October. More details will follow.

So EUROPARC members have the following to look forward to

• September 8/9th 2020 EUROPARC conference . Our New Future: How Ready Are We?
• October 27th EUROPARC General Assembly
• October 2021 EUROPARC conference . Location TO BE ANNOUNCED IN SEPTEMBER!!
• May 2022 EUROPARC conference Communicating in the 21st Century? Question your mindset! Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park Austria,
• We will also have an Autumn conference in 2022  in conjunction with the NaturAdapt climate change and protected areas, project.

This year’s World Environment Day focusses on biodiversity. On this World Environment Day 2020: we need Protected Areas to battle the ongoing biodiversity loss.

In 1972 the United Nations General Assembly designated June 5th as World Environment Day. Governments, businesses, celebrities and citizens are engaged to focus their efforts on a pressing environmental issue. This year’s theme focusses on Biodiversity. All over the world, you can participate in online events to celebrate World Environment Day here and check out #ForNature.

Nature provides us with food, fresh water, air for us to survive and thrive. We are depended on it for our survival as it provides us with the essential infrastructure that supports life on Earth and human development. This means, that to take care of ourselves we must care for nature. Biodiversity is an essential part of this life system. If we want to secure a healthy life on our planet, we need to secure biodiversity.That is why it is Time For Nature.

Currently, nature is pushed to its limits. Through deforestation, encroachment on wildlife habitats, intensified agriculture and our influence on a changing climate, we are accelerating biodiversity loss. With this, Earth’s ecosystems on which we depend will collapse. However, if we listen to nature now, we can change the tide.

World Environment Day 2020: We need Protected Areas!

EUROPARC has been advocating on nature’s behalf since its very start. We recognize that we need to give space to nature to secure our own livelihoods. In an ever urbanised Europe, Protected Areas provide green spaces that counter the high level of biodiversity loss we are currently experiencing.

Now more than ever, we need Protected Areas as drivers of biodiversity, as all life on this planet is founded on it.

EUROPARC welcomes, the European Commission’s recognition on the importance of Protected Areas in its new biodiversity strategy. Member States will be in charge of designating  Protected Areas and strictly Protected Areas and will define conservation objectives and measures for all Protected Areas. Here, EUROPARC Federation and its members should have a key role to play to provide our expertise to our own Member State in order to ensure a participative and representative process. We urge the commission to listen to offer adequate support in order for this ambitious plan to work.

EUROPARC will contribute to support the work of Protected Areas, to harmonize and improve their management in order to collectively recover and restore the conservation of Nature in Europe. Together we can, and must, combat biodiversity loss and secure a healthy planet for future generations.

Have a look at our knowledge hub for helpful resources on a wide range of topics.

We are happy to say that the TransParcNet Meeting 2020, originally planned in June and postponed for Covid-19 crisis, is now confirmed on 22 – 25 of September!

It will take place in the EUROPARC youngest Transboundary Area: Binntal Nature Park (CH) / Alpe Veglia Devero Nature Park (IT).

We will speak about a very important topic for cross-border relationships:  “PARKS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE -Ways to a closer involvement and to a better identification of people with their parks”

ALL INFO are available on this page.

Places are limited so priority will be given to EUROPARC TB Areas but all cross-border areas are welcome, of course!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER (VERY IMPORTANT)

Do you want to know more on the previous editions? Have a look here!

See you there!

Sustainable Tourism in the Covid world.

What is the response from the Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas?

EUROPARC will host a “webinar-workshop” looking at the impact of COVID across our Charter network, our Parks, our business partners and our visitors.

• 8th June 2020
• 10:00 CEST
• Register here: https://webinar-workshop.gr8.com/

This forum will seek to gather information about the current situation, identify the network’s needs and consider what the messaging should be to ensure sustainable tourism remains not just viable but is a better alternative in the new tourism market.

The webinar will be in English, but we welcome participants from across the Network.

As we hope to have an interactive session, please have your smartphone handy!

Watch our film A Sustainable Journey in advance of the webinar.

To remind ourselves, perhaps, why we do this!