In June, the EUROPARC Task Force on Climate Change published a new discussion paper: “Protected Areas and the European Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation and Biodiversity”.

New discussion paper

In the face of current global challenges it is urgent to tackle nature and climate breakdown. We believe that there is an opportunity to innovate and collaborate as solutions overlap.

Today, the EUROPARC Task Force on Climate Change released a discussion paper on “Protected Areas and the European Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation and Biodiversity”. 

This paper is a modest attempt by the EUROPARC Task force on Climate Change to accelerate the transition towards a nature-inclusive and climate-resilient society. It aims at kick starting a dialogue to bridge the gap between climate change adaptation and nature conservation communities. 

Read it here!

Join the discussions

As a first step towards a dialogue, we are organising a participative workshop to exchange on how to develop an effective governance framework that involves Protected Areas on the ground and in policies to accelerate the transition towards a nature-inclusive and climate-resilient society. 

When? July 13, 2021 from 9.30am to 11.00 CET

Where? Online

Register here

Learn more about the topic of climate change adaptation and Protected Areas and how EUROPARC is involved here and discover inspiring case studies in our Knowledge Hub.

The TransParcNet meeting 2021 took place online on the 10th of June 2021 with the theme: The Transboundary Protected Areas and the EU Green Deal.

The Transboundary Protected Areas and the EU Green Deal

The Annual TransParcNet meeting is usually hosted by one of the members of the cross-border areas certified by EUROPARC in the framework of the EUROPARC Transboundary Parks Programme “Following Natures Design”. In 2021, due of COVID19 emergency and travel restrictions, it was organized once again online.

The event was addressed to TransParcNet members and some specially invited crossborder areas. More than 70 participants from 24 countries and from the EU institutions attended the event.

The meeting was facilitated by Stefania Petrosillo, Policy officer of EUROPARC and person in charge of the Transboundary Parks Programme, with the support of Esther Bossink, EUROPARC Communication officer, and the special collaboration of Elisa Tuaillon, former EUROPARC intern.

The topic of this year was the EU Green Deal and how Transboundary Protected Areas can contribute to achieving its goals.

The European Green Deal is the plan to make the EU’s economy sustainable. We can do this by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities, and making the transition just and inclusive for all (European Commission).

What can this new approach offer to the cross-border Protected Areas? And which is the contribution that EUROPARC Transboundary Areas can provide to reach this crucial objective for the whole European continent? The TransParcNet Meeting 2021 addressed these questions and tried to find possible answers.

While the morning session was devoted to the role that crossborder Protected Areas can play in the EU Green Deal, in the afternoon we focused on the internal life of the network.

Find the full agenda here.

And download the full report from the event:

TransParcNet meet2021-REPORT

EUROPARC thanks everyone for their participation! We are looking forward to the TransParcNet meeting 2022, which will take place in Binntal Veglia Devero Transboundary Park (CH-IT), and next year finally in presence!

Speakers’ presentations

By clicking the buttons below, you can download presentations from each of the speakers.

Transparcnet 2021_Ignace Schops

TransParcNet 2021_Gilles Kittel

TransParcNet 2021_Federico Minozzi

TransParcNet 2021_R.Auzins S. Santi

TransParcNet 2021_Przemek Oginski

TransParcNet 2021_Marta Munoz Marti

TransParcNet 2021_Mario Grubisic

TransParcnet 2021_Joao Capitao

Co-funded by the European Union.
The organisation of this event has been supported financially in the framework of the European Commission’s (Directorates General Environment and Climate Action) LIFE + funding programme of operating grants for European Environmental NGOs. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the event lies entirely with the authors.

EUROPARC Podcast: Voices from the Parks is now available on our Anchor.fm channel and all major podcast platforms! Listen to inspiring stories from across the network when you’re on the go.

EUROPARC Podcasts – Voices from the Parks

Are you tired of watching the screen and sitting at your desk every time you want to learn more about interesting but complex topics from the network? Then we have some exciting news for you! With EUROPARC Podcasts, you can sit back and relax, go for a walk or even cook your dinner – while we bring the Voices from the Parks to you.

If you want to dive deeper into topics of Nature Conservation and Park Management, just hit play on your phone or tablet. Get carried away to Protected Areas all around Europe and find inspiration from nature professionals and enthusiasts on a variety of innovative projects and ideas.

You can dive into our stories anytime and anywhere – be it on a train or in your kitchen, no need to watch the screen or sit at your desk.

Listen to EUROPARC Podcast on our Anchor.fm channel. If it is not there yet, in the coming days our podcast will also be available on the major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Acast and much more! You can access these platforms through you smartphone, tablet or computer.

Announcing the 2020 Alfred Toepfer Scholarship winners

With the launch of our podcast, we want to specifically highlight the three winners of Alfred Toepfer Natural Heritage Scholarship 2020. Normally, the winners are announced at the EUROPARC Conference, however, as the 2020 edition took place in an online setting, we had to rethink. Since the Award ceremony couldn’t happen face-to-face, we decided to interview the young winners and give our network a chance to hear them speak about their ambitious and inspiring projects, the stories and motivation behind their work and ideas. So tune in and get to know:

• Anna Jennings with her project focusing on the connection between mental health and Protected Areas;
• Réka Szilágyi who wants to explore the work of rehabilitation and breeding centers and their role in the protection and restoration of the highly vulnerable European vulture species; and
  
• Rosie Corner and her plan to visit a range of sacred sites and explore the overlapping concepts which connect Protected Areas and sacred natural sites.

Left to right: Anna Jennings, Réka Szilágyi and Rosie Corner.

In the second episode of our podcast, you can listen to Sophia Pachini from DG Environment of the European Commission, speaking about Sustainable Tourism, its policy implications and challenges.

Listen to the first episodes now!

So far we have recorded a short introductory episode and two interviews. Click on the icons below and listen to them now. Stay tuned for more to be released soon!

EUROPARC Podcasts presentation

The Alfred Toepfer Stiftung Scholarship winners 2020

In this episode, we get to know the winners of the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung Scholarship 2020 and the projects that, with this support, they will carry out in different Protected Areas in Europe in the fields of nature and health, vulture rehabilitation, and sacred sites.

Sophia Pachini – Sustainable Tourism on Protected Areas and its political scope.

In this interview, Sofia Pachini, Policy Officer at the Unit D.3 Nature Protection of the Directorate-General for Environment – European Commission, speaks about Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas and Natura 2000 sites, and its importance for nature conservation. Likewise, through an overview of the existing European policies, she explains the challenges that policy makers at all levels face when designing the instruments that lay down the basis for tourism management in European Parks.

Our strategy is the mechanism through which we operate. As the current EUROPARC strategy is coming to and end, in 2020 the process of creating a new strategy was started. Now, we are looking for feedback from our members.

EUROPARC’s Strategy

The strategy helps us focus our efforts on the areas of work most important to our members. To create the new strategy, in 2020 multiple meetings were held with section members and representatives, as well as a questionnaire amongst our membership. This consultation resulted in the first draft of the new EUROPARC Strategy. We want to thank all our members that contributed.

You can read the summary of section workshops here and the key results of the online survey here.

We have collated and analysed all your inputs and present to you now the DRAFT strategy. We welcome your thought and comment on this, in order for a final version to be presented at the General Assembly on 5th October 2021 for approval.

You can find the new strategy here!

There is a small questionnaire which we encourage members to complete, obviously you need to do this alongside the strategy document itself. You can access the survey here.

But of course you are free to make any other inputs and comment you wish to. Send these to members.europarc@europarc.org.

Feedback can be provided until 22nd of July. We will vote on the new strategy during our online General Assembly. This will take place on the 5th of October at 09:00 AM. Changes in the regulations related to our association now permit online voting. This year is extra special, as our members can also vote for a new Council and President, so do not forget to nominate your candidates!

We look forward to hearing your feedback.

Our work

Do you need a refresher on all that EUROPARC has done so far? Our Annual Reports detail our work in accordance to the EUROPARC strategy per year. You can find all our reports here.

Picture credit

The publication uses pictures received from our members, the credit is as follows:

Page 2: Nature Park Weissensee, Austria © Ewald Neffe

Page 7 left: Nature Park Our, Luxembourg © Pierre Haas

Page 7 right: Lemmenjoki National Park, Finnland © Harri Tarvainen

Page 8: Regionaal Landschap Kempen en Maasland

Page 10 (both): Hoge Kempen National Park, Belgium © Rudi Van Beek

Page 11: Metsähallitus © Sini Salmirinne

Page 14: Austrian Nature Parks © Franz Kovacs

Page 15: Nature Park Our © Raymond Clement