From 1973 to 2023 – EUROPARC is 50!

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2023 marks the 50th Anniversary of the EUROPARC Federation. We will celebrate this milestone throughout the year. Of course, we ask our members to join us!

50th Anniversary of the EUROPARC Federation

For 50 years, EUROPARC has been connecting People and Parks. With over 400 members and countless exchanges: EUROPARC has a vivid and rich history to look back on. The very core of our organisation is, of course, our members. With our celebration, we want to highlight your story and the essential work you are doing on the ground. 

A lot has changed in Europe; in the Protected Area community; and at EUROPARC itself. Celebrating 50 years will grant us the opportunity to look back, but also envision the future that Europe, and its nature, needs. A future in sync with nature, with Protected Areas as pioneers of nature protection, celebrated and respected by society.

So, ready to celebrate with us?

It is quite simple: get out your camera or your phone and record a short, 30-second video message finishing the following sentence:

For me, the EUROPARC Federation is…

Additionally, feel free to share what your wishes are for the next 50 years of EUROPARC, a fond memory of the network, or the story of how your Park is connected to the organisation. We want to hear from as many members & partners as possible! 

You can send your videos through this form or post them directly on your social media. Feel free to create reels, collages or stories, just be sure to tag us and use #EUROPARC50!

Facebook & Twitter: @EUROPARC

Instagram: @EUROPARC_Federation

YouTube: @EUROPARCFederation

LinkedIn: EUROPARC Federation

We will share your messages on our social media, our website and potentially even a special feature at the Conference… We welcome you to send & share messages throughout the year. If you are unsure how to start, have a look at our video guidelines. However, don’t feel restricted: you can get as creative as you want to!

A picture is worth a 1000 words…

Do you have any pictures from EUROPARC Conferences, meetings, projects, or other events over the past few years? Then we’d love it if you could send them our way! If we can gather enough input, we might be able to make a EUROPARC photo album. 

Feel free to share this inside your organisation, we welcome multiple inputs from members!

We look forward to receiving your messages.

Learn more about our rich history

To kickstart our celebrations, we visited someone who was at the very beginning of the EUROPARC Federation: Herr Köpp. He shared his inspirational story with us of how the first Protected Areas in Europe came together, despite political turmoil. Check it out here:

Job opening: NaturaConnect – Project officer & Communication Support

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EUROPARC is currently looking for a project officer & communication support.

Position: NaturaConnect – Project officer & Communication Support

Full time/ 3-year contract
Remote working
Start date: Ideally march or beginning of April 2023

The EUROPARC Federation is Europe’s biggest network, supporting and representing the work of Europe’s Protected Areas. As a member organisation with interests in nature conservation, sustainable tourism development, capacity building and European environment policy development and implementation.

Description

This post will provide primarily communication support across the work of the EUROPARC Federation. This will include the promotion of the EUROPARC Federation, communication with members, production of content for social media, website, produces publications, annual report, brochures and other materials.

The substantial part of the position will work in conjunction with the NaturaConnect Project Manager and will focus on the production of capacity building materials. As a skilled and creative communicator, you will have some experience of delivering training and capacity building on and offline. A well-organised approach to work and experience in delivering complex project outputs are essential.

Get the full description here

Application process

Please send a full CV and letter of application indicating specifically how your skills and experiences meet the criteria and requirements listed below.  

Please complete the online application form in English (with CV, Cover letter and certificates uploaded) no later than 23.59 pm on 08 February 2023.

Interviews will take place beginning with 20th of February.

Your contact person for any questions regarding the position is Ms. Marit Schnepf.

Present your work, business or project @ the EUROPARC Conference 2023!

Market place at the EUROPARC Conference 2022 in Austria - Sebastian Freiler

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EUROPARC Conferences bring together experts in Natura 2000 and Protected Area Management, offering them the ideal occasion to network and exchange. This year we will meet in the Netherlands from 3 – 6 October. You can already sign up for our ‘Landscape Festival’ and Market Place!

About the Conference

From the 3rd to the 6th of October, the EUROPARC network will come together in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, to pay “Tribute to our Landscape” at the EUROPARC Conference 2023. Our landscapes are part of the most valuable natural, social and cultural treasures of European society. Landscapes are where nature and people meet and interact in the past, present and future. We will celebrate the beauty and diversity of the versatile European natural and cultural landscapes. Humans have had an impact on the European landscape for centuries. This has created some of our most iconic landscapes, however it has also resulted in dis-harmony between people and nature. This EUROPARC Conference wants to help participants discover how we can connect people and nature, in order to find long-term harmony.

We want to learn from the past, to understand the present and build the future.

Furthermore, it will provide us with the excellent opportunity to celebrate our 50th Anniversary!

 

As always, the Conference will give ample space to our members & partners to present their work. Whilst registration will open later this year, you can already secure your place for our Landscape Festival and/or the Market Place!

Landscape Festival – 3rd of October 16:30 -21:00

The Landscape Festival provides businesses and organisations working in the field of nature management with the opportunity to present their innovative developments, processes, or technologies, to inspire conference delegates. A central element of the Landscape Festival is to provide interactive demonstrations or experiences.

Who can exhibit at the Landscape Festival?

Businesses, organisations, but also Protected Areas are invited to sign up for a space. The goal is to show innovative work. This can be a project, product, process, or even a campaign you’ve been running. EUROPARC members taking part in the Conference are free to participate and are given a space of 2×2 meters. From external companies, we ask for a fee of 350 euros (excl. VAT). Apart from your space, this also includes dinner for one person during the evening and, of course, the chance to present your product or work to around 350 Conference participants. It is also possible to present a pitch in a separate room.

Is your Protected Area working with innovative organisations or businesses? Then do feel free to invite them to partake in this event!

Market Place – 4th of October 17:00 -21:00

A trusted format of the EUROPARC Conferences: The Market Place is back! Those that have been to a EUROPARC Conference before will know that this is an excellent opportunity to network, share information and present your Protected Area.

Who can take part in the Market Place?

All European Protected Areas taking part in the Conference, as well as EUROPARC Sections and Commissions, are welcome to present their work. There is again a space of 2×2 meters available. Only if you need extra material like audio or visual equipment, as well as electricity, will there be additional costs.

Great! How can I sign up?

If you want to sign up for either the Landscape Festival or Market Place, or if you have further questions, you can contact:

Conference 2023

We look forward to seeing you there!

Register now: Siggen Seminar 2023 on Innovative Financing

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The Siggen Seminar is EUROPARC’s annual free of charge training event for members, made possible through the generous support of the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung.

Parks Unlocked; Innovative Financing to Transform Parks across Europe.

Every year Alfred Toepfer Stiftung generously hosts EUROPARC members, in their excellent centre in Gut Siggen, North Germany. Here, we enjoy an intense and practically orientated seminar, examining and sharing expertise in a given aspect of Protected Areas work. You can find previous Siggen Seminars here.

This year, we will be taking a deep dive into models that attract private finance to unlock and drive nature restoration at scale. In particular, looking at the role Parks can play in building the market for investing in Europe’s natural capital. Let’s ensure Parks across Europe are investable and can take advantage of that €billion opportunity!

We will examine real life, real time examples from across Europe, identifying the requirements and changes needed in Protected Area network management, that will attract investmentWe will engage in a collective dialogue that will help us look at the current context, in order to transform ideas into specific actions needed to achieve the 30% target of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030.

Attendees need to be in position where they can provide input to scale up nature restoration plans in their region, territory, and country!

The seminar will also be looking at the creation of a scoping project, to develop a feasibility study and tested model, to indicate how such financing can be identified and utilised and what conditions are required to be in place, by Protected Area networks, to attract successful investment. We will be seeking partners to join this project, so interested parties are also encouraged to join the seminar.

The seminar is FREE to EUROPARC members. Participants are only asked to cover travel costs to Siggen.

Please note, that due to limited space, a selection will be made: do not book your travels until we have confirmed your participation.

Register now: Siggen Seminar 2023 on Innovative Financing. Deadline for registration: 01/03/2023

Register here!

Practical information

The Siggen Seminar Center belongs to the Alfred Toepfer Foundation and lies on the north-eastern coast of Germany in the county of Holstein. It is a 20 minute taxi ride from the nearest train station, Oldenburg (Holst), and a five-minute bike-ride to the nearest beach.

Please contact EUROPARC with any questions you might have and download the pdf Directions to Siggen to learn how you can easily reach it by plane, train or car.

Location: Gut Siggen Seminar Center 23777 Heringsdorf, Germany

Please remember that you will be notified if you have been selected for the seminar. Do not book your transportation until you’ve received our confirmation.

How much does it cost?

The annual Siggen seminar is FREE for members of the EUROPARC Federation (meals and accommodation included). Participants ONLY have to cover their own travel costs to and from the event.