In January 2026, the EUROPARC Federation, as part of the NaturaConnect project, co-organised a 1.5- day in person workshop in Brussels, bringing together stakeholders from across Europe to discuss the future of ecological connectivity and Protected Areas. The workshop, titled From Science to Action, focused on translating scientific research results from the project into practical strategies for the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N). This network is a cornerstone of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, aiming to create a resilient and connected system of Protected Areas across Europe.

The event highlighted the urgent need to improve the quality, connectivity, and management of Protected Areas to meet the EU’s ambitious protected area restoration targets. Participants, including conservation practitioners, representatives from the European Commission, NGOs, and Protected Areas, provided feedback on the NaturaConnect mapping results, shared insights from their own experience, discussed regional or national challenges, and provided recommendations for upscaling NaturaConnect’s work in the remaining months. 

Discussions highlighted the vital role of Protected Areas and Parks in addressing biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation – and, crucially, the need to ensure these areas are coherent, resilient and well connected across borders.

Key Takeaways for Protected Areas

1. The importance of ecological connectivity

Europe’s Protected Areas, while extensive, are often fragmented and too small to support long-term biodiversity. Discussions and project presentations made it evident that ecological connectivity (the ability of species to move across landscapes) is essential for climate resilience and the survival of the threatened species.NaturaConnect’s research shows that strategic expansion of Protected Areas, combined with the restoration of ecological corridors, can more than double the protected share of suitable species ranges (O’Connor et al., 2025).

2. Transboundary cooperation

Many priority areas and corridors cross national borders, making transboundary cooperation critical. NaturaConnects pan-European connectivity analysis highlights that some of the most important ecological connectivity is concentrated in transboundary and mountainous areas and within the Mediterranean bioregion.

The maps produced by the project and shown in the event “can be used in combination with information about the distribution and condition of habitats within the Natura 2000 network to further explore conservation threats from fragmentation. This makes them directly applicable to supporting EU and national biodiversity strategies, green infrastructure planning, and transboundary conservation initiatives, with particular relevance for the design of ecological corridors, restoration zones, and areas of strict protection.” (Dertien et al., 2025)

Learn more about EUROPARCs Transboundary Programme here.

3. Quality over quantity

Participants agreed that the quality of protection, such as management effectiveness, addressing underprotected habitats, and reducing fragmentation, matters more than simply meeting percentage-based targets. The focus should be on fair responsibility-sharing among countries, ensuring that Protected Areas are representative, connected, and resilient. (Learn more about EUROPARC’s LIFE PAME-Europe project).

This is also why NaturaConnects approach follows the CARE principles: Protected area networks need to be comprehensive, adequate, resilient and effective. Only when addressing all of these, can we secure long-term positive biodiversity outcomes. 

Next Steps

The NaturaConnect project will integrate participants’ feedback from the workshop into a strategy document with recommendations for EU and Member State action for TEN-N implementation. 

The project is now in its final phase and will close in September 2026. EUROPARC and the project partners will work hard together to finalise the remaining outputs and disseminate them among the different stakeholder groups.

Read the full workshop report to learn about key messages from NaturaConnect and the discussions during the workshop.

Watch the summary video about the event and the vision of NaturaConnect.

Check out the digital photo-album for more highlights:

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