Kindly hosted by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung, the annual Siggen Seminar offers a space for EUROPARC members to come together and discuss pressing matters in Protected Area management. Attendance to the seminar is completely free of charge – only travel needs to be covered by the individual. 

Nature Restoration Plans: The path towards implementation

In March 2026, EUROPARC will host the Siggen Seminar 2026. The event aims to bring together leading experts to focus on one of the most pressing challenges for nature conservation in Europe: turning restoration planning into effective action. The seminar will take place from 17–18 March 2026 at the Gut Siggen Seminar Center in Heringsdorf, Germany, with arrival on 16 March and departure on 19 March.

With all EU Member States required to submit their National Nature Restoration Plans by September 2026, this seminar comes at a crucial moment. Protected Areas are expected to play a central role in implementing these plans, particularly within Natura 2000 sites. The Siggen Seminar 2026 will therefore focus on the practical steps needed to move from policy and planning to real, measurable restoration outcomes on the ground. Participants will jointly explore the policy context, restoration priorities, the role of Protected Areas, impact assessment, and the learning needs of Protected Area managers.

A key outcome of the seminar will be the co-creation of a Restoration Action Plan training course curriculum, as well as an accompanying online Nature Restoration Planning Toolkit. These resources, to be finalised in 2026, will support Protected Area managers and national authorities across Europe, especially those at an early stage of their restoration journey, by providing guidance, case studies, lessons learned and practical tools.

Why should you join?

As a participant in the Siggen Seminar 2026, you ensure that your knowledge and experience can be multiplied and made impactful across Europe. It will support you, and users of the Toolkit and potential training course, in fulfilling the obligations set under the Nature Directives and the Nature Restoration Regulation. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to showcase the work of your country or Protected Area to the larger European Protected Area community.

The seminar is free of charge and open exclusively to EUROPARC members, with up to 12 places available. Applications are open until 12 February at 12:00 CET, and early application is strongly recommended due to limited capacity.

Read the full seminar description, eligibility criteria and application details on the dedicated event page:

Siggen Seminar 2026 – Register now

Made possible thanks to the kind support of the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung.

Verde e Moldova (VeM) is a leading environmental NGO in Moldova dedicated to strengthening communities, restoring nature, and supporting sustainable development. Working at the intersection of environmental protection, education, policy support, and socio-economic innovation, VeM delivers practical solutions that connect people with nature and empower local actors to become drivers of change.

With active projects in climate resilience, circular economy, nature restoration, education, and sustainable tourism, Verde e Moldova has become a trusted partner for communities, municipalities, schools, protected area managers, and international networks. Its work spans local action and cross-border cooperation, particularly in ecologically valuable regions such as the Danube Delta and Lower Prut wetlands.

We spoke with the VeM team about how they engage communities, integrate socio-economic development with conservation, respond to policy challenges, and support public institutions.

Engaging Communities Through Practical Action and Education

EUROPARC: You mentioned promoting environmental education in both urban and rural communities. What approaches have proven most effective?

Verde e Moldova: We place people at the centre of environmental action. Across climate resilience, circular economy, nature restoration, and culture-based tourism, we combine participatory planning with visible results that build trust and motivation.

One effective approach is co-creation with communities. In projects such as Plastic Waste in the Circular Economy and Danube Delta Rewilding, local residents helped design eco-tourism opportunities linked to wetland restoration. Together, we installed over 40 mesh collection containers and launched the national #GiveUpPLASTIC campaign, encouraging citizens to adopt circular-economy habits.

Another key area is education and youth engagement. We blend formal, non-formal, and digital learning through teacher toolkits, outdoor activities, and student projects. These resources are already used in schools across Moldova and Europe, helping educators integrate nature-based solutions into curricula.

We also focus on strengthening local authorities and Protected Area managers by facilitating dialogue, planning, and capacity building. This includes consultations with farmers, municipalities, and media, and cross-border coordination between Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine.

Supporting small businesses and local entrepreneurs is another priority. We help develop tourism products rooted in culture and nature, encourage circular practices, and build visitor experiences that generate local income.

Finally, through public communication and social mobilisation, we use storytelling, social media, festivals, and biodiversity days to make sustainability visible and meaningful for communities.

When Nature Restoration Meets Local Development

EUROPARC: Can you share an example where environmental protection and socio-economic development came together successfully?

Verde e Moldova: In the Danube Delta and Lower Prut region, we integrated large-scale ecological restoration with sustainable community development through a cross-border rewilding programme supported by Rewilding Europe.

Together with partners in Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine, we restored degraded wetlands by improving hydrological flows and habitats for migratory birds and aquatic species. Scientific assessments and stakeholder consultations ensured that both ecological data and local knowledge guided decisions.

At the same time, we worked directly with communities to create tangible benefits. Local guides, guesthouses, and youth groups developed birdwatching routes, interpretive materials, and small tourism services. Training in sustainable tourism and circular practices helped residents build new livelihoods connected to restored landscapes.

This created a positive cycle: healthier wetlands attracted visitors and income, while stronger community engagement reinforced long-term stewardship of natural heritage.

Responding to Policy and Regulatory Change

EUROPARC: What policy challenge has been most significant recently, and how has VeM responded?

(c) Beley

Verde e Moldova: Moldova’s rapid alignment with EU environmental legislation has been a major challenge, especially in waste management, circular economy, and nature-based solutions. New regulations created uncertainty for municipalities, schools, and community groups that lacked technical guidance.

VeM acted as a bridge between policy and practice. Through the Plastic Waste in the Circular Economy project, we helped municipalities interpret regulations, develop action plans, pilot collection systems, and apply extended producer responsibility concepts.

In education, our work under NBS EduWORLD and UNESCO programmes translated policy into teacher toolkits and classroom pilots. In biodiversity and Protected Areas, we supported authorities in aligning local strategies with EU restoration and governance standards.

 Turning Technical Support into Real Impact

EUROPARC: What types of technical assistance are most in demand, and how do you ensure real impact?

(c) VeM

Verde e Moldova: Local authorities increasingly request practical tools for implementing circular economy and waste regulations. We co-develop local action plans, train municipal staff, and introduce pilot solutions such as mesh collection points, awareness campaigns, and youth-led initiatives.

These pilots help communities understand how regulations work in real life. Over time, municipalities integrate circular principles into budgets and school programs, while residents adopt new recycling habits and local initiatives.

Our approach combines coaching, monitoring, and long-term partnerships to ensure sustainable results beyond individual projects.

Looking Ahead with EUROPARC

Joining the EUROPARC Federation marks an important milestone for Verde e Moldova. It strengthens international cooperation, enhances knowledge exchange in Protected Area management, and reinforces the organisation’s mission to connect people, nature, and sustainable development.

Together with EUROPARC members across Europe, VeM will continue building resilient communities, restoring ecosystems, and shaping a greener future for Moldova and the wider region.

(c) Beley

From 5-7 December 2025, Youth Council member Marla Schulz had the opportunity to take part in the second session of the Young Citizens Assembly on Pollinators in Brussels, representing EUROPARC and the expertise and importance of Protected Areas in pollinator conservation.

An inspiring and truly European experience that showed how democracy, youth participation and biodiversity protection can come together.

The assembly was initiated by the European Commission in response to the dramatic decline of pollinators across Europe. Wild bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects are disappearing at alarming rates, driven by factors such as intensive agriculture, pesticide use, habitat loss and climate change. This decline threatens biodiversity, food security and healthy ecosystems and it clearly requires action.

To bring young voices into this debate, the European Commission launched this Citizens’ Assembly. 100 young people from across Europe were selected through a random, postcode-based process to ensure diversity in geography, education and social background. The result is a group that truly reflects the diversity of Europe’s youth from students and apprentices to young professionals.

The assembly takes place partly through online meetings but also on three weekends on site in Brussels (2025-2026). During the first session (September 2025), participants received expert input and identified key problem areas around pollinator decline. They agreed on four main thematic fields that now structure the whole process:

1. Transforming land use and protecting habitats
2. Fostering a cultural shift and changing behaviours
3. Financing biodiversity
4. Policy implementation and accountability

The second session (December 2025) focused on exchanges with stakeholders. Marla Schulz was invited to the second session as a stakeholder and expert, representing the EUROPARC Federation Youth Council and the perspective of Europe’s Protected Areas. She contributed her experiences and insights from national parks, biosphere reserves and other large protected landscapes, where pollinator protection is already being put into practice.

In the morning of the first day the young citizens prepared their questions based on the four thematic fields. In the afternoon, the ten invited stakeholders joined in and talked and exchanged ideas in small discussion groups with three to four stakeholders and around 20 young citizens. In Marla’s case, she took part in a discussion together with Noa Simon (BeeLife) and Anne Crespin (Pro Silva).

They discussed with the young citizens how Protected Areas, agriculture and forestry can better contribute to pollinator protection. Following these discussions, each group decided which topics they wanted to continue working on. Across the assembly, focus areas included agriculture, pesticide use, land use, drivers of cultural change, awareness, funding, interest groups, enforcement and implementation.

These focus areas will now guide the work of the upcoming third session (March 2026), during which the young participants will develop concrete recommendations.

The entire process is also being documented by a film team, creating a documentary on democracy that will be released in the coming year. This process is a powerful example of lived democracy and meaningful youth engagement. Giving young people space to learn, discuss and shape policy together is not only valuable for pollinators, but for the future of Europe as a whole.

If you would like to find out more and learn about the background, visit the website:

Or find out directly what the young citizens are doing via the Instagram channel (@ycap_eu).

We want to thank the Young Citizens Assembly on Pollinators Project for enabling Marla’s participation through funding.