On 7 November, the EUROPARC Federation held its first online forum – the EUROPARC e-Forum 2024 – as an alternative to its annual Conference. The topic was Protected Area Management Effectiveness.
The e-Forum was organised in synergy with the newly started LIFE PAME Europe project, of which EUROPARC is the lead partner. It addressed a topic that has been growing in importance since the start of the Biodiversity 2030 strategy: the effective management of Protected Areas.
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Participation as the guiding thread
EUROPARC events are known for their participatory nature. However, in the case of this first online forum, this aspect was even more important. The forum was designed as a space to promote the exchange of experiences in which discussion was prioritised.
Keynote Speakers
This was especially clear in the agenda of the e-Forum. Sessions followed a varied range of dynamics and virtual tools in order to engage the audience. Nonetheless, there were of course also talks by experts. The day started with a plenary session that featured keynote speeches by Sue Stolton, co-founder of Equilibrium Research and a member of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas, and Brian MacSharry, Head of Group, Nature and Biodiversity · European Environment Agency (EEA).
Sue Stolton – Inclusive Governance
Sue Stolton
In her presentation, Sue underlined the importance of inclusive governance for the effective management of Protected Areas. In her presentation, she detailed the five broad principles as identified by IUCN to ensure good governance.
Good governance and effective management should be major on-going goals of for all protected and conserved area managers/custodians.
Sue stressed that an inclusive approach is essential not just for governance, but also for assessing Protected Area Management Effectiveness.
Brian MacSharry
Brian MacSharry – Metrics of Change
Brian MacSharry looked at the metrics of success: how can we meassure change? In his presentation, Brian underlined how everything is connected. The economies of the world are depended on well-functioning ecoysystems. However, many ecosystems are in bad shape. To turn the tide, it is important we get besser at meassures what works, and what doesn’t. To that purpose, the EEA is developing indicators to track the progress of Protected Areas.
Discussion Hubs
Four parallel Discussion Hubs provided participants with the opportunity to exchange experiences on key aspects of Protected Area management effectiveness. Following the four ‘pillars’ of Effective Management, the topics were:
- Discussion Hub 1: How to be effective? Plan your Plan! This Discussion Hub focussed on the the crucial role of adaptive management and how this can help to improve planning in Protected Areas.
- Discussion Hub 2: How can we achieve good governance and inclusive decision-making in Protected Areas? This session looked at the balance between making decisions and the ambition to engage communities and interested parties. Case studies were provided by Nature Scot – Ben Ross (UK) and Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi – Andrea Gennai (IT).
- Discussion Hub 3: Capacity Building: What Core Competencies and training opportunities are essential for effective Protected Area Management? Effective Management needs skilled staff. This Discussion Hub looked at current needs in capacity building for those working in Protected Areas, and the possibilities to create accessible training opportunities.
- Discussion Hub 4: Communication in Parks – how do we know if it makes a difference? In this session, participants engaged in dynamic discussions, shared experiences, and explored tools and strategies to assess the effectiveness of their communication efforts. A case study was provided by Eva Sandberg, on the work of Interpret Europe in Sweden.
Speakers’ Corner
Additionally, four different Speaker Corner virtual rooms were open to participants, where several case studies were presented. However, here too the focus was on the debate: presentations were only five minutes, with 15 minutes allocated for discussion afterwards. The following case studies were presented:
Speakers’ Corner 1: Successful management planning: from Conservation Objectives to enforcement of decisions
- Case Study 1: Alt Pirineu Natural Park Strategic Plan
Marc Garriga Lujan – Director, Alt Pirineu Natural Park – Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain
Marc Garriga presents the Alt Pirineu open standards.
Highlighting the Alt Pirineu Natural Park’s strategic plan, this presentation discussed long-term biodiversity monitoring plans. It includes initiatives for alpine lake restoration and support for pastoral farming, demonstrating the benefits for pollinator habitats and open landscapes.
- Case Study 2: How is the effectiveness of terrestrial Protected Areas to conserve biodiversity measured?
Sini Savilaakso – Director, Liljus ltd, Switzerland
Presenting a systematic review of methods for evaluating the effectiveness of terrestrial Protected Areas in biodiversity conservation, this session identified key monitoring practices and discussed their standadisation and implementation across regions, providing insights to enhance conservation outcomes globally.
Speakers’ Corner 2: Innovative solutions to monitor progress and drive decisions
- Case Study 1: Enhancing governance through Management Effectiveness Evaluation
Matti Tapaninen – Senior Specialist, Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland
Balancing various pressures within the Protected Area network can be challenging without compelling performance measures. This session covered tools for evaluating management effectiveness in Protected Areas, with a case study from Finland’s recent PAME assessment.
- Case Study 2: Julian Alps: current challenges and future prospects for cooperation
Federica Cittadino – Senior Researcher, Eurac Research, Italy
This presentation explored the main challenges currently experienced in the Transboundary cooperation within the Julian Alps Transboundary Ecoregion, drawing insights from recent expert and stakeholder interviews.
- Case Study 3: Effectively Managing an Urban Protected Area
Susanne Glatz-Jorde – Team Leader Planning, E.C.O. Insitut of Ecology, Austria
Reflecting on a decade of management in Klagenfurt’s Lendspitz-Maiernigg Natura 2000 site, this case study examined governance challenges in urban Protected Areas, including visitor management, habitat restoration, and public engagement.
Speakers’ Corner 3: Are we doing well? Building capacity to assess Management Effectiveness in Protected Areas
- Case Study 1: Quality standards in German national parks – Experiences and benefits of evaluation using the example of the Müritz-National Park
Ulf Zimmerman – Director, Müritz Nationalpark, Germany
Ulf Zimmerman presented the German Quality Standards
Focusing on Müritz National Park, this talk examined Germany’s approach to quality standards in park management, exploring how the evaluation process adds value and tackles challenges within park management.
- Case Study 2: Counting visitors on trails in Protected Areas through automated systems based on artificial intelligence
Miguel Faucha – Research Technician, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
An interdisciplinary team developed an AI-based algorithm to monitor visitor flow in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. This presentation detailed the technical aspects of deploying this tool to improve visitor management.
Speakers’ Corner 4: Tools and initiatives to improve communication between silos
- Case Study 1: Innovative communication concepts – how collaborative tools can help make scientific knowledge more accessible for practitioners and policymakers
Jana Baumgartner – Project manager, E.C.O. Institut of Ecology, Austria
E.C.O. addressed the disconnect between scientific research and practical implementation in environmental management, emphasizing collaborative solutions that make research findings more accessible for policymakers and practitioners.
- Case Study 2: Joint efforts to preserve uniquity – Collaborative management in Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park
Karla Schulze – Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park Authority, Germany
This presentation highlighted the collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to managing Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It underscores the importance of stakeholder involvement and adaptation to climate-related challenges.
- Case Study 3: Bridging silos between science, policy and practice in Europe for biodiversity
Frédéric Lemaître – Operational manager for society and policy impact, Biodiversa+
This presentation explored how the Biodiversa+ Partnership fosters interdisciplinary research for biodiversity, uniting science, policy, and practice to co-create impactful knowledge supporting sustainable biodiversity management.
Main takeaways
Assessing and ensuring Protected Area Management Effectiveness is an essential task if Protected Areas want to move from paper parks towards truly succesfull examples of conservation meassures. Thanks to the inputs of experts and participants, here are some takeaways from the first ever EUROPARC e-Forum:
The importance of reviewing plans
Among the participants to the Planning sessions, many of them were managers of Protected Areas that already have management plans in place. By them, it was stressed that there is a need to focus on implementation of measures. Accompanying plans should be more strategic and flexible and not just a list of rules.
Furthermore, special focus seems to be put into the outcomes of management plans, whilst assessing the process of management itself is often overlooked. Another important point raised was the necessity of Protected Areas to address the surrounding area to the Parks, were the majority of pressures generate, in their planning process.
Notes on governance and decision-making
One of the key conclusions raised in the Discussion Hub and Speakers’ Corner on governance is that it is not an easy factor to measure and that, despite the existing willingness, it requires training and time. Additionally, assessing governance status needs to be lead by a clear purpose and the existence of varied political frameworks and bureaucracy is often a substantial burden.
Furthermore, throughout Europe there seems to be a ‘fear’ of changing existing approaches on governance and decision-making, due to the uncertainty of not knowing if the change will lead to improved results.
Results from a Mentimeter from the Discussion Hub on Capacity Building.
The development of capacities for an effective management
It is no secret that Protected Area managers need to have a wide range of competencies. This ranges from a good understanding of policy frameworks, laws and regulations, to technical expertise in monitoring, management and conservation techniques, as well as financial management. Of course, excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential as well, as more often then not, Protected Area managers are managers of people.
The many demands on those working in Protected Areas, requires a continued professional development. This can be delivered through (partially) online accessible training programmes, as well as peer learning and networking. Platforms like the European Nature Academy can serve as centralised resources, providing training materials, case studies, and interactive modules. Participants underlined that the main challenges here are (a lack of) allocation of funds, and standardisation of practices: Harmonising conservation tools and practices across EU regions is essential, as disparities in methods and interpretations can impede unified progress towards biodiversity targets.
Communicating to improve
The importance of communication is nothing new for Protected Area staff. Effective communication is essential to involve local communities and engage stakeholders in participatory processes. However, there is more to communication than creating a product. In the framework of Management Effectiveness Protected Area staff also need to understand the impact their communications have. This can be a tricky thing to monitor. For this to be done effectively, it all starts with setting appropriate objectives: what is it that you hope to achieve with this piece of communication? How this can be achieved should always be the second question, not the first.
Furthermore, communication to ensure effective Protected Area management also means communication between sectors. It is essential to create bridges between the different sylos. Ensuring that researchers and practicioners talk to each other, creates benefits for both ‘sides’. The most effective way of doing that, is ensure there are places, either digital or in the real world, for them to meet and exchange.
EUROPARC wants to thank all presenters and participants that stimulated the debates during this event!
