Investing in young professionals working for Protected Areas

EUROPARC strongly believes that young professionals have a vital role to play in caring for Europe’s natural heritage. Like everything else, the future of Protected Areas relies on the young generation taking an active and informed role. Each year the EUROPARC Federation, with support from the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S., awards three Alfred Toepfer Natural Heritage Scholarships to promising young conservationists, who are committed to working for the benefit of Protected Areas. The aim of the scholarships is to enhance international cooperation and to advance the quality, innovation and European dimension of Protected Area management.

Each scholarship is worth €3.000 and enables successful applicants to undertake a study visit on a particular theme to Protected Areas in European countries.

While there are many opportunities for students to get scholarships to improve their skills abroad, there are few for those who have already entered the working world. Hence, the aim of this scholarship is to give the opportunity to those young professionals that have chosen to develop a career in Protected Areas, to improve their skills and learn from other professionals by carrying out study visits to Protected Areas across Europe.

The Alfred Toepfer Natural Heritage Scholarship 2023 – final year

Due to changes within the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung, 2023 was the final year of the Alfred Toepfer Natural Heritage Scholarships. EUROPARC is actively working on finding an alternative for young professionals. You can find previous winners of the Scholarship here.

For more information or questions, please contact us.