We are sad to communicate that Mr. Karl Friedrich Sinner has recently passed away.

Karl Friedrich studied Forestry at the University of Munich and, along his career, he susbstantially contributed to the administration and preservation of forests and protected areas in Europe, being considered a bridge between forestry and nature conservation. From 1998, he was the former Director of NP Bayerischer Wald and current vice-chair of EUROPARC Deutschland.

Frozen branches in the Bavarian Forest National Park (DE) © Federico Minozzi

In 2002, he was honored with the Karl-Gayer medal for his commitment to a nature-friendly silviculture by the School of Forest Science and Resource Management, Technical University of Munich. Later on in 2011, after his retirement, he was awarded with the Bavarian State Medal for Services to the environment.

Undoubtely, very shocking news for our EUROPARC network. From the directorate, we would like to send our warmest greetings to his family and friends.

Rest in peace Mr. Sinner.

Natural benefits: Nature, Health and Protected Areas.

28th MArch 2017  from 14:00 to 15:15 CET (Central Europe Time)

Register Today

The important contribution that nature makes to human health and well-being has long been recognised. But it is only perhaps in the last few years that an evidence base has been established that is medically compelling. This evidence provides new opportunities for protected area and natural environment managers to develop new links with the health sector.

On this EUROPARC webinar, we will further explore how nature and human being interact and we will learn from the existing synergies between nature conservation and health agencies in Europe that work together towards the development of specific plans to keep people healthy through their interaction with parks.

The webinar will be presented by Pete Rawcliffe, Manager of People and Places Unit at the Scottish Natural Heritage, who will give an overview on how people interact, understand, care for, and benefit from protected areas. Pete is also a EUROPARC’s Council member and is involved in the development of the new Commission on Health and Protected Areas of the Federation.

After the introduction, we will have the opportunity to learn from two specific case studies:

Case Study 1: “Our Natural Health Service”, by Bridget Finton.

In Scotland, physical activity and health inequalities are high on the agenda.  Building on the foundation of strong cross-sectoral policy recognition of the health benefits from nature and landscapes, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is playing a lead role in the development of ‘Our Natural Health Service’.  Working in partnership with a range of national and local organisations across the environment, transport, sport, education and health sectors, the initiative will deliver a step change in the contribution of the natural environment to health improvement.

Bridget Finton is a Policy and Advice Officer working on Scottish Natural Heritage’s health and participation agenda since 1993 and has been involved in a range of policy areas including countryside rangers, access rights and responsibilities. Bridget represented SNH at the 2014 IUCN World Parks Congress and presented a Scottish case study in the Healthy Parks Healthy People conference theme.

Case Study 2: “Fitness, Nature & Well-being”, by Mélissa Desbois.

The regional nature parks of the Nord Pas de Calais are working on a collaborative project in the field of outdoor sport and health together with the Regional Institute for Well-being, Medicine and Sport and the Mutualité Française (Health Insurance Fund). It involves countering the trend towards sedentary lifestyles and sets a range of challenges for people to undertake a variety of physical activities outdoors in the natural environments of the parks.

Mélissa Desboiss is Project Manager at Espaces Naturels Regionaux (ENRx), which is a regional federation conformed by the Nord-Pas de Calais Regional Council and 3 Regional nature parks.

How to join?

Ecoregion Julian Alps (Prealpi Giulie Regional Nature Park, IT and Triglav National Park, SI)

This year the European transboundary parks community will meet from 6th to 9th June to discuss climate change in cross-border protected areas at the 9th TransParcNet meeting “Changing climate – changing parks”.

The meeting will take place in Trenta in the Transboundary Ecoregion Julian Alps, composed of Prealpi Giulie Nature Park (IT) and Triglav National Park (SI).

This year’s meeting will focus on climate change effects, solutions for adaptation to those and examples of climate change mitigation from transboundary protected areas across Europe.

The climate is changing, bringing changes that affect the life of every being on earth. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we crop, they all depend on the quality of our ecosystems. Climate change isn’t a matter of single countries. Therefore cross-border protected areas, cooperating on environmental topics regardless of national boundaries, are at the forefront of tackling that issue together.

From the mountain tops to river basins there is a huge variety of cross-border protected areas. As diverse as they are in their nature, are their challenges, approaches and solutions towards climate change. Your contribution and experiences concerning climate change and related adaptation and mitigation strategies are very welcome.

Registration is open and on-line registration, including reservation of accommodation, is available HERE. Deadline for registration is 21st April 2017.

Programme

Tuesday, 6th June

14.00 Arrival, registration in the Triglav National Park Information Centre Dom Trenta, accommodation

17.00 Opening at Triglav National Park Information Centre Dom Trenta

• Short welcome by heads of the Transboundary Ecoregion Julian Alps
• Welcome by dr. Igor Šoltes, member of European Parliament, host parks and EUROPARC
• Introductory presentation of the Transboundary Ecoregion Julian Alps
• Short visit to Dom Trenta

19.00  Dinner Buffet of typical products from transboundary parks across Europe and come-together in the Triglav National Park Information Centre Dom Trenta

Wednesday, 7th June – Plenary session day

9.00 Presentation of the day (Mr. Marko Pretner, Triglav National Park)

9.15 Welcome

• Mr. Franco Iacop, president of the Council of Friuli Venezia Giulia (tbc)
• Mr. Daniel Krivec, member of Slovenian parliament

9.30 Session I – Changing climate, changing parks

• Changing climate – changing parks (Ms. Carol Ritchie, Executive Director EUROPARC Federation)
• Guidelines on Climate Change and N2000 (Representative of the European Commission, tbc)
• Climate change in the Ecoregion Julian Alps (Mr. Renato Roberto Colucci (CNR Trieste), Ms. Tanja Menegalija)

10.30 – 11.00 coffee break

11.00 Session II – Strategies to change

• CLIMAPARKS – A project on monitoring and study the effects of climate change on biodiversity (Mr. Andrej Arih, Triglav National Park)
• Danube Parks/ICPDR – Climate change adaptation strategy for the Danube Basin (Representative of Danube Parks/ICPDR, tbc)

12.30 – 13.30 Lunch break

13.30 – 15.00 Short walk on Soča Trail

15.00 – 15.30 Coffee break

15.30  Session III – Changing parks: sustainable measures for the future

• Towards a more sustainable tourism in the Julian Alps: Application of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in a transboundary area (Ms. Mojca Smolej, Triglav National Park)
• Creation of sustainable public transport in the region of two National Parks (Representative of Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland)

17.00 Conclusions of the day

17.30 Results and follow up of the Transboundary Strategy Planning Meeting in Regensburg

19.00  Dinner in the local Pub and invitation to TransParcNet meeting 2018

Thursday, 8th June – Excursion day

9.00 Departure of the bus for both excursions to the Ecoregion Julian Alps

• Excursion 1: Venzone (please see detailed description in programme for download)
• Excursion 2: Mt Canin / Kanin (please see detailed description in programme for download)

17.30 Coffee break in Park Visitor Center of Prato di Resia (IT)

18.00 Visit of Park Visitor Center of Prato

19.30 Dinner in Hotel Carnia

22.00 Departure to accommodation in Trenta

Information on participation and travel

Venue

Conference venue and starting point for the excursions will be the Triglav National Park Dom Trenta, Na Logu, Trenta. See also the map at: https://www.google.de/maps/search/Dom+Trenta+Triglav/@46.3798538,13.7232541,12z

Travel

By airplane

• Airport »Toneta Pučnika«, Brnik – Slovenia
• Airport »Marco Polo«, Venice, Italy
• Airport »Antonio Canova« Treviso, Venice, Italy

Shuttles will be organized from Ljubljana Brnik Airport, Udine train station or Jesenice train station.

By train

Trains are available to Udine (I) and to Villach (A), with good connection to Jesenice (SI)

By car

You need to reach Karavanke Tunel or Pass Koren, then you need to take direction to Kranjska Gora and over pass Vršič to Trenta, to Triglav National Park Information center Dom Trenta.

If you come from the South you have to reach Udine and then follow direction to Cividale del Friuli and Kobarid / Caporetto. From here take the direction to Bovec and Trenta.

Accommodation

The rooms are pre-booked. Because the venue is in a small village we can offer only 18 single bed rooms. All other accommodation is only possible in double rooms or apartments for two or three people. For booking and more information see the registration part. All accommodation is in the National Park Center or National Park House and in private accommodation, all in walking distance from the venue.

Costs

Currency – EURO

Transboundary meeting fee per participant is 150 EUR (VAT incl.).

Costs for accommodation per night per person with tourist tax:

Registration

The on-line registration, including reservation of accommodation, is available HERE.
The venue is in a small village and there is limited number of accommodation. Therefore we need to limit the number of participants to 50 people. Hence participants from transboundary areas will be given priority. Register soon!

Contacts

For logistic issues, please contact the Triglav National Park Information center Dom Trenta dom-tnp.trenta@tnp.gov.si or call the conference hotline +386 5 3889330.

For thematic questions please contact Stefano Santi (Parco naturale Prealpi Giulie) at stefano.santi@parcoprealpigiulie.it or Mojca Smolej (Triglav National Park) at mojca.smolej@tnp.gov.si

Learn more about the TransParcNet meetings here!

The EUROPARC Conference 2016 was host and organised by the Parc Jura vaudois, in Switzerland.

The Conference brought together over 300 delegates from 36 European countries, who had the chance to learn, exchange experiences and discover interesting examples  from all over Europe. Under the theme “We are Parks”, we examined the role of the people in our parks – from fund raising to governance models.

The Conference report is now available and it includes an overview of all moments of the Conference:

• General Assembly 2016
• Keynote speakers presentations
• Tutorials and Workshops conclusions
• President’s meeting
• Martekplace
• Inhabitants Party
• Award Ceremonies: Transboudanry Parks Programme, Alfred Toepfer Medal and Alfred Toepfer Natural Heritage Scholarship

Download the Report of EUROPARC Conference 2016

The bottom-up democratic model of parks in Switzerland helped us consider how communities can and do participate in the governance of our parks, while inspiring keynote speakers from the European Environmental Agency and the IUCN gave us interesting overviews on what’s going on in Europe and in the World. See the Plenary Session page to download all keynote speakers’ presentations.

Parks are ideal laboratories, playgrounds for democratic and participatory processes (regardless of the national context : Swiss approach or other European approaches). There is a need to transmit the importance of long term processes in order to improve our enviromental conditions for nature and mankind.

Watch the film of EUROPARC Conference 2016