The World Fish Migration Foundation coordinates World Fish Migration Day 2018 (WFMD) – connecting Fish, Rivers and People all over the globe through a wave of local events. Each of them aiming to create awareness on the importance of open rivers and migratory fish. Following the idea that creating awareness and connection are the first vital steps towards creating lasting commitments for making change happen globally.

www.worldfishmigrationday.com

Learn all about the inspiring happening in this 4-minute clip:

How does it work?

In every country, organisations host their own events – some internally, but mainly open to the public. What matters most is to create experiences that reach people and make them aware how fish migration matters to our eco-system and to communities’ livelihoods.

The idea is to inspire, share experiences and create connectedness from where joint commitment and actions can arise at global level. All of us, with our organisations are asked to spread awareness about the need for protection and development of migratory fish populations in river systems worldwide.

Why Migratory Fish Matters?

Many migratory fish species – reliant on migration to reproduce and to feed – are severely threatened by dams, weirs and sluices. Those man-made interventions interfere with rivers’ natural flow and that way with migratory routes. Migratory fish are essential to healthy and productive river systems and they play a vital role in the food chain – being an important food supply and livelihood for millions of people around the world after all.

How to get involved?

Inspire the swarm in Social Media: Check out events planned in your country and promote them using the hashtag: #worldfishmigrationday

Fish for attention & host your own event: Participating organizations organize their own event and outreach communication under the umbrella of the World Fish Migration Day (WFMD). Register and get some support guidelines by the WMFF: HERE.

Why hosting a WMFD event –  and what to do? Watch this short videoclip with National Geographic Fellow Dr. Zeb Hogan reporting s from Cambodia!

Need some more inspiration? Here you can find a global map of events planned so far for 2018.

Become a supporter organisation – help WFMD swimming upstream: The WFMD is supported by many organisations around the world, who help communicate and reach out to others. Have a look at other supporting organisations – could you be one of them?  

In 2017, EUROPARC welcomed 18 new members in the network! However, many more are to come… Despite the official merge with FEDENATUR in September 2017 in Portugal, FEDENATUR members will officially join EUROPARC in 2018. Stay tuned, as we will be announcing them one by one…!

For now, discover the new members that joined us in 2017…

From Belarus

For the first time, our network expanded to Belarus, as 2 Landscape Reserves joined in: the Republican landscape reserve Nalibokskiy and the Republican landscape reserve Ozery.

From Belgium

The Landscape Park Bulskampveld lies in the Hinterland of Bruges, one of the woodiest areas in Flanders. The Landscape Park is the largest connecting forest area in the province and covers no less than 90 km², offering over 150 kms of hiking trails. Besides, picturesque polder villages, charming cities, medieval castles and abbeys, and local produce delight the many tourists that visit the region.

From Denmark

Imagine a park that encompasses forest, meadows, marshlands, dunes, beach, and sea… that is the Wadden Sea National Park of Denmark (Nationalpark Vadehavet in Danish). See for yourself:

From Finland

The Friends of the Bothnian National Park joined our membership. They built a partnership between communities and citizens in the Bothnian Sea aiming to bring together those interested in the cultural and natural heritage in and around the Park. Read more about the Bothnian Sea National Park (Selkämeren kansallispuisto – Bottenhavets nationalpark in Finnish).

From Germany

In 2017, we welcomed 2 National Parks from Germany. In the Black Forest National Park (Schwarzwald Nationalpark in German) with its forests, bogs, grinds and lakes you can experience attractive contrasts: sometimes nature is gentle and lovely, sometimes wild and untamed.

The Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park is home to a large community of wildcats, shy animals that need lots of tranquility. Peace and quietness is exactly what Hunsrück, with its long, expansive forests, offers this species. In addition to the nature, the National Park offers a unique insight into cultural and historic relics from the Celtic and Roman eras.

From Luxembourg

The Our Nature Park is characterized by the vast plateau and the narrow, romantic rock valleys that have the rivers Our and Clerve have dug. Valuable habitats for many endangered plant and bird species have been preserved in the wetlands and remote areas of the river valleys.

From Spain

The Girona Provincial Council (Diputació de Girona in Catalan) supports the municipalities of the counties of Girona with the aim of providing all citizens with quality public services. The Council is responsible for the management of natural areas, where Montseny Nature Park is included.

From Switzerland

By encompassing in its territory large areas of forest, a valley with marshes and peat bogs, mountains and ridges covered with wooded pastures and, at their foot, a plateau consisting mainly of agricultural areas … The Park Jura vaudois is full of life! This diversity of landscape offers many habitats for a particular flora and fauna, and the Park has a fundamental role to conserve local biodiversity, whilst promoting traditional economic activities. The Park Jura vaudois was also the host of EUROPARC Conference in 2016!

Honorary Members

In Portugal, during EUROPARC General Assembly, members voted to invite as honorary members those awarded the Alfred Toepfer Medal. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that the following holders of the Medal are now Honorary Members of EUROPARC:

• Antonio López Lillo, Spain – holder of the Medal in 1994
• Arthur Mitchell, UK – holder of the Medal in 2012
• Gordon Miller, UK – Holder of the Medal in 2009
• Josep Maria Pratz, Spain – holder of the Medal in 2002
• Lassi Karivalo, Finland – holder of the Medal in 2010
• Malcolm Payne, UK – holder of the Medal in 2001
• Patrizia Rossi, Italy – holder of the Medal in 2006
• Rauno Väisänen, Finland – holder of the Medal in 2017

Would you like to be part of the biggest network of Protected Areas in Europe?

Read all about it on this page.