Category Archives: Events

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Successful webinar on transnational aims to protect Carpathian biodiversity

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On the 25th of September 2020 in course of the EU Green Week, the webinar ‘Green Carpathians’ took place, organised by the project consortium of Interreg CE Centralparks, together with the Interreg DTP projects TransGREEN, ConnectGREEN, the recently launched projects Interreg DTP SaveGREEN and LIFE SwiPE, as well as the Carpathian Convention.

The keynote presentation was held by Harald Egerer, Head of UNEP Vienna office Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, who welcomed all speakers and participants of the webinar, and introduced the biodiversity hub and of the Danube-Carpathian region. He also gave an insight into the policy framework of the Carpathians and its integration with the EU Policy framework.

The second presentation, conducted by Gabriella Nagy from CEEweb for Biodiversity, concentrated on the introduction of the ConnectGREEN project, focusing on ecological corridors mapping and management, and spatial planning in the Danube-Carpathian region. Next, Isidoro De Bortoli, project coordinator from Eurac Research and project manager of Centralparks presented the Centralparks project and potential opportunities and role of the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas in the project. Following, Hildegard Meyer, project coordinator from WWF Central and Eastern Europe gave a presentation of the TransGREEN and SaveGREEN projects, the issue of habitat fragmentation and the importance these projects in ensuring Carpathian connectivity. Last but not least, Roselina Stoeva from WWF Bulgaria and project manager of the recently started LIFE SwiPE project introduced the importance of increasing the effectiveness of wildlife crime prosecution across Europe.

The webinar was moderated by Irene Lucius, Regional Conservation Director of WWF Central and Eastern Europe. The rich agenda covered biodiversity protection in the Danube-Carpathian region from a variety of perspectives, and featured and interesting exchange with participants. It created an opportunity to learn more about the natural values of the Carpathians and the main threats to their biodiversity, provided a platform to be inspired by previous initiatives and go into fruitful discussions about tasks for the near future.

Download the presentations and watch the recording below:

1. Keynote: Carpathians – hub for biodiversityDownload
2. Introduction to ConnectGREENDownload
3. Introduction to CentralparksDownload
4. Introduction to TransGREEN and SaveGREENDownload
5. Introduction to LIFE SwiPEDownload
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Guided nature excursions in the Czech Carpathians

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Following the introduction of safe preventive anti-epidemic measures in the Czech Republic, the Centralparks partner Education and Information Centre of Bílé Karpaty Mountains (VIS) was able to respond safely to the demand for excursions from the public.

During the months of May, June and July, VIS organized a total of 9 excursions within the Bílé Karpaty (White Carpathians) Protected Landscape Area, for example to the nature reserve Drahy, as well as to the national nature reserves Zahrady pod Hájem and Čertoryje for various target groups. Visitors had the opportunity to see the cultural landscape of Bílé Karpaty, its characteristic fauna and flora, especially the colourful wildflower meadows with blooming orchids, which offer a unique sight in this period. The main target group consisted of interested public, as well as teachers and local guides. Participants also learned about the Centralparks project, the focus of its actions in the Czech Carpathians and the role of VIS.

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Centralparks at the Carpathian Convention Working Group on Biodiversity and the Steering Committee of the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas

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6 March 2020 – Important announcement

Adjournment of the joint meeting of the Carpathian Convention Working Group on Biodiversity, Working Group on Sustainable Transport and the Steering Committee of the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas

Due to temporary restrictions on international travels for public health reasons related to COVID-19, the physical meeting of the Joint meeting of the Carpathian Convention Working Group on Biodiversity, Working Group on Sustainable Transport and the Steering Committee of the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas that was scheduled on 10 – 11 March 2020 has been adjourned sine die. Currently the organization of an online meeting, within which the most important topics will be discussed, is under way.

Please stay tuned for further news during the coming weeks!

Next week, the Centralparks project will be introduced to the Carpathian Convention‘s biodiversity experts and stakeholders at the Carpathian Convention Working Group (WG) on Biodiversity and the Steering Committee (SC) of the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas (CNPA), that will take place between 10– 11th March 2020 in Budapest, Hungary. The WG Biodiversity & the CNPA SC meeting will be organized in parallel with the WG Sustainable Transport meeting of the Convention. The meeting will be financially supported by the EU DTP ConnectGREEN project.

The meeting will offer the possibility to re-gather official members of the Steering Committee of CNPA after a long break.  CNPA was created in December 2006 as a regional thematic network for the cooperation of mountain protected areas in the Carpathians and a means of implementing the Carpathian Convention. The CNPA’s general objective is to contribute to the protection and sustainable development of the Carpathian protected areas and related natural assets.

The main goals of the CNPA are:

  • Promotion of cooperation on protection, restoration of nature and sustainable use of natural and cultural resources of the Carpathians;
  • Implementation of decisions and recommendations undertaken by the bodies established under the Carpathian Convention as well as of other applicable relevant international legal instruments;
  • Promotion of sustainable livelihoods and sustainable development of the Carpathians;
  • Implementation of the relevant provisions of the Protocol on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological and Landscape Diversity (Biodiversity Protocol) and of the Sustainable Tourism Protocol and its Strategy.

The CNPA SC is composed by National Focal Points, nominated by the Parties of the Carpathian Convention. The meetings of the CNPA SC, open to attend for interested observers, are focusing on coordinating activities of the CNPA, developing strategies and working plans for the CNPA, and organising the CNPA Conferences. 

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The Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee welcomes Centralparks

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The Centralparks project was introduced to the Carpathian Convention Parties and stakeholders at the 10th meeting of the Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee (CCIC), that took place on 12-13 December in Budapest, hosted by the Hungarian Presidency of the Convention.

The 10th meeting of the Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee offered the possibility for Member States to look back at the latest activities implemented in the region and to look forward to the next steps towards the 6th Conference of the Parties, to be held in Poland in Autumn 2020, and beyond.

In the frame of the meeting, Centralparks was presented by Mr. Mircea Verghelet. The project is considered a Carpathian Convention flagship project, which support the implementation of the Carpathian Convention under different strategic aspects and foster the cooperation within the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas (CNPA). Parties welcomed the future organization of the CNPA Steering Group meeting, back to back the Centralparks partners meeting, at the end of 2020 in Czech Republic.  ​Furthermore, CCIC encouraged the Carpathian Convention Working Group on Biodiversity and the Secretariat to support the organization of a Conference for the Carpathian Protected Areas within the Centralparks and EU DTP ConnectGreen projects at the beginning of 2021.​

You can find more information about the CCIC meeting here.

The Carpathian Convention

The Carpathian Convention is a consortium of seven Carpathian countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Serbia) to foster the sustainable development and protection of the Carpathian region. The Convention is one of only two sub-regional treaties for the protection and sustainable development of a mountain region worldwide. The Convention provides a framework for cooperation and multi-sectoral policy coordination, a platform for joint strategies for sustainable development, and a forum for dialogue between all stakeholders involved – from the local community and various NGO’s up to the regional and national governments, institutions of the European Union and the United Nations. Further information: http://www.carpathianconvention.org/

Centralparks attending the Youth Green Conference

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Developing new ideas and approaches to support young people’s (positive) attitude towards taking active action has been a big topic in the European Union. Young generation is becoming more and more aware about what is happening to our environment, about decision-making processes at national, regional and local levels. It is a general tendency that young people lose trust and confidence in political institutions and try new ways to find their voice and express themselves politically.

Therefore the Austrian-Ukrainian Youth Green Conference became a powerful tool to bring together young, bright people to talk about some pressing topics of today. Developed and organised jointly by the European Wilderness Society, partner in the Centralparks project and FORZA, Agency for Sustainable Development of the Carpathian Region, the 3-day Conference hosted approx. 60 young students from Ukrainian and Austrian schools. The event used many innovative ways to address the topics of sustainable transport, environment, the importance of wildlife and protected areas.

Centralparks was presented to these kids as an example of how the EU supports such transnational projects. They had the chance to openly discuss the importance of the Carpathians, the many ways local communities can benefit from such natural values and how can local decision-making bodies and communities be encouraged to be open for new tools for nature conservation. The presentation and related discussions were powerful to bring appreciation for natural treasures on a local level. Regardless of the level of development, cultural and societal differences, the nature in each country has its uniqueness and intrinsic value. Kids learned about the history and wildlife in the Carpathians, the purpose of protected areas and how human actions can influence the future of the Carpathian mountains. At the end of the day, kids were proud to know that they can contribute to the protection of the rich biodiversity of the Carpathians, in particular in the Ukraine.