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Centralparks partners met in Visegrád
On 30th of September, after a long-awaited time filled with online discussions, Zoom presentations and workshops in the virtual realm, Centralparks partners were able to meet again physically in Visegrád, Hungary.
The partner meeting provided the possibility to revisit the past months of work, celebrate the successes and plan the last 6 months of the project.
The Centralparks team has shortly before been actively involved in the ConnectGREEN final conference, thanks to the strong and fruitful relations with the ConnectGREEN project and the Secretariat for the Carpathian Convention. The project team has looked back on the successful CNPA event organised one dy earlier, which has been a great meeting with a large number of presentations, as this event created the opportunity to have on board all the countries represented.
Partners reviewed the state of the art of the thematic work packages. In the previous months, Centralparks reached several milestones:
- The Strategy for Enhancing Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation and the Strategy for LSTD have been submitted by SCC to CC Parties and presented by LP to the relevant CC Working Group.
- Two pilot actions foreseen under the implementation activities of the aforementioned strategies were carried out in Poland. As well as the training for Polish PA managers on communication with local communities.
- The LiDAR pilot action, the habitat mapping of Börzsöny Mountain and part of the forest fauna evaluation have been fully implemented thanks to the long research and field work carried out by Duna-Ipoly National Park.
- The 2nd official round table of the CNPA SC has been organized and held online. A further CNPA conference has been organized in the framework of the ConnectGREEN final conference.
- Centralparks main achievements have been presented during several online meetings and events in order to bring the contents of the project among its planned target groups.
- The Carpathian Ecosystem Services Toolkit has been developed and being layouted in the upcoming months in English as well as Polish, Slovak, Czech and Hungarian.
- A workshop for 50 stakeholders in Nová Lhota in Czechia took place, focusing on the Ecosystem Services Assessment and the Carpathian Ecosystem Services Toolkit
- Centralparks has established a close cooperation with several other EU-funded projects, such as ConnectGREEN, SaveGREEN and BEECH POWER
The meeting was attended by Henk Zingstra from Eurosite, who expressed its interest in cooperating with Centralparks and the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas.
The Centralparks team is looking ahead to the last phase of the project with dedication and excitement, working side by side to contribute to the sustainable future of the Carpathian region.
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Henry Ford
How Centralparks uses LiDAR
The LiDAR survey is a method of the 3D scanning procedures and sensory remote sensing technologies. Here is how and where Centralparks partners use it.
How Centralparks uses LiDAR?
Centralparks partners use LiDAR in the selected pilot area to measure the distance with the use of laser rays from a plane. Scientists point these lasers in the direction of the Earth-Centerpoint to surface modeling from the generated point-cloud.
With the current instruments (e.g. Leica), we are collecting the part-reflection of the discharged pulse. This allows us to obtain information from the absolute route of the given bunch.
Different part-reflections from the given bunch, however, can be aggregated separately through the first (canopy level), the lowest (ground level) and the reflections in between. Such method is unique in that it allows for the reflection from the different heights to be aggregated and filtered. It is for this reason, why we can prepare a surface model (from the closest points – DSM) and a digital relief model (from filtering the furthest reflections – DEM) from just one measurement.
Where exactly are we piloting LiDAR?
Centralparks partners implement LiDAR laser scanning technology in the south of the Kemence-river’s valley. This valley is often called the ’central volcanic area’. It covers most of the planned ‘A zone’ (according to the IUCN criteria); the Szent Mihály-mountain’s block and the smaller part of the Ipoly-valley (for testing purposes).
Achieving bigger goals with LiDAR
Our primary goal is to make time-series comparison of the development of forest cutting and monitoring of natural disturbance. Another usability of the gained data, however, is that it allows for prediction of species. Such prediction is based on the collected biotic data and modeling procedures. Furthermore, with the fine resolution relief models, Centralparks partners can also map the archeological pieces of evidence. These, for example, include soil castles and mines.
The vegetation or tree heights models are very important qualities behind habitat desciption. They help to indicate the unnatural stands, while also capturing the young stands. Moreover, with the LiDAR method, we can also dig into the the inner structure of the wood stands. These include the presence of the shrub éevel and the heights of the dominant canopy. All this data is crucial when it comes to protecting forests in that it allows for better forest management planning.
Last but not least, to plan the future water management and water retention – with the use of LiDAR we also prepared flooding models for the Ipoly river valley. To learn more about LiDAR methodology read our previous deliverables and outputs here.
2nd CNPA Steering Committee Round Table
On the 19th of July 2021, the 2nd CNPA (Carpathian Network of Protected Areas) Steering Committee Round Table took place. Here are the key updates concerning the Interreg Central Europe Centralparks project and its thematic work package updates that have been shared with the CNPA Steering Committee.
1st Thematic Work Package: Integration of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the Carpathian region
- On 10th June this year, the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention has officially submitted the strategy for local sustainable tourism development based on the natural and cultural heritage of the Carpathians to the Parties of the Carpathian Convention.
- On 7th July 2021, the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention has submitted the draft Carpathian strategy for enhancing biodiversity and landscape conservation outside and inside protected areas to the Parties of the Carpathian Convention.
- Under the frameworks of two strategies, Centralparks also ran two pilot actions in Poland, in Pieniny National Park and Magurski National Park. Concerning the local sustainable tourism strategy meeting in Magurski National Park, several important stakeholders expressed their willingness to cooperate with the National Park Director on the implementation of the local strategy for the Magura region.
2nd Thematic Work Package: Building capacities of Carpathian protected areas managers
- Based on the second thematic work package, Centralparks partners finalised numerous deliverables. These include: Forest state evaluation protocol, Grassland state evaluation protocol, Evaluation of LiDAR results and feasibility study for external public authorities, and Habitat Mapping Guidelines.
- The preparation of the 3rd part of the background documentation is currently taking place. It will include the results on habitat mapping, forest and grassland state evaluation, LiDAR, Forest fauna evaluation. The partners and transnational thematic task forces (TTTF) members will then prepare the final output.
In the meantime, however, Danube-Ipoly National Park Directorate (DINPD), in the area of the Börzsöny Mountains, has supervised several forest management plans. DINPD determined 3,000 survey points.
3rd Thematic Work Package: Carpathian Ecosystem Services Toolkit
The final proposal of the Carpathian Ecosystem Services Toolkit (CEST) has been now finalised. Furthermore, Centralparks partners have also finalised and distributed the shortened version for translation to other Carpathian languages.
Out of the key ongoing tasks, there is currently the development of the annex to CEST on the ecosystem services’ capacity in the Carpathian region. It will produce the step-by-step guide for using the CEST. Additionally, it will be delivered alongside the training programme for local and regional authorities.
Upcoming international conference with important CNPA contribution
CNPA is currently actively contributing to the international conference ‘Protected Areas – cornerstones of ecological connectivity in the Carpathians and beyond’. Main topic of this event is ‘Ecological connectivity inside and outside Protected Areas‘.
The conference will take place between 28-30 September 2021 in Visegrad, Hungary. Given the current pandemic situation, it will also be possible to join the meeting online. If interested to take part, please submit your registration for the conference until 15th of September 2021.
This conference will offer the participants to:
- Learn about recent developments in the Carpathians;
- Raise awareness on the need for cross sectoral approaches for the identification, conservation and restoration of ecological connectivity in Carpathians and beyond;
- Serve the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas members to get together, exchange knowledge and experience, hear about new methods and approaches to improve and safeguard ecological connectivity;
- Offer space for cross-sectoral discussion, as improvement of ecological connectivity needs more spatial planning, agriculture,forestry, transport etc.
- Foster collaboration between projects dealing with ecological connectivity.
Closing Carpathian Quiz – announcing the winners!
From 1st of June to 19th of July, Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE project Centralparks ran an educational Quiz on the Carpathian region. In the last two weeks, the results were finalised and winners – announced. What an excellent digital event this has been!
What was the quiz about?
The Centralparks Quiz included 17 questions. The basis of these questions consisted of geographical and biological aspects concerning the region.
Besides that, however, another key aspect of the Quiz featured the Centralparks project itself. This, in turn, was done to facilitate knowledge on both tasks and expected outcomes, performed in this project. Consequently, general public was able to obtain an important information on the general essence of Centralparks and the ideas behind it.
Some interesting insights
- The Quiz question that received largest number of correct answers was:
4. What is the highest peak in the Carpathians?
A. Moldoveanu peak in Romania
B. Rysy, on the border of Poland and Slovakia
C. Gerlachovský peak in Slovakia
D. Vysoká peak in Slovakia
Correct Answer: C. Gerlachovský peak in Slovakia
- The Quiz question that received smallest number of correct questions was:
13. To safeguard all the above species within their respective protected areas, The Interreg Centralparks project has been created. Its key aim is to facilitate knowledge exchange between the Carpathian protected area managers. Why do you think this has to be done?
A. To share the best protection-related practices
B. To raise awareness about the protected areas
C. To improve management capacities of Carpathian protected areas
D. All of the above
Correct Answer: C. To improve management capacities of Carpathian protected areas
! Notably, all other questions related to Centralparks project were answered correctly in over 70% of cases. Consequently, this means that the participants have improved the knowledge of the Centralparks objectives as they proceeded with the Quiz.
Overall, out of 50 Quiz submissions, the average rate of correct questions was over 80%. This is a great number, as it shows the already existing knowledge, that the general public holds of the Carpathians and its treasures. By improving and spreading this knowledge further, it will be possible to truly preserve the greatest magic of this region!
Announcing the winners
By using random generator, Centralparks partners have selected 10 winners. All winners have been already issued their prizes, prepared earlier by the Centralparks partners.
Big congratulations go to the following winners:
Czech Republic:
Petra Horáčková
Ondrej Vitek
Slovakia:
Paulina Feriancova
Erik Harman
Peter Hrubovský
Tomáš Rovný
Hungary:
Zalaba Ádám
András Zágon
Albert Csilla
Poland:
Mieczysław Bętkowski
! And, of course – big congratulations likewise go to all other people, who have taken part in the Quiz and whose names, alongside their greatest Carpathian poems, we are promoting below.
6th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention
The Carpathian Convention is a subregional treaty to foster the sustainable development and the protection of the Carpathian region. It has been signed in May 2003 by seven Carpathian States (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Ukraine). Carpathian Convention Conferences of the Parties are organized to strengthen bonds between the partners and to serve as a reminder about the goals of this Convention. This year brought a surprise, as the physical conference of the Carpathian Convention COP6 (initially scheduled on 14-16 September 2020 in Rzeszow, Poland) had to be cancelled and moved to the virtual format. Therefore, on the 25th of November 2020, the 6th Meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP6) will take place in the virtual realm.
This year at the COP, the 3-year Presidency of the Carpathian Convention will be handed over from Hungary to Poland. The COP will create a platform to review the status of the implementation of the Carpathian Convention and will focus on harmonizing and strengthening sustainable development in the Carpathian region.
More information on the website of the Carpathian Convention:
COP6 general information and previous Conferences of the Parties
11th meeting of the Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee
To prepare for this conference, the Carpathian Convention Secretariat organized the 11th meeting of the Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee (CCIC). It was held on 8th of October in online format. During this meeting, fruitful discussions and idea exchanges were summarized in the draft COP6 Decisions document. This document contains information on what the Carpathian Convention is seeking to achieve in the next years, what measures should they implement and what examples to use.
We are very delighted that Centralparks has been endorsed in the Decisions Draft, and called to make significant contributions to the protection of natural and cultural heritage of the Carpathians in two different categories: Conservation and sustainable use of biological and landscape diversity and Sustainable tourism. Regarding the conservation and sustainable use of biological and landscape diversity, Centralparks gives considerable support to the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas (CNPA) activities, encourages CNPA and WG Biodiversity. Regarding sustainable tourism, the Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee takes note of the activities of the Centralparks project, especially the Strategy for Local Sustainable Tourism Development based on natural and cultural heritage of the Carpathians. The Secretariat encouraged the parties to contribute to and use the results of the Centralparks project accordingly. This is a great honour to the partners of Centralparks, highlighting the importance of our work.
Please also read: The Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee welcomes Centralparks
Webinar about the Green Carpathians on 25 September
The registration is now open for the Green Carpathians webinar, held in the framework of the EU Green Week. It will take place on Friday 25 September, from 11am CET!
This webinar will be focusing on transnational cooperations to address the biggest threats to the biodiversity of the Carpathian Mountains. Participants will learn more about the most ambitious Carpathian projects focusing on the protection of Carpathian biodiversity, including the Interreg projects TransGREEN, Centralparks and ConnectGREEN, as well as the recently launched Interreg SaveGREEN and LIFE SwiPE.
The webinar will be held in English over the Zoom platform. Don’t miss out, register here (registration is mandatory for this webinar)!
You can download the invitation and agenda here:
Meeting online with the CONNECT2CE project
On Friday, April 17th 2020, an online synergy meeting was held between partners of projects Centralparks and CONNECT2CE. The aim of this online meeting was to address some of the main aims of CE projects: exchange views, establish partnerships and capitalize on results.
This meeting’s specific aim was twofold. Firstly, to present the projects and share knowledge about project objectives and results. Secondly, to identify common problems and to think about possible future collaborations.
The CONNECT2CE project focuses on tackling the weak accessibility of regional, peripheral and cross-border areas of Central Europe to and from main transport networks and hubs, which is caused by the long lasting phenomenon of urbanisation. The project, which will to be concluded in May 2020, elaborated harmonised and coordinated transnational strategies, action plans and tools to be mainstreamed and implemented at regional as well as cross-border level, also through pilot actions in three thematic areas.
One of the main goals of Centralparks is to integrate biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the Carpathian region. One policy document developed in the framework of the project is a strategy for local sustainable tourism development based on natural heritage of the Carpathians, for which the connectivity and accessibility of protected areas and the management of tourism flows are of paramount importance.
Following a short introduction of both projects, an in-depth discussion was held amongst participants, covering a number of topics, which encompassed also sustainable tourism. Among these were the role of sustainability in the transport sector and the role of sustainable public transport solutions to make protected areas more accessible. Moreover, the necessity to support sustainable travel within and between protected areas was discussed. Participants also referred to the involvement of administrations of natural and cultural sites and local communities in creating attractive public transport offers.
Overall, the first synergy meeting organized by Centralparks was successful due to the kind commitment of the representatives of the CONNECT2CE project. It was very fruitful to share useful information and creating synergies among these projects. The final conference of CONNECT2CE will be held online on the 28th of May 2020 during which Centralparks project partners are honoured to be able to participate.
For more information on the CONNECT2CE project, click here.
Centralparks meets online
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the world in a rapid pace and bring serious economic, geopolitical and health impacts. Nevertheless, the Centralparks project team stays connected during the times of physical distancing, and focuses on maximising communication in the virtual realm.
On 17th March, an the first online partner meeting took place within the frame of Centralparks. Partners discussed the project progress together with planned activities for the year of 2020 and harmonized the time planning within the team.
The meeting was opened with the presentation of Isidoro De Bortoli, project manager and Stefania Lochmann, financial manager of Centralparks. They summarized shortly the project progress and informed the partnership about Programme measures and instructions related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Considering the emergency situation, the partnership reached the conclusion that the 3rd physical partner meeting, scheduled for May in Slovakia will be postponed. During this sensitive period, the project consortium continues its work and will exchange information and experiences using digital means.
Ms Eleonora Musco informed the partnership about the outcome of the Meeting of the Carpathian Convetion Working Group on Biodiversity and Carpathian Network of Protected Areas Steering Committee meeting, organised within the framework of the ConnectGREEN project. The meeting focused on providing a platform for necessary discussions related to the International Action Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of the Carpathian Large Carnivores Population, as well as the Strategy of the Identification, Conservation, Restoration and Management of Ecological Corridors in the Carpathian Ecoregion. As partner projects, ConnectGREEN and Centralparks will organise synergy activities in the upcoming years. More information on the meeting can be found here.
Following critical discussions focusing on the next steps in the project, each Thematic Work Package (WP T) leader presented the state of the art of the project activities. Zbigniew Niewiadomski from the WP T1 leader Ekopsychiogy Society shared with the partners the current working status of the Thematic Transnational Task Forces. Carpathian experts are actively cooperating in all three task forces to develop transnational Carpathian strategies focusing on biodiversity and landscape conservation, sustainable tourism and communication between protected areas and local communities. Partners agreed that in the future, a combination of physical meetings and online meetings could be a good solution to increase work efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of the project.
Next up, Borbála Szabó-Major from the Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate updated the partnership about the status of WP T2 activities. The area for the pilot LIDAR scanning has been designated. She also shared the progress made by experts in the development of forest state and grassland state evaluation protocols to monitor Carpathian habitat types.
The status report of WP T3 activities was presented Ján Kadlečik from State Nature Conservancy on the Slovak Republic and Radoslav Považan from Pronatur. Carpathian experts are working extensively on the development of the Carpathian Ecosystem Services Toolkit and embrace online meetings for input collection.
The last presentation focused on communication, presented by Hanna Öllös from European Wilderness Society. Public outreach and stakeholder involvement is a key topic for Centralparks. In these difficult times, digital communication as a productive medium has its chance to be the primary channel to engage the public. The partnership of Centralparks works in harmony and is dedicated to continue its work for the Carpathians, the green lungs of Europe.
Centralparks at the EU Week of Regions and Cities
From the 7th to the 10th October our IVY volunteer Jonas attended the “European Week of Regions and Cities” at the EU headquarters in Brussels. Jonas is part of the „Interreg Volunteer Youth“ (IVY) and supports the European Wilderness Society with the communication of Centralparks. IVY invited 10 volunteers to this annual four-day event, that brings together over 6000 people involved in regional policy. One of the invited volunteers was our Centralparks volunteer Jonas.
During the week, Jonas could experience the EU firsthand. After an opening at the European Parliament, there was a fair of Interreg projects and a variety of workshop, sessions and presentations. There, government officials, journalists, researchers and representatives of many different organisations and regions came together to discuss how regional policy can strengthen Europe.
„It was amazing to see how passionate many people are about the EU.“
Jonas Sommer, IVY volunteer
The highlight of the week for Jonas was the session of IVY. There he presented his work in the Centralparks project and his Citizens Engagement Activity “WILDArt Majella“. This week, just like our project, shows how important cross-border and trans-regional cooperation is. Sharing knowledge and experiences is crucial to conserve nature and improve the situations for rural communities in Europe.
