Presentation to Wilderness Foundation UK
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Transcript of Presentation to Wilderness Foundation UK
Fulufjället NP ©Vitantonio Dell’Orto/exuviaphoto.com
Paanajärvi NP © Viktor
Gritsuk
Zoltan Kun, Executive DirectorPAN Parks Foundation
THE MILLION PROJECT
Paanajärvi NP ©Viktor Gritsuk
What we do
• PAN Parks works to protect Europe’s wilderness, the continent’s most undisturbed areas of nature
• the only European-wide organisation focusing on the protection of wilderness areas
Archipelago NP © Seppo Keränen
Stopping biodiversity loss
• increasing number of protected areas• 17% of Europe’s land is protected
BUT Europe failed to stop biodiversity loss
Fulufjallet NP © Vitantonio Dell’Orto
Why focusing on wilderness?
Protecting wilderness contributes to
biodiversity protection
Why focusing on protected areas?
• improve management effectiveness
• involve local communities
• increase public support
• create new funding opportunities
⋙ PAN Parks conceptMajella NP © Bruno D’Amicis
Network of certified PAN Parks
©iStock/Graeme Purdy
237 000 ha of wilderness
Wilderness momentum
• European Parliament’s special report on wilderness
• European Commission- ‘Agenda for Wilderness’
• Wilderness in Biodiversity Strategy
What we have achieved so far
Threats to protected areas
• increased poaching due to economic decline -
Central Balkan NP, Bulgaria
• dam building in Küre Mountains National Park,
Turkey
• ski resort in Pirin NP, Bulgaria
• large scale logging in Tatra NP, Slovakia
• road building in Domogled National Park,
Montenegro
Archipelago NP © Seppo Keränen
The Million Project
To ensure guaranteed protection of 1 million hectares of wilderness in Europe by 2015
• Collect & promote scientific information evidence of wilderness benefits & services
• Initiate creation of new protected wilderness areas
• Encourage managers of smaller areas to take steps towards more natural processes (evolutionary)
• Increase the awareness on Europe’s existing wilderness and get wider support
Expected conservation benefits
Rila NP © Nicolas Cegalerba
Target groups
• protected area managers• green NGOs• policy/decision makers• researchers/academics• educational institutions• existing and potential travellers/visitors• tourism professionals• nature minded activitists• financial donors
What is wilderness?
• nature is left to develop on its own• native species, animals roam free• no human intervention
Oulanka NP ©Hannu Hautala
How we protect Europe’s wilderness
Majella NP ©MNP
CONSERVATION
• Ensuring commitment of protected areas to preserve wilderness
• Improving wilderness management in partner protected areas
Paanajärvi NP © PNP Archives
Conservation approach
Building partnerships with protected areasthat join our Europe-wide wilderness movement
Conservation partnerships
Majella NP © Bruno D’Amicis
• Wilderness partners: areas with wilderness committed to wilderness protection (no size criteria)
• Certified PAN Parks: branded parks with min. 10,000 ha of wilderness(best of Europe’s wilderness)
Retezat NP © Mihai Moiceanu
Wilderness partners
• can join ‘The Million Project’
• sign a commitment to preserve their wilderness area
• identify the major risk of the long term preservation of their wilderness area and possible ways of cooperation with PAN Parks in protecting it
Polistovsky Nature Reserve, Russia
Natural ecosystem dynamics of raised bogs
• 37,000 ha of wilderness
• challenge with invasive species like racoon dog
Lagodekhi National Park, Georgia
Unique wilderness untouched for 99 years
• 22,258 ha of wilderness
• potential for tri-lateral wilderness area
Retezat NP ©iStock/Falk Kienas
Rodna National Park, RomaniaInterested also in becoming a Certified PAN Park
• 6,000 ha of wilderness with the opportunity to enlarge
• Challenges with ecosystem monitoring and species management
Swiss National Park, SwitzerlandOne of the oldest European example of wilderness management
• 17,600 ha of wilderness
• main interest in research
• challenge with lack of resources
• centennial in 2014
Borjomi-Kharagauli NP © Kote Gabrichidze
What did we gain so far
• increased wilderness coverage to 320,000
• greater interest from the NGO and GO sectors
• increased interest from the corporate sector
What do we need yet?
Retezat NP ©iStock/Falk Kienas
• partners to increase the coverage to 1 million hectares
• partners to increase public awareness
• research partners
• fundraising partners and...
• DONORS
Paanajärvi NP ©Viktor Gritsuk
We can protect the last pieces of Europe’s wilderness together for future generations!
Protecting wilderness together
PAN Parks works to protect
Europe’s wilderness, the
continent’s most undisturbed
areas of nature
www.panparks.orghttp://www.facebook.com/
panparkshttp://linkedin.com/panparks
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