KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Ladislav Miko

Parks and Protected Areas are in the spotlight across a range of different policies - what does that mean for the future? The Head of European Commission Representation in Slovakia reminds us that we are dealing with a different Europe: political priorities have changed, and they reflect changes in environment and the demand of citizens.

"We are living in a different Europe than not so long ago [...] the green agenda is dominating!"

The green agenda now dominates even traditionally non-green political forces. Ladislav highlighted that challenges for Protected Areas have shifted, but they are not smaller. These challenges include the biodiversity and climate crises, but also the politically competing areas that Protected Areas need to deal with. All in all, this will result in Protected Area professionals sometimes having to ask the "uneasy questions": what is the priority and how do we address conflicts of interest? Ladislav expertly highlighted these challenges from a policy perspective.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: George Holmes

George Holmes, Associate Professor of Conservation and Society at the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds shifted the spotlight on conservationists themselves. What are their values? What do nature conservationist think, and why? He created a special survey for the EUROPARC Network where he asked exactly these questions. During his keynote address, he presented the results.

The global conservation movement is diverse, but NOT divided.

What one of his findings, something he has found to be true in his career studying conservationists. Additionally, although the challenges presented to us are numerous, his survey found that overall the EUROPARC network is generally positive about the future. George's findings can support us in creating the future of conservation.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Frans Schepers

After turning the spotlight on the policy and environmentalist, it was now time to look at how we can achieve things on the ground. Frans Schepers from Rewilding Europe presented the work his organization is doing around Europe. The core principle of Rewilding Europe is that if we allow nature to bounce back, it does . As such, to get the best conservation results, protection is not enough: we need to recover our landscapes.

"The goal of rewilding is not to restore a painting that needs curing, it's about restoring a system that can look after itself."

During his keynote speech, he talked about the need, opportunities and principles for practical rewilding in Europe, and how this can be achieved. By providing examples from the eight landscapes Rewilding Europe is currently pioneering, Frans demonstrated a variety of scalable rewilding models. Additionally, he presented ideas on what role Protected Areas can play in creating more functional natural landscapes in Europe.

PRESENTERS AND PROJECTS