EUROPARC Conference 2010: Registration now open!!

After a short delay we are pleased to announce that the registration for our 2010 Conference ‘Living together. Biodiversity and Human Activites: A Challenge for the Future of Protected Areas’, is now open.

The conference this year takes place from 29th September to the 2nd October in Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park in Italy. The four day conference, hosted by the national park, marks the International Year of Biodiversity and boasts many great keynote speakers, fantastic workshops and exciting excursions all of which highlight elements of the above theme. In addition it offers attendees the chance to meet colleagues and to network with like minded people in the field of protected area management and nature protection.

The conference will open officially on Wednesday 29th of September with prominent local and national Italian politicians and speeches from EUROPARC President Erika Stanciu and Deanne Adams, the President of the International Ranger Federation followed by dinner and a concert from vocal Trio Othiasos.

Thursday begins with Keynote speeches from a plethora of great speakers including: Sarrat Gidda, Convention for Biological Diversity; Harvey Locke, Vice President of Wild Foundation; Carlo Petrini President of Slow Food International; Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service, USA; and Ladislav Miko, Director of Nature Directorate, DG Environment, European Commission. The session will be chaired by Dr Hans Freiderich, IUCN Regional Director for PAN Europe.

The EUROPARC General Assembly will take place in the afternoon followed by a number of side meetings.

Excursions take place on the Friday. There are 21 to choose from with differing levels of difficulty but all will give participants a great in-sight into the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park and its surroundings. Learn about the history of the area, explore the local villages and get to know their inhabitants, discover the national park, its culinary delights and biodiversity including red deer, the Chamois and the bear.

Participants can learn about and discuss a number of topics concerning biodiversity and nature protection in the workshop sessions on Saturday 2nd October. There are 20 workshops in total exploring five main themes: Biodiversity, use of resources/human activities, the co-management of natural resources/protected areas, values and benefits, and the future of protected areas. Presentations will be held in each workshop from experts in the field, giving the basis for questions and discussion that will follow.

The conference will be rounded up in the plenary session in the afternoon and a summary from Michael Starret, Chief Executive Heritage Council, Ireland. The gala dinner in the evening marks the end of the conference and is the perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of others and reflect upon the four days of

Register now* and pay our early bird fee, available until 6th June only, of 290€ for members or 320€ for non-members. The fee covers four days of conference, workshops, great keynote speakers, excursions and more (travel and accommodation is not included) - a bargain we are sure you will agree!

You are interested and want to read more about the conference? You want to take advantage of the early bird fee? Then visit www.parcoabruzzo.it/europarc2010 or contact europarc2010@parcoabruzzo.it for more information. Please circulate this email amongst your colleagues.

*Due to a technical hitch we can currently only take bank transfers as payment. Payment by credit card will be available next week.

EUROPARC Federation
Waffnergasse 6
93047 Regensburg
Germany
Tel: +49 (0)941 599 35 98-0
Fax: +49 (0)941 599 35 98-9
office@europarc.org
http://www.europarc.org/