Dear Centralparks and Central Europe friends,

The Coronavirus (Covid-19) has shocked thousands of people around the world since it first emerged in China last December.

It has compelled many governments to lock down their citizens to a degree unimaginable until recent times. It will probably cause the most brutal recession in history. In Europe, and around the world, governments are getting tougher, and the Carpathians, as the lungs of Europe, seem not to be immune. Biodiversity loss probably weakens our ability to combat pandemics or similar events and the deficiency of basic preparedness of individual countries might be an important obstacle for immediate and concrete responses. At this very sensitive stage of our lives, the Centralparks project would like to thank all those who are engaged on the front line contrasting the virus and assisting all those in need, wherever they are. We are sure that this time we are living in will affect our approach of carrying on our daily work, in such a way that no one gets left behind. Protecting Carpathian biodiversity, engaging as many people as possible and communicating to everyone will be vital for saving the lungs of Europe, the Carpathians.

We’re going to come out of this stronger than ever!

Keep up to date on our website!

Building management capacities of Carpathian protected areas for the integration and harmonization of biodiversity protection and local socio-economic development

The Carpathians belong to the most important European eco-regions. Biodiversity loss and increasing pressures threaten its outstanding natural values. Traditional approaches to resource management and nature conservation are no longer sufficient to guarantee long-lasting economic benefits and provision of ecosystem services. 

Centralparks aims at improving management capacities of Carpathian protected areas. The project will support nature protection and local sustainable development, improve integrated environmental management capacities and policies, enhance transnational cooperation, and mitigate current threats and pressures to biodiversity. Policy support documents and tools, tailored for decision-makers and protected area managers, focus on enhancing biodiversity and landscape conservation, local sustainable tourism development, integrated nature conservation planning, habitat evaluation, ecosystem services, and communication with local communities. 

Centralparks promotes joint actions for integrated management of biodiversity, including joint transnational thematic task forces, involving experts from Carpathian countries. The project will reconcile nature conservation and local socio-economic development in order to raise also the support and involvement of local communities. 

Centralparks encourages transnational networking, aims at harmonizing approaches at the international level and will facilitate the harmonization of measures undertaken in border and transboundary-protected areas. Common strategies elaborated during the project will be submitted for the endorsement by the Carpathian Convention.