Seminars and Visits

Latest Events

EUROPARC Atlantic Isles Fitter for Future Conference 2030: Youth Voice
20-21st November 2024 Sheffield

The objective of the conference was to look at how can we do things differently now and, in the future, to ensure that our protected landscapes, and potential future designations, are special multifunctional places that meet the needs of nature, climate, people and place and make vibrant dynamic and relevant landscapes?

We asked the question “if we want to do things differently, how radical should we be and who will be the people and voices that will bring about change and how do we listen, engage, and support these communities and individuals?”

Youth

An overriding message from this conference has been the importance of youth engagement. The youth of today will solve the problems of our current crises and an important action point is to create Youth Voice Teams in our National Parks and national landscape areas. Sustainability in our National Park.

We need to build a youth voice into the structure in all our organisations and celebrate what’s being done by the pioneers to inspire others.

We want diverse entry-level opportunities and promote green careers as a whole.

A solution needs to be found for low-cost housing for young people and low-income earners in our National Parks and Protected landscapes. We also need to keep setting our vision of Nature and people moving together looking upwards and outwards beyond our boundaries

Dales and North York Moors youth voices on Flourishing Communities presentation

National Parks should be places where everyone can thrive—but for many young people, enjoying these landscapes feels out of reach.

Listen to the 13-minute presentation .

Only 6% of visitors to National Parks in England are under the age of 25. Children and teenagers today are growing up less connected to nature than any previous generation.
Beyond that, rural communities are struggling with a lack of local jobs, training opportunities, and affordable housing. How can young people stay in their communities when they can’t afford to live there? And how does heritage live on if young people are being pushed out of the villages and towns they were born into.

And with no consistent way for youth to have a voice in shaping the future of these spaces, why don’t all National Parks have something like Youth Voice or a Youth Council? And why are barriers still so apparent for young people?

The heritage and culture of our protected landscapes is so important, but how can we as a generation protect this if we are being forced away from the places we know? Who will pass on rural skills and knowledge if we can’t grow up surrounded by it.
From those who have grown up in National Parks, to those who’ve never even visited, we need to ensure National Parks are accessible to all young people—so we can help protect, inspire, and enhance these places for generations to come.

We are the future of National Parks. It’s time to make sure our voices are heard are barriers are broken.

Together, we can make changes, so the future of National Parks can flourish.
We need to make our landscapes more accessible for all young people, so we can flourish to inspire, protect and enhance our National Parks for years to come. We are the future of National Parks.

Here are a few of the solutions suggested:

We are talking about some big barriers to flourishing communities, particularly of young people, in National Parks. We know these are not easy fixes, and you might be sat thinking ‘well National Parks don’t control house prices, can’t increase council tax on second homes, and don’t even set our own budgets’.

There are things National Parks, can look to change as employers, in the short term, to help alleviate the symptoms of these big barriers, while we work on addressing the causes in the long term.

Many young people want to work for National Parks, but this can be really hard to do if you don’t already live within the area. We know National Parks have stretched budgets, reflected in salaries, and try to offer attractive benefits instead. But are these benefits equitable? Are they enough to bring young people into the area and into these roles? Some benefits, particularly salary sacrifice schemes, are often inaccessible for entry level roles, which are already disadvantaged in having a lower salary. Does your mileage claim policy disadvantage those who already live further away from the office and already incur higher commuting costs? Do you have diverse perspectives in the team which decides those benefits, or might you need to consult with young people?

Can we be bold? This presentation is outlining how much of a barrier housing is – can National Park look to secure housing, perhaps from existing holiday homes, to run as HMOs available for young employees who would otherwise struggle to move into the area? This could be a more accessible alternative to the relocation packages offered for permanent, higher-level roles

Previous seminars and Presentation Reports

Coastal Site Visits

Durham Heritage Coast  2nd October 2019

Lead officer – Niall Benson, Durham Heritage Coast Officer

An opportunity to get out of the office, visit great coastal sites and meet and share experience with other EAI members. Each day will start with a short meeting, followed by a tour to look at issues and projects that are being undertaken

Main themes – history, legacy issues and opportunities, management challenges, Beach Care, HLF SeaScapes project, inshore management, democratic deficit.
The Durham Heritage Coast is a great example of how different organisations have worked together to transform an industrial landscape into a nationally recognised Heritage Coast landscape, providing a range of cultural, natural, and geological places of interest, stunning coastal views and beaches and opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The Heritage Coast partnership has recently been successful in securing the first HLF marine Landscape Partnership funding which will help to deliver 30 projects set to benefit our coastal heritage, the marine environment and local communities. Through the 30 projects, the Seascapes scheme will improve access to beaches, explore the shipwrecks and habitats beneath the waves, improve biological recording through citizen science, construct a coastal conservation centre, tackle marine litter and create opportunities for local people and visitors to enjoy being on and in the sea.

Refreshments, lunch and minibus transport provided. Start and finish at Durham railway station / Seaham, depending on delegates mode of transport.

Dorset National Landscape     25th June 2019

Moors at Arne, Dorset AONB site visit on 25 June A group of 15 people assembled at Dorset Council offices in Wareham for a site visit arranged by Tim Venes, Chair of EAI’s Coastal and Marine Group, and coordinated locally by Tom Munro, Dorset AONB Manager. Neil Watson (Environment Agency), Dante Munns (RSPB) and Ian Alexander (Natural England) gave an initial introduction to the site and led the party on the visit. Arne Moors is an area of coastal grazing marsh on the edge of Poole Harbour that is increasingly under threat of flooding as sea levels rise. The visit, attended by participants from local authorities, CPRE, the National Trust, Natural England, Bournemouth University and the Dorset National Park Team heard about and discussed proposals for a managed realignment scheme to set back the sea bank and return the site to a mosaic of intertidal habitats, with an emphasis on wildlife but also public access opportunities. The consensus of those involved was that the day was both enjoyable and interesting, with discussion ranging well beyond the immediate site to issues such as the future of farming. If you are interested in hosting a site visit to showcase a project and providing a similar opportunity for sharing of ideas and experience, please get in touch!

Members Day Seminar – The Bell Inn, Charlbury in the Cotswolds National Landscape 8th May 2019

Bringing new life to protected Areas– involving and empowering of young people in protected areas. The event will look at how different protected areas in the UK and other parts of Europe, engage young people in the life and workings of protected areas and have used the Europarc Youth Manifesto as a source of ideas and inspiration. Speakers will look at what are young people’s ideas and needs, how a board has adopted the manifesto, setting up a youth council and how other European protected areas are working with young people.
 

Funding Protected areas

In the present financial climate all those involved in protected areas are having to look at new ways of funding their activities and developments.  This Europarc Atlantic Isles (EAI) event explored how we can work together and with new partners to find new income sources. The event  challenged our thinking about generating income.The event also looked at how we can continue to work and share learning and experiences with the wider Europarc family and continue active involvement in the Europarc Federation prior to the federations General Assembly and elections

Presentations were made by:

Professor Lynn Crowe

Andrew Denton CEO of Outdoor Industries Association

Mark Holroyd – Board member of National Parks Partnership

In the afternoon Anita Prosser preseneted the work of Europarc Atlantic Isles and the Federation

Our previous training seminar was’The Uses of Apps and New Media in Protected Landscapes

The day started with Karen Griffiths from the Yorkshire Dales National Park presenting an exciting overview of the park’s work in developing smartphone apps.

This was followed by a lively presentation from Anneleen Mengels in the Hoge Kempen Nationaal Park in Belgium examining the subject of digital payback.

Jan Wildefeld from EUROPARC Deutschland demonstrated superbly how web technology is being used to interest children in the work of protected areas and park rangers. The first part of his presentation can be found here.

Sarah West of the Stockholm Environment Institute, York, gave an inspiring outline of many tools in the field of citizen science relevant to conservation.

These presentations were followed up in workshops enabling participants to explore possibilities in greater depth:

Richard Hammond of Greentraveller gave insights into the use of video and social media to promote sustainable tourism in protected landscapes. (Link to be added)

David Aanensen of Imperial College, London demonstrated the uses of EpiCollect as a model for data gathering in biodiversity and other fields. (Link to be added)

‘Protect and Prosper – Optimising the economic benefits of designated landscapes’, held in Oxford on 10 February 2011.

• Seminar Report can be accessed here.

The presentations of the four keynote speakers can also be downloaded:

• Ruth Chambers, Campaign for National Parks: “Fresh air and far horizons – how can these be valued properly by decision makers?”
• Julius Arnegger, University of Würzburg, Germany: “Economic Impacts of National Parks – Experiences from Germany”.
• Wilf Fenten, EUROPARC Consulting: “Charter Protected Areas – Just the Business”.
• Cathy Hopley, Forest of Bowland AONB: “Why designated landscapes are good for the economy”.

Managing Landscapes: more outcomes, less outputs?, Edinburgh, 3-4 November 2009
Seminar report
 
Naturally Better – how protected landscapes can help deliver health and wellbeing outcomes, Wallingford, 26 March 2009
Seminar report
 
Presentations available:

Charlie Foster (Senior Researcher, University of Oxford), Green Space, physical activity and public health

Claus Jespersen (Director of Regional Office, Danish Forest and Nature Agency), Nature as an attractive sector for the preventative health sector.

Thomas Classen (Bielefeld School of Public Health), Nature conservation and preventative health protection in Germany – a strong partnership?
 
Beyond Boundaries – protected areas, cities and the European Landscape Convention, London, 26-27 January 2009
Seminar report
 
Making sustainable tourism a foundation of the rural economy, Belfast, 23-24 October 2008
Seminar report
 
Protected Areas in the 21st Century – what does the future hold? Cardiff, 27-28 March 2008
Seminar report
 
Community Engagement and Protected Areas: what works, and what you need to do, Newcastle, 1-2 November 2007
Presentations available on request.
 
Climate Change and Protected Areas, Kings College, Cambridge, March 2007
Click here for the summary.
 
Renewable energy in protected areas with a European perspective, Bath, 31 January – 1 February 2006
Seminar report