This is a presentation which I prepared for the Identification and Mapping of Wilderness workshop (Brasov, Romania, 23-24 February 2012). The event was organised by WWF Danube/Carpathian Programme as part of its attempt to map wilderness areas in the Carpathian.
My main message was:
we need to be strict with our wilderness definition and true wilderness areas should join the PAN Parks' The Million Project!
24. PAN Parks works to protect Europe’s wilderness, the continent’s most undisturbed areas of nature www.panparks.org
Notes de l'éditeur
I will speak about our roadmap to change and how we (together with you) enhance wilderness protection in Europe.
But do we actually deliver on this if we keep focusing only on verification?
There is marine wilderness ...
Fabulous mountains also host wild areas ...
We have to work with already protected improve management effectiveness, involve local communities in the management (visitor management), increase the public support (awareness raising through making visitation possible -> tourism model) and create new funding opportunities for protection (in the current economic decline there are budget cuts and the gap might be filled through tourism related incomes)
What you can do as PAs NGOs Other organisation
The Message from Prague also ask for actions quantification of the value of non-extractive economic benefits identify and promote the linkage of ecosystem services to wilderness key economic dimensions, challenges and opportunities of wilderness areas in E urope. TEEB report not penetrated yet into PA management particular importance to define the ecosystem services and potential payment methods for wilderness
Communications is an essential part of our work to raise professional and public support for wilderness protection. Creating positive protection of wilderness could be the basis of successful protection In order to do this we use the parks of the network as examples of the best of Europe’s wilderness ‘ You can go there and experience wilderness yourself, earn about it in the field’
We have to work with already protected improve management effectiveness, involve local communities in the management (visitor management), increase the public support (awareness raising through making visitation possible -> tourism model) and create new funding opportunities for protection (in the current economic decline there are budget cuts and the gap might be filled through tourism related incomes)