Euro-Site-Member | Network news

An international Eurosite workshop on Adaptive Site Management was held in Doorn, in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park, in the heart of the Netherlands, from 13 to 15 December 2011. Co-hosted by Eurosite members Staatsbosbeheer, Natuurmonumenten, De12Landschappen and the Conservation Management System Consortium (United Kingdom), 36 nature conservation professionals, project leaders and specialist IT staff from 12 countries across Europe participated.

This three-day workshop provided a unique opportunity to discuss why adaptive management of nature is important, especially for Natura 2000 sites, but also for all other natural areas. Focusing on practical skills involved, the workshop featured the new management planning software tool, CMSi, launched in November 2011, and other systems being applied and developed for adaptive nature conservation management, in particular, Miradi and the French tool SUDOCO. Two site visits were undertaken – as a Eurosite workshop, learning ‘in the field’ is essential, so delegates visited Het Leersumse Veld (Staatsbosbeheer) and Amerongense Bovenpolder (Utrechts Landschap) to see adaptive nature management in practice.

The workshop was specifically designed to enable those who care for and manage nature to think critically about what conservation measures work and how to report the impact of their actions. In economically and ecologically changing times there is a growing need to be adaptive to ensure that appropriate resources are used as efficiently as possible, involve and engage stakeholders in the management process and to respond adequately to climate change. In this context, it is essential that site managers are equipped with the skills and tools necessary to manage their sites effectively and adaptively, so that they can be sure what they are doing is making a difference and nature and society are benefiting. As the expert presentations and interactive group work sessions demonstrated, making decisions in the management of nature is often a complex process due to all the different kinds of (f)actors surrounding the sites and the potential consequences of decisions for the wider society (local, regional, national and international). The adaptive management approach is also important for communication and reporting purposes, to be better able to compare and share data, and to promote greater consistency and improve the quality of practices. Last but not least, the workshop proved to be very valuable for the participants who all took the opportunity to exchange their experiences, resulting in new ideas and insights being spread across Europe.

** All presentations and materials presented during the workshop can be found on www.eurosite.org early in the new year and a report is currently being prepared.**

 

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This workshop is made possible with funding from the European Union. The sole responsibility lies with the organisers - the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.

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Eurosite’s Origins & Purpose

Eurosite was founded in 1989 as the result of a successful two-year pilot project, which linked 23 nature conservation organisations in the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. Born of the need to network, share and compare technical site management experience and expertise, and learn about effective ways to manage their sites, Eurosite now has 69 members in 22 countries across Europe. All work is developed for and informed by site management practitioners – our focus is on practical nature conservation, how to do it and what it involves.

All information about Eurosite can be found on www.eurosite.org and enquiries should be made via info@eurosite.org

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Partners

The workshop is organised in partnership with four Eurosite members who have led the development of the new CMSi software - Staatsbosbeheer, Natuurmonumenten, De12Landschappen and the Conservation Management System Consortium. Further information about these organisations can be found on their websites:

www.staatsbosbeheer.nl | www.natuurmonumenten.nl | www.de12landschappen.nl | www.cmsconsortium.org