Event details

Nature conservation is at a crucial period: whilst there is no doubt about the need to protect more areas of the EU, nor the fundamental value of the Natura 2000 Network in that, there are critical questions about the resources required and the practical skills and capacities available to realise nature and biodiversity priorities. Cutting across these important issues is a fundamental question – how can the need for nature conservation be made real in the hearts and minds of people and wider society?

Eurosite members are at the forefront of setting workable conservation objectives, establishing and implementing management plans on land and sea. On a daily basis, all members work with the public, other organisations and a wide range of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, often with competing agendas. There are essential opportunities to learn from their experience.

Eurosite’s 2011 Annual Meeting focuses on demonstrating how members are tackling urgent nature conservation priorities ‘on the ground’. Members and partners will present their work to show how practical site management - in areas such as, tackling climate change, marine protected areas, habitat restoration, communication for nature and biodiversity, and valuing ecosystem services - is being developed and currently applied. This is not only of interest to other site managers, as they seek their own workable solutions, it is extremely valuable in building the case for good quality sites and effective management practice. As a network, Eurosite is both a key audience and source of feedback for the EC, as well as an essential partner to building the dialogue required to protect Europe’s nature and biodiversity. In hosting the Conference in Brussels, we aim to create a direct bridge between EU policy priorities and people on the ground.

The 2011 Annual Meeting is structured around two themes of importance to the network and our partners. It takes a seminar-based format: delegates will be welcomed to either or both sessions. Each of the two sessions will be used to highlight site managers’ perspectives:

• Session 1: Management of Natura 2000 – site experiences;

• Session 2: Communicating the value of nature and the need for quality site management.

There will be an additional seminar on conservation management for Natura 2000 sites on Thursday 8 September. This seminar is a side-workshop to the main programme and is hosted by the CMS Consortium. Please download the seminar announcement below.

Please find more information in the first announcement and the programme, which can be downloaded below.

The Annual Meeting Powerpoint presentations are available for download at the bottom of this page. Please note that not all the contributors to the Pop-up session (PUP) used a Powerpoint presentation.