Eurosite Annual Meeting – Registration is open !

👉 REGISTER HERE 👈 (Registration closes 30 October!)

Eurosite 2023 Annual Meeting 

Founded in France more than 30 years ago, Eurosite – the European Land Conservation Network – returns to its native land this year. Eurosite will hold its Annual Meeting on 7 – 9 November 2023 in Amiens, France, kindly hosted by the Fédération des Conservatoires d’espaces naturels and the Conservatoire d’espaces naturels des Hauts-de-France in cooperation with the Office Français de la Biodiversité and the Conservatoire du Littoral. We will meet in Amiens, in the heart of the town next to its historic Cathedral.  

Mindful of our origins, we want to highlight how long-term conservation thrives in France in collaboration with landowners, farmers, business, and the public. We also want you, our guests, to bring your stories from across Europe to France!  

A gathering with meaningful content as well as a great cultural experience! 

👉 Find the  Programme here!

Programme 

The Eurosite 2023 Annual Meeting will explore the theme of “Identity-based conservation for large-scale nature restoration”. The programme offers you diverse thematic workshops with inspiring speakers and exiting field trips. Live translators will facilitate participation for French and English speakers. 

We at Eurosite understand natural sites as any type of land of nature conservation value, regardless of its protection status, ownership, or governance. Our network is proud of its strong ties to private landowners, nature-friendly farmers, businesses, and the finance sector. Funding plays a crucial role in successful conservation, but it’s by far not the only enabling factor.  

Identity plays a significant role in shaping people’s values and beliefs, including their attitudes towards nature. Some of these connections to nature may seem hidden or lost. However, according to the Pew Research Centre, a median of 71% of respondents surveyed in various countries around the world prioritise environmental protection over job creation, which underscores the high value that nature holds within many people’s identities.   

From personal conversations with farmers who operate on heavily degraded lands, we know that they directly witness their work’s detrimental effects on climate and biodiversity. Their land is essential to their identity as farmers and they genuinely desire to preserve it for future generations, but economic pressures and misguided policies hold them hostage, forcing them to work against their best interests and to continue exploiting their most precious resource. 

Developing identity-friendly policies and incentives that support and leverage these identities for nature conservation is crucial. Identity-based conservation efforts nurture greater community engagement and participation by recognising and appreciating people’s way of life. By aligning conservation strategies with identity, the private sector can be encouraged to participate, as their role in society and economy is acknowledged and connected to nature conservation. 

Nature conservation must again become an integral part of the European identity

Leveraging the positive forces of identity needs tolerance. Considering landowners, farmers, community members, businesses and asset managers as natural allies for nature conservation asks of conservationist to leave their comfort zone. But only these new alliances can provide a solid foundation for upscaling our conservation and restoration efforts. 

Practical information 

The event starts on Tuesday, November 7, 13:00 CET and ends on Thursday, November 9, 14:00 CET.  

👉 Register for this event here! 

The registration fee of EUR 175 covers participation in the plenary and workshops, field excursions, as well as lunches, dinners, and drinks during the event. Participants are asked to book and cover their own travel and accommodation. Eurosite members and partners are entitled to a 30% registration fee discount by using a promotion code during registration, available upon request at info@eurosite.org. Note: Refunding of the discount after registration is not possible. 

Our venue will be Quai de l’innovation in the centre of Amiens, next to the Cathedral.  

Once registered, you will receive an email advising you of hotels in the area with discounted offers.  

Please book your accommodation yourself. Please read the terms and conditions for registration carefully: Registration Terms and Conditions Annual Meeting

You are advised to search for suitable travel options in good time. 

Kindest regards, 

Harm Schoten
Director 

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