EUROPARC Federation - Sustainable Agriculture in Protected Areas Commission

The EUROPARC Federation serves as a network for Europe’s natural and cultural heritage and aims to improve the management of protected areas across Europe through international co-operation, the exchange of ideas and experience and by influencing policy. 

Wicklow Uplands Council has been a member of the Federation for a number of years and represents something of a hybrid within the organisation, as the vast majority of its near 400 members own or manages protected areas across Europe. ‘Protected areas’ include National Parks, of varying categories, and other designated areas across Europe including Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protected Areas, Areas of Natural Constraint etc.

The EUROPARC Federation recently established new commissions in which members are invited to participate directly. The aim of the commissions is to operate at two levels – as a core group who will form the commission and drive the agreed agenda and an advisory e-forum who will input ideas and information. The new commissions will deal with a range of topics including;

• Agriculture and Protected Areas, 
• Communications and Marketing, 
• Fedenatur/Periurban, 
• Health and Protected Areas, 
• Natura 2000 and 
• EUROPARC Membership

Wicklow Uplands Council was invited to have a representative on the new ‘Sustainable Agriculture in Protected Areas Commission’, following the successful hosting of the ‘We are Sustainable Farmers’ workshop at the 2016 EUROPARC conference. Tom Byrne, Vice-Chairman and farmer, was nominated to sit on the commission.  

The overall mission of the new ‘Agriculture and Protected Areas Commission’ is to undertake a feasibility study exploring the option of a ‘Charter for Sustainable Agriculture’ and to make recommendations to the EUROPARC Council on future developments. The EUROPARC Federation recognises that parks and protected areas represent, now more than ever, ideal territories to promote sustainable agricultural practices and activities. There is great potential in these areas to encourage regional rural development through the promotion of local high quality products and resources with a historical and cultural context. The commission will take into consideration the needs of nature protection and the interests of local stakeholders (farmers, breeders, artisans and related sectors).

It is still very early days in the commission but it will serve to promote the contribution that agriculture can offer to protected area management, in terms of nature conservation, and vice-versa. Similar to the work of Wicklow Uplands Council, they hope to create dialogue and co-operation and the involvement of local people in the management and promotion of their areas. The commission will play a role in influencing policy makers in Europe and in June they will meet with the Directorate-General for Environment, the European Commission department responsible for EU policy on the environment. This demonstrates the importance of direct involvement with these organisations and the opportunity to bring issues on the ground to European policy makers.

Tom Byrne
Vice Chairman, Wicklow Uplands Council