PAN Parks

Zoltán Kun

The charitable foundation PAN Parks Foundation has set itself the task of making wilderness relics or potential wilderness areas of development in national parks and other protected areas in Europe identify, certify and secure the long -term protection of this process area under contract. To this end, the Foundation provides the carriers in various forms of support. This extends from the nature conservation know-how through public relations activities to concepts of economic security. The name part "PAN " stands for Protected Area Network.

By PAN Parks no new protected areas are recognized in most cases. From conservation point of view it is rather a pan-European rating system for existing protected areas.

2014 - Foundation insolvent?

Since the news of the PAN Parks Foundation over the Tatra National Park in October 2013, the website of the foundation does not seem to have been updated. As of February 26, 2014 we learn from the European Wilderness Society ( EWS ) that bankruptcy was filed. Apparently, the Foundation has significant financial difficulties. Simultaneously, the Wilderness Society distances itself from any legal or financial relations with PAN Parks, although she makes it clear to continue the work of the PAN Parks Foundation. The chairman of the EWS, Zoltán Kun, since 2002 director of PAN Parks was.

The EWS, whose seat is in Austria, has already gathered some other European wilderness under its umbrella organization, the Wildland Research Institute, Wild Europe, Wilderness Foundation UK, The Media Workshop, Travel2Wild and Lumina Consulting. The EWS will redefine the standards for wilderness areas. Initially, the EWS has taken over the majority of the already certified PAN Parks wilderness areas in their inventory. On the website of the EWS wilderness areas in the three groups "Certified Wilderness Areas", " Wilderness Areas" and "Potential Wilderness Areas in Europe " are divided.

Objectives

The primary objective of the Foundation is the certification and the long-term safety of large European wilderness areas in a special job created network of certified areas that are internally called PAN Parks. To ensure long-term funding of projects and to also achieve public acceptance and economic added value for the regions where there are protected areas, notify the organization to promote tailor-made sustainable tourism concepts.

The Foundation has set itself the goal of 2015 to ensure a million acres of wilderness areas in Europe by contract. This includes on the one hand, the aforementioned parks and other, so-called "wilderness partner " ( wilderness partner ). Wilderness partners are protected areas, in which a particular area is secured by contract as wilderness, but without tourism concept.

All considerations of the Foundation are based on the wild - definition of European Wilderness Working Group from September 2011:

" Wilderness areas are large, unchanged or only slightly modified natural areas, which are dominated by natural processes and where there is no human intervention, no infrastructure and no permanent settlements. You are such protection and care that her natural state is maintained and they offer people the opportunity to special intellectual and spiritual experiences of nature. " ( Translation by Bernhard Kohler, Program Director biodiversity, WWF Austria )

Implementation

Conservation

The Foundation has developed a body recognized by the European and other international conservation organizations certified according to strict quality criteria for European wilderness protection areas. For the designation of a " PAN Parks Wilderness Area " must have an existing National Park a (usually ) at least 10,000 ha core area with an unpopulated, uncut and as little hemer above natural landscape. In addition, a total size of at least 20,000 hectares of the park is required. This is to ensure that the ability of self-regulation of ecosystems and the continued existence of sufficiently large populations of endangered animal and plant species are preserved. In addition, with increasing area size decreases the risk of a negative influence by the authorized tourism as more scope for appropriate steering concepts is.

The inclusion of an area in the network of protected areas for the European Nature Heritage Fund ( Natura 2000) must be representative. To ensure the most natural development of the areas must exist a park management that the preservation and restoration of ecological processes and biodiversity in ecosystems promotes. ( While such interventions in the large remote wilderness regions of other continents are not necessary due to their virginity, they are in the small, since long times influenced by people "wilderness relics " of Europe after the currently accepted conservation concepts essential. ) PAN -certified areas prohibit uses of the core zones, which can lead to deterioration of nature, such as forestry, hunting or motorized tourism. This rule applies only process protection for the natural cycles.

If certification is not desired or possible, an existing protected area, at the request of the carrier ( see above) be agreed on as " wilderness partner ". The Foundation promotes this international recognition for the territory, the sharing of expertise and support in the wilderness management and in lobbying.

Tourism

The original landscapes that lie in densely populated countries, inevitably attract many visitors. Frequently, this nature-based tourism has a negative impact on the ecosystem of ecosystems. To make a virtue of necessity, the Foundation for the certified areas developed extensive concepts for an eco-friendly and sustainable ecotourism. This includes in particular the classification of protected area into different zones, for the other - are suitable rules - the nature conservation requirements. Subsequently, potential tourism enterprises are selected, which could provide the planned services in its own name. The companies that are contractually committed, are responsible for compliance with and implementation of the concepts. The Foundation shall carry out regular inspections.

The Foundation selects only local companies that are able, guided hikes, dog sled safaris, wildlife viewing and offer the like. For this, the tour operators are allowed to use the PAN Parks logo, and secure the exclusive right for the appropriate park. The Foundation supports ijrerseits public relations, including panparks.org through their website.

International cooperation and recognition

The Foundation is committed to wide-ranging acceptance of international conservation bodies and therefore operates an extensive lobbying. Compared to the European Commission to cooperate, inter alia, with Europarc and Euro site to raise awareness of the issue of wilderness protection. At the global level, PAN Parks strives to backfill its test systems with the IUCN protected area categories of

According to the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation by the private company certification by PAN Parks is a model and first cross-national assessment system for protected areas in Europe.

Tourism

The natural beauty of the original landscapes that lie in densely populated countries, inevitably attract many visitors. Frequently, this nature-based tourism has a negative impact on the ecosystem of ecosystems. To make a virtue of necessity, developed PAN Parks for the certified areas extensive concepts for an eco-friendly and sustainable ecotourism. This includes in particular the classification of protected area into different zones, for each other - apply rules - adapted to the nature conservation requirements. Subsequently, potential tourism enterprises are selected, which could provide the planned services in its own name. The companies that are contractually committed, are responsible for compliance with and implementation of the concepts. The Foundation shall carry out regular inspections.

The Foundation selects only local companies that are able, guided hikes, dog sled safaris, wildlife viewing and offer the like. For this, the tour operators are allowed to use the PAN Parks logo, and secure the exclusive right for the appropriate park. The Foundation supports its part, the public relations, including through their website.

International cooperation

The Foundation is committed to wide-ranging acceptance of international conservation bodies and also operates therefore lobbying. Compared to the European Commission to cooperate, inter alia, with Europarc and Euro site to raise awareness of the issue of wilderness protection. At the global level, the Foundation strives to backfill its test systems with the categories of protected areas IUCN.

History

PAN Parks was established in 1997 as a project of WWF in cooperation with the Dutch tourism enterprises Molecaten. Already in 1998, became the organization's legal capacity as Foundation ( Foundation ) based in Hungary.

In the first ten years of the Foundation ten protected areas have been certified and commissioned more than 60 local tourism entrepreneurs under contract.

The Wildlife Reserves

The basis of the following card is the original vegetation of the earth, precisely the potential, klimatogene zoning, man exerts more or less strong influence on the. (The map is based on the world map in the article wilderness )

STARS = PAN parks and "wilderness partner " Protected Areas ( Put mouse pointer shows the names of areas)

*) = In PAN Parks the web link to the relevant page of the PAN Parks Foundation lead