The finalists for the second edition of the European Natura 2000 Award were announced this week. In the “category “Cross-border Cooperation and Networking”, DANUBEPARKS is selected as one of the best European initiatives. This is an honour for DANUBEPARKS, an acknowledgement for our intense efforts and fruitful activities in the last years and a promise to continue our work for our joint Danube natural heritage!
93 applications from all over Europe stressed the continued high level of interest in the European Natura 2000 Award. This Award aims to bring the success of the Natura 2000 network to the public’s attention and to demonstrate the network’s importance for protecting biodiversity across Europe. On 21 May 2015, Natura 2000 Day, the winners will be announced at a high level ceremony hosted by the European Commission in Brussels.
Vote now!
This year, for the first time, the public will also have a say by voting online for their favourite Candidate. The public vote, open until 6 May, will determine the winner of European Citizens’ Award.
We kindly invite you to support the work of DANUBEPAKRS by giving your vote to the Danube River Network on http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/awards/application-2015/award-finalists/index_en.htm.
Natura 2000 is the centrepiece of the EU’s nature and biodiversity policy. Established under the EU’s Birds Directive and Habitats Directive, it is an euwide network of over 27,000 terrestrial and marine sites. The aim of the network is to assure the longterm survival of Europe’s most valuable and threatened species. DANUBEPARKS and the Danube Protected Areas are active for the best practice management of Natura 2000 sites along the Danube.
Functioning ecosystems protected by Natura 2000 and Protected Areas benefit human health, society and the economy. Around 4.4 million jobs are directly dependent on the maintenance of healthy ecosystems.