Conserving Europe's wilderness with PAN Parks

Where in the world?

PAN Parks is a Europe-wide organisation, and to be part of the PAN Parks network, a protected area must cover a core area of 10,000 hectares. These areas are officially classified as true wilderness and range from the Oulanka National Park in Finnish Lapland to Rila National Park (Bulgaria), Retezat in Romania and Borjomi-Kharagauli in Georgia.

What we are trying to do?

Exodus has been organising tours in the Oulanka National Park since 2005 and our team at Basecamp Oulanka looks after all our clients travelling to this area of Finland. As well as operating our trips in one of the PAN Parks network, Basecamp Oulanka are a PAN Parks certified local partner and we all share a commitment to sustainable development and the PAN Parks idea.

During the 2006/7, 2007/8 and 2008/9 winter seasons, our donations scheme has raised a total of: EUR17690. We ask PAN Parks that the money be directed to one particular project each year, and for that project to be in one of the less developed parks in their network.

The aim of our projects is to ensure that the protected area is managed and developed in a way that benefits all interests in and around the park - local residents, locally owned small businesses, wildlife and conservation interests, as well as providing a quality visitor experience.

How did we set it up?

We have been supporting the PAN Parks network since the second season of working in the Oulanka National Park (2006), and over the next few years we managed to raise enough money to build a visitor centre in Retezat NP (Romania) and develop an eco-trail in Rila NP (Bulgaria).

As Romania’s first national park, Retezat NP is well-preserved and hosts a large wilderness area containing many rare plants and animals. A network of well-marked hiking trails guarantees a unique experience to visitors and the chance to discover tracks of many animals. As well as building an information centre we have been able to put our donations towards providing new maps for visitors, which will enable the public greater access to the wilderness area.

With over 150 lakes, the wildlife in Rila NP is extremely rich, however the species of the Balkan Chamois are in danger of becoming extinct, due to the threat of poaching. The population has stabilised over the last five years and the aim now is to increase their number in the National Park. Our donations scheme has aided the development of an eco-trail in the park, with information boards and leaflets en-route. Staff in the park have also been trained to guide on the trail, whilst a public awareness campaign involving local and national media has been initiated.

What did we want to achieve this year?

We selected the Borjomi-Kharagouli NP in Georgia as our project for 2009 and our main aims were to:

• Create 16 information boards for the National Park at the seven entrances, tourist shelters, ranger shelters, visitor centres and in the town centre of Borjomi. There will be a map of the national park infrastructure with information in both Georgian and English regarding the park, rules and regulations and contacts.
• Our donations scheme is also part of a wider project designed to create new tourist maps in order to allow visitors to hike without a guide. The maps will contain information on the National Park as well as PAN Parks and a detailed description of the trails (with picnic areas, shelters entrance gates and some practical information).
• There will be a folder which will include flyers on each business partner and a brief summary about the park. The park will distribute them in the tourist information centres, but it will be distributed by the business partners, by incoming tour operators as well.
• Total cost: EUR5720

We have already achieved this year's target for the Georgia project and work is already beginning on the information boards. Therefore we will now be concentrating our efforts towards raising funds for our next project, the Majella National Park in Abruzzo, Italy.

Majella is part of the Apennine range that makes the backbone of Italy and despite being only a few hours from Rome offers dramatic landscapes and wonderful nature. It hosts one third of the entire Italian flora and a great variety of protected animals. Its location as the most southerly alpine part of Europe means that it is a crossroads for nature. Many species are at the extremes of their range. As well as stunning flora the conservation work of the park management means that many previously rare animals are returning to the park in significant numbers - these include herbivores such as red deer, roe deer and the prince of the peaks - the Abruzzi chamois. The return of these species also mean that the carnivore population is increasing - with the Appenine wolf and bear making a come back.

We are currently discussing exactly what our funds will be used for, but hope to raise up to EUR7000 which we are keen will be used towards conservation of the flora and fauna of the park.

What can you do to help?

For every client who travels on the Finnish Wilderness Week or Finnish Winter Adventure, Exodus automatically donate 20 Euros to the PAN Parks foundation. However, if you would like to donate directly to PAN Parks, please visit their website: www.panparks.org. The website is being updated to include a link where you can donate by money transfer or cheque, and it also gives a full overview of the work undertaken by the Foundation.

Would you like to know more?

You can contact our Exodus PAN Parks Project Manager Andy Buswell by emailing him at abuswell@exodus.co.uk