The EUROPARC Federation, also known as the "Federation of Nature and National Parks of Europe", is an independent, non-governmental organisation. Europe's protected areas - its national parks, nature parks, and biosphere reserves - play a vital role in safeguarding the continent's nature, its wildlife and landscapes. They protect Europe's most special places: relatively untouched landscapes, as well as those which have been shaped by centuries of man's interaction with the land. They offer refuge to the species and ecosystems which represent the very basis of future life. And they help to preserve the natural beauty of Europe in all its variety for us to experience and enjoy. They are our life-support system

Nature knows no boundaries and the EUROPARC Federation therefore facilitates international co-operation in all aspects of protected area management to further and improve and conserve our shared natural inheritance. The Federation endeavours to exchange expertise, experience and best practise as well as to collaborate with others to ensure the value and meaning of protected areas is at the heart of Europe.

The Federation fulfils its aims with the help of seven national and regional sections and through a large variety of activities. These include: the Wild Europe Initiative, the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas, the Junior Ranger Programme and the Transboundary Parks certification scheme. Each year the organisation also awards three new Alfred Toepfer Scholarships to young conservationists and the Alfred Toepfer Medal to an individual who has shown particular committment to Europes protected areas. It is also responsible for the creation and promotion of the European Day of Parks each May and the largest annual conference for protected area practitioners every autumn.

EUROPARC was founded in 1973 in Basel

Basel

Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

, it moved its headquarters to Grafenau

Grafenau

Grafenau is the name of two German towns* Grafenau, Bavaria, a city in the district Freyung-Grafenau* Grafenau, Württemberg, a municipality in the district of Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg...

 in 1986 and again to to Regensburg

Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...

in 2010. As of 2011 it represents 450 members in 36 countries.