Nature park
Encyclopedia
A nature park is a landscape protected by means of long-term planning, use and agriculture. These valuable landscape
s are preserved in their present state and promoted for touristic
purposes.
In most countries nature parks are subject to legally regulated protection
, which is part of their conservation laws.
A nature park is not the same as a national park
, which is defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its World Commission on Protected Areas
as a category II type of protected area
. Nor is it the same as a nature reserve
which may fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of legal protection afforded, but which is more strictly protected than a nature park. However some nature parks have later been turned into national parks.
was founded jointly by Poland
and Slovakia
in 1932.
of Bonn at the annual meeting of the Nature Reserve Association (in the presence of President Theodor Heuss
and Minister Heinrich Lübke
). , the environmentalist and entrepreneur, Alfred Toepfer
, presented a programme developed jointly with the Central Office for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management
and other institutions to set up (initially) 25 nature parks in West Germany. Five percent of the area of the old Federal Republic of Germany was to be spared from major environmental damage as a result.
§ 27 of the BNatSchG determines that natural parks are large areas that are to be developed and managed as a single unit, that consist mainly of protected landscapes or nature reserve
s, that have a large variety of species and habitats and that have a landscape that exhibits a variety of uses.
In nature parks, the aim is to strive for environmentally sustainable land use
and they should be especially suitable for recreation and for sustainable
tourism
because of their topographical features.
The underlying idea is a "protection through usage", so the acceptance and participation of the population in the protection of the cultural landscape and nature
is very important. In doing so the nature conservation and the needs of recreation users should be linked so that both sides benefit: sustainable tourism
with respect for the value of nature and landscape is paramount.
Basically all actions, interventions and projects that would be contrary to the purpose of conservation are prohibited.
Nature parks are to be considered in zoning
and must be represented and considered in local development plans
. This is called an acquisition memorandum. They are binding and cannot be waived because of a higher common good
.
The sponsors of nature parks are usually clubs or local special purpose associations.
The German nature parks come together in the Association of German Nature Parks.
In Germany today there are 101 nature parks (as at: March 2009), that occupy some 25 % of the land area. They are an important building block for nature conservation and help to preserve the sites of natural beauty, cultural landscapes, rare species and biotopes and to make them accessible to later generations.
The designation of "nature park" is awarded by the respective state governments. To achieve this award, the 4 pillars of a nature park have to be met: conservation, recreation, education and regional development.
Currently there are nature parks in the following states:
the establishment of regional nature parks is regulated by the Federal Law for Nature and Homeland Conservation (NHG). Regional nature parks fall into one of three categories defined by the NHG. In addition there are national parks and nature experience parks. These two types of park have very strict protected areas, something which does not exist in regional nature parks. The latter focus much more on striking a balance in the level of support between nature conservation and the regional economy.
Since August 2010 there have been three parks with the label Regional Nature Park of National Importance“:
has 8 nature parks and part of a national park
. Under nature park protection are the following regions:
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
s are preserved in their present state and promoted for touristic
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
purposes.
In most countries nature parks are subject to legally regulated protection
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
, which is part of their conservation laws.
A nature park is not the same as a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
, which is defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its World Commission on Protected Areas
World Commission on Protected Areas
The World Commission on Protected Areas is one of six Commissions of the IUCN . WCPA is the world's premier network of protected area expertise...
as a category II type of protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
. Nor is it the same as a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
which may fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of legal protection afforded, but which is more strictly protected than a nature park. However some nature parks have later been turned into national parks.
International nature parks
The first international nature park in Europe, the present-day Pieniny National ParkPieniny National Park (Poland)
Pieniny National Park is a protected area in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland, in the heart of the Pieniny Mountains.- The location :...
was founded jointly by Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
in 1932.
- European Nature Parks: Cross-border plans and projects are carried out under the Europarc umbrella.
- Protected Area Network of Parks (PANPark), certification by the WWFWorld Wide Fund for NatureThe World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
initiated network which are aimed at combining the preservation of wilderness with tourism
Germany
The Naturpark is one of the options for area-based nature conservation provided for under the Federal Nature Conservation Act (the BNatSchG). On 6 June 1956 in the former capital cityCapital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of Bonn at the annual meeting of the Nature Reserve Association (in the presence of President Theodor Heuss
Theodor Heuss
Theodor Heuss was a liberal German politician who served as the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II from 1949 to 1959...
and Minister Heinrich Lübke
Heinrich Lübke
Karl Heinrich Lübke was President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1959 to 1969.-Biography:...
). , the environmentalist and entrepreneur, Alfred Toepfer
Alfred Toepfer
Dr. Alfred Carl Toepfer was a German entrepreneur, owner of the company Toepfer International and founder of the Alfred Toepfer Foundation...
, presented a programme developed jointly with the Central Office for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management
Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation is the German government’s scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation...
and other institutions to set up (initially) 25 nature parks in West Germany. Five percent of the area of the old Federal Republic of Germany was to be spared from major environmental damage as a result.
Definition of nature parks in Germany
The definition of the category of nature park is laid down in federal law (§ 27 of the BNatSchG). Details, especially with regard to the identification, investigation or recognition as a nature park vary in each state depending on the provisions of local conservation law.§ 27 of the BNatSchG determines that natural parks are large areas that are to be developed and managed as a single unit, that consist mainly of protected landscapes or nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s, that have a large variety of species and habitats and that have a landscape that exhibits a variety of uses.
In nature parks, the aim is to strive for environmentally sustainable land use
Land use planning
Land-use planning is the term used for a branch of public policy encompassing various disciplines which seek to order and regulate land use in an efficient and ethical way, thus preventing land-use conflicts. Governments use land-use planning to manage the development of land within their...
and they should be especially suitable for recreation and for sustainable
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
because of their topographical features.
The underlying idea is a "protection through usage", so the acceptance and participation of the population in the protection of the cultural landscape and nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
is very important. In doing so the nature conservation and the needs of recreation users should be linked so that both sides benefit: sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is tourism attempting to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development brings a positive experience for local people, tourism companies and the...
with respect for the value of nature and landscape is paramount.
Basically all actions, interventions and projects that would be contrary to the purpose of conservation are prohibited.
Nature parks are to be considered in zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
and must be represented and considered in local development plans
Development Plan
A development plan is an aspect of town and country planning in the United Kingdom comprising a set of documents that set out the local authority's policies and proposals for the development and use of land in their area...
. This is called an acquisition memorandum. They are binding and cannot be waived because of a higher common good
Common good
The common good is a term that can refer to several different concepts. In the popular meaning, the common good describes a specific "good" that is shared and beneficial for all members of a given community...
.
The sponsors of nature parks are usually clubs or local special purpose associations.
The German nature parks come together in the Association of German Nature Parks.
In Germany today there are 101 nature parks (as at: March 2009), that occupy some 25 % of the land area. They are an important building block for nature conservation and help to preserve the sites of natural beauty, cultural landscapes, rare species and biotopes and to make them accessible to later generations.
Austria
There are currently 47 nature parks in Austria with a total area of around 500,000 ha (as at April 2010). They are host to nearly 20 million visitors annually.The designation of "nature park" is awarded by the respective state governments. To achieve this award, the 4 pillars of a nature park have to be met: conservation, recreation, education and regional development.
Association of Austrian Nature Parks (VNÖ)
In 1995 all the Austrian nature parks agreed to be represented by the Association of Austrian Nature Parks (Verband der Naturparke Österreichs) or VNÖ.Currently there are nature parks in the following states:
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Purkersdorf Purkersdorf is a municipality in the district of Wien-Umgebung in Lower Austria, Austria. The Sandstein-Wienerwald natural park, a part of the Vienna Woods, is situated on its territory.... -Sandstein-Wienerwald Wienerwald The Vienna Woods are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The long and wide hill range is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area with the Viennese....
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Switzerland: regional nature parks
In SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
the establishment of regional nature parks is regulated by the Federal Law for Nature and Homeland Conservation (NHG). Regional nature parks fall into one of three categories defined by the NHG. In addition there are national parks and nature experience parks. These two types of park have very strict protected areas, something which does not exist in regional nature parks. The latter focus much more on striking a balance in the level of support between nature conservation and the regional economy.
Since August 2010 there have been three parks with the label Regional Nature Park of National Importance“:
- the regional Thal Nature Park
- the UNESCO Entlebuch biosphere
- the Val Müstair biosphere
Italy
South TyrolSouth Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
has 8 nature parks and part of a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
- Schlern-Rosengarten
- Texelgruppe
- Puez-Geisler
- Fanes-Sennes-Prags
- Trudner Horn
- Sexten DolomitesSexten DolomitesThe Sexten Dolomites are a mountain range and a nature reserve in South Tyrol, Italy. The nature park was renamed in 2010 to Drei Zinnen Nature Park.- External links :*...
- Rieserferner-Ahrn
- SarntalSarntalSarntal is a valley and a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 15 km north of the city of Bolzano....
Alps - StelvioStelvio National ParkStelvio National Park is a national park in the north-east of Italy, founded in 1935.The park is the largest in Italy and covers part of two regions: Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Lombardia, in 24 municipalities....
Croatia
In Croatia there is a total of eight national parks and ten nature parksProtected areas of Croatia
The main protected areas of Croatia are national parks, nature parks and strict reserves. There are 444 protected areas of Croatia, encompassing 9% of the country. Those include 8 national parks in Croatia, 2 strict reserves and 10 nature parks. The most famous protected area and the oldest...
. Under nature park protection are the following regions:
- Biokovo
- Kopački rit
- Lonjsko polje
- Medvednica
- Papuk
- Telašćica
- Učka
- Velebit
- Vransko jezero
- Žumberak-Samoborsko gorje
Hungary
- Geschriebenstein-Írottkő (cross-border park with Burgenland in Austria)
- Raab-Örseg-Goricko (cross-border park with Burgenland in Austria)