Area served Europe | ||
Founded April 1997, Barcelona, Spain Type International Organization Focus Periurban Parks, Biodiversity, Nature in cities Headquarters Carretera de l’Església, 92, 08017 Barcelona, Spain Key people Marià Martí (Director General)
Josep Perpinyà (President) | ||
FEDENATUR is the European Association of Periurban Parks, that are natural, fluvial and agricultural parks located in metropolitan and periurban areas.
Contents
By their location, this type of parks plays an important role.
FEDENATUR was created in 1997 after the 2nd Symposium on natural areas in periurban and metropolitan zones, which was held in Barcelona in 1995 and inspired by the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. Then it appeared necessary to set a network of exchanges between periurban park managers on a European scale. Over 75% of the European population lives in urban and periurban zones. Contrary to "national parks" usually located far from densely populated urban areas and designed exclusively for preservation, the natural areas in periurban zones have to protect biodiversity while being frequented by a larger public.
The headquarters of FEDENATUR are placed at the Technical office of the Serra de Collserola Natural Park, a natural space located at the heart of the Barcelona metropolitan area.
Projects
FEDENATUR has promoted and participated in 3 European Interreg projects as a means of encouraging technical exchanges and raising awareness on the concept of Periurban Parks.
FEDENATUR has also conducted two surveys. The first (in 2004) to identify periurban parks and list their functions (environmental, social, economic). The second one (2009–2012) to analyse more deeply the characteristics of different periuban parks regarding management, social use and equipment.
FEDENATUR joined in 2005 the European Habitats Forum EHF, which assembles leading European nature conservation organisations to provide advice on the implementation and future development of EU biodiversity policy.
In 2008, FEDENATUR promoted a Recommendation – that was approved- at the IUCN World Congress in favour of protecting periurban natural areas around cities and metropolitan areas.
FEDENATUR is currently giving input through different documents and mechanisms into the current EC Green Infrastructure Strategy.