September 21 / 2011
Dzūkija National Park makes it to the European elite network
The State Service for Protected Areas (VSTT) reports that the Dzūkija National Park and its Čepkeliai State Nature Reserve have received its PAN Parks certification at the International Conference in Estonia.
The river Merkys, the right tributary of Nemunas, the largest river of Lithuania. Photo by fotoskrydis.lt
According to VSTT Director Ruta Baškytė, a protected area with the PAN Parks brand gains international recognition.
"The PAN Parks network provides us with a possibility of preserving the most valuable wildlife areas in Europe for future generations. I believe that with time more and more people, including Lithuanians, will come to understand their duty against the nature and will start appreciating it in a selfless way", – said Ms Baškytė.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has developed a strategy for the PAN Parks Foundation aimed at bringing together protected European elite areas. The network is open to protected areas covering at least 10 thousand hectares of reserve area with exceptional wilderness qualities.
The candidates for the PAN Parks certification must meet a complex of environmental protection and tourism requirements.
The PAN Parks Organization is set to preserve the most valuable wildlife areas, while developing sustainable tourism.
Currently, the PAN Parks network includes 12 protected areas in Europe, like national parks in Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Portugal, Georgia.
BNS
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