Periurban Parks: their Place in EU Policies

| Subject: Agriculture

The EUROPARC Federation calls for more protection of periurban parks

The EUROPARC Federation, Europe's network of natural protected areas, which counts with the collaboration of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) as a member of the Collserola Natural Park Consortium has prepared the position paper "Periurban Parks, their place in EU policies", aimed at European institutions and other actors.

The position paper places periurban parks, those natural sites located on the edge of urban settlements, as providers of key ecosystem services (climate and flooding regulation, air pollution abatement, biodiversity conservation, sociocultural services) needed to tackle the challenges related with increasing levels of urbanization in Europe, such as heat waves, floods, noise and air pollution.

The recognition of these parks' role and their protection is seen as an essential step in fulfilling Europe's environmental agenda, such as the EU Biodiversity, Climate Adaptation and Green Infrastructure strategies, its Urban Agenda, and in the provision of nature-based solutions (NBS), agricultural (km0 products and food sovereignty), health-related and cultural benefits. Stepping up efforts in this direction will also be crucial in achieving the EU's revised climate objectives and the EU Forest Strategy that will be presented during this year.

The document concludes with a call upon cities to actively protect periurban parks in their local area, as a means to foster all the benefits they hold and as natural, cost-effective solutions to some of the major environmental challenges we face.

Consult the document

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