Projects and activities
To further improve the work and management of our parks and to promote their achievements to policy makers and the general public, we at VDN have initiated numerous projects and activities. For example, with our Nature Park´s Quality Campaign we provide an instrument to our members, to continuously improve and monitor their work by self-assessment. Within the campaign we give advice for further improvements and facilitate the professional exchange between parks.
Other projects focus on environmental education and education for sustainable development. At present, we help in establishing long-lasting partnerships between schools and Nature Parks, where participating schools are awarded as “Nature Park School”. In cooperation with the association of Austrian Nature Parks, we successfully transferred the Austrian Nature Park School concept to German Nature Parks.
In another project, the VDN analysed the contribution of Nature Parks to the conservation of biological diversity and the establishment of a nationwide biotope network. Furthermore, to foster inclusion of handicapped people, we started a campaign to extend accessible tourism offers in German Nature Parks.