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LOOKING FOR PROJECT PARTNERS OR COORDINATOR

The Province of Bergamo, a local public body in Italy, is developing a project related to the governance of protected areas.

Partnership sought
We are looking for partners including:
• Intermediate territorial authorities (Provinces, Counties, Regional Associations, Metropolitan Areas, Inter-municipal Bodies);
• Managers of locally protected areas (Nature Parks, Landscape Parks, Regional Parks, Municipal Protected Areas, peri-urban protected areas, ecological corridor networks);
• Regional and national public authorities responsible for biodiversity policies and protected areas;
• Universities and research organisations specialising in biodiversity governance, ecology, GIS, landscape planning and environmental policy;
• Environmental agencies and protected area networks;
• Organisations active in citizen science, environmental volunteering and stakeholder engagement.

PROJECT IDEA
Across Europe, locally managed protected areas—including municipal parks, landscape parks, nature parks, peri-urban protected areas and ecological networks—play a fundamental role in conserving biodiversity, improving ecological connectivity and contributing to the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
Despite their strategic importance, many of these areas are managed by small local authorities with limited technical, financial and administrative capacity. Intermediate territorial authorities (such as Provinces, Counties, Regional Associations and Inter-municipal Bodies) are well positioned to coordinate these local protected areas and provide strategic support. However, in many Member States this role remains underdeveloped due to fragmented governance, insufficient planning capacity, lack of common methodologies and limited technical expertise.
As a consequence, biodiversity planning is often inconsistent, ecological networks remain fragmented and local protected areas are unable to fully contribute to European biodiversity objectives.

Project objective
The project aims to develop, test and validate a replicable governance and technical support model enabling intermediate territorial authorities to coordinate networks of locally managed protected areas and green infrastructure.
The project will establish and pilot Nature Support Hubs: multidisciplinary technical teams coordinated by intermediate territorial authorities, providing shared expertise and operational support to local protected area managers.
By strengthening planning capacity, harmonising methodologies and facilitating coordinated action, the project will improve biodiversity governance, ecological connectivity and implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
Rather than promoting a specific governance model, the project will develop a flexible framework that can be adapted to different institutional and legal contexts across Europe.

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