The 7th International Parks Dinarides Conference Concludes – Nature restoration and cooperation essential for Effective Nature Protection

In order to protect the Dinaric Arc area, protected area managers must take a stronger and more dedicated approach to nature restoration, the establishment and improvement of Natura 2000 network management, the continuous implementation and evaluation of management effectiveness, as well as enhanced cooperation and experience-sharing among protected areas.

These were the key messages of the 7th International Dinaric Parks Conference – “Global and European Perspectives on Protected Areas in the Dinaric Region,” which was held in Podgorica over the past three days.

The President of Parks Dinarides, Zoran Mrdak, emphasized that the Dinaric region has a significant opportunity to contribute more strongly to the achievement of global nature conservation goals, including the 30×30 initiative, but that this requires further strengthening of the nature protection system—ranging from human and institutional capacities to technical and financial resources. The establishment of the Natura 2000 network in the Dinaric region represents both an obligation and a development opportunity, with progress depending on stronger regional cooperation, experience exchange, and the involvement of local communities.

He also reminded that nature restoration is currently at the core of Europe’s agenda, as it is crucial for achieving the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the European Green Deal.

“Although nature restoration activities have already begun in our countries, we believe that protected area managers need to take this much more seriously and start preparing concrete actions derived from their management plans,” Mrdak concluded.

In order to restore nature, it is necessary to act in a timely manner to reduce pressures on protected areas—particularly those related to the number of visitors, representatives of Slovenian parks emphasized.

Borut Peric, from the Škocjan Caves Regional Park, stated that choosing between breaking tourism records and protecting the environment is straightforward.
“In our park, we no longer pursue records. For several years now, we have capped visitation at a maximum of 190,000 visitors per year. We have restricted access to the caves because nature protection comes first, and only then tourism,” said Peric.

His colleague Tit Potočnik, from Triglav National Park, which became a full member of the Parks Dinarides Network at the 8th General Assembly of Parks Dinarides, noted that the park welcomed three million visitors this year, accounting for one third of Slovenia’s total tourism.
“It is not only climate change that causes changes in nature, but also human pressure on these areas. That is why plans and analyses are needed: how many visitors can an area sustain, what rules should be introduced? This is why experience exchange and closer cooperation with other protected areas are so important,” Potočnik emphasized.

In addition to Triglav National Park, the Šar Mountains National Park from North Macedonia and the Dragišnica and Komarnica Nature Park from Montenegro also became full members of the Parks Dinarides Network at the 8th General Assembly. Representatives of these protected areas highlighted the importance of cooperation with colleagues who have decades of experience in nature conservation.

“I would particularly emphasize the exchange of experience with colleagues from neighboring countries. We discussed both good and challenging moments in protected area management,” concluded Milorad Andrijeski from Šar Mountains National Park.

The importance of experience exchange—especially for “young” protected areas—was also confirmed by Ratko Perišić, Acting Executive Director of the Dragišnica and Komarnica Nature Park.
“These are invaluable experiences that will be very useful for us as managers, particularly regarding management procedures and practices,” said Perišić.

This year’s International Dinaric Parks Conference brought together more than 110 participants from eight countries of the Dinaric Arc, as well as from Italy, Belgium, France, Spain, and the Czech Republic.

Over two working days, the conference featured four panel sessions, two workshops, as well as meetings of the Parks Dinarides Steering Committee and Assembly.

The event was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development of Montenegro, with support from the GEF 7 project “Integrating Biodiversity into Sectoral Policies and Practices and Strengthening the Protection of Key Biodiversity Areas in Montenegro.” Technical support in the preparation and implementation of the event was provided by the EUROPARC Federation and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).