Photo: iStock/Ljupco SmokovskiDuring its 10-year operation PAN Parks established a network of protected areas that use the PAN Parks certification to ensure that their wilderness areas are safeguarded, enhanced and appreciated.Our major achievements of the past 10 years are:

• Developing an independent protected area audit, which combines conservation and tourism development principles

• Auditing and monitoring management effectiveness of 10 European protected areas, which results in better funding allocation, increased knowledge and overall management improvement

• Developing co-operation with over 60 local business entrepreneurs

• The WWF / World Bank Management Effectiveness Tracking tool found Oulanka National Park as the best managed protected area in 2003

• PAN Parks, in cooperation with other organisations, submitted a Resolution on Wilderness Areas to the European Commission. PAN Parks started actively promoting the resolution and collecting signatures of additional organizations to support the resolution. Our biggest success was to get Birdlife International, with its 1,8 million European supporters, to sign the resolution and aid our work.

• The European Commission has already acknowledged our work through:
  - Selecting PAN Parks “as one of the most relevant initiatives to manage sustainable tourism in Natura 2000 sites” (Lisbon, 1999).
  - Naming Oulanka National Park as a case study in developing tourism in non-traditional tourism destinations .
  - Joining a special wilderness study tour to a Certified PAN Park, Majella National Park, Italy on 26-27 June.
  - Approving our bid (submitted in cooperation with IUCN and WWF) for organising a European Wilderness Conference during the Czech EU Presidency (May 2009). The conference will put wilderness protection on the political agenda in Europe.
  - PAN Parks helped a member of the European Parliament to prepare a special report on European wilderness areas, which was approved in February 2009.