• Why does wilderness matter and why should your company care?
• What is the problem in Europe?
• The Solution – PAN Parks Foundation and rewilding Europe
• Be part of the solution

Why does wilderness matter and why should your company care?

Wilderness areas must be maintained and protected in Europe because:

1. They are a refuge for many species that would otherwise be extinct.

2. Wilderness promotes sustainability - the ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes, functions, biodiversity and productivity into the future. Sustainability is about environmental protection.

3. Wilderness areas are unique reference laboratories where the natural process of evolution still continues.

4. There is a moral obligation to ensure that future generations, our children, our customers and employees, can enjoy and benefit from Europe’s truly wild areas.

5. Wilderness is key to minimising the impact of climate change on our planet.

What is the problem in Europe?

Europe’s wilderness is under huge pressure and has become a scarce resource over past centuries. Only 1.1% of Europe’s land surface is protected as wilderness or National Park and this means that there is very limited knowledge about the existence of wilderness areas in Europe. Very little time remains to secure the protection of wilderness for future generations.

The Solution – PAN Parks Foundation and rewilding Europe

Photo: iStock - FAlk KienasPAN Parks Foundation is the only organisation that exists to focus on European wilderness conservation, including wilderness forests, in Europe and is fully supported by The European Commission. PAN Parks Foundation will guarantee the long term protection of Europe’s wilderness by creating and managing a network of role model wilderness protected areas – PAN Parks. There are currently 11 certified PAN Parks throughout Europe in countries including Italy, Finland, Sweden, Bulgaria, Portugal, Romania and Russia. The target is to have 14 by 2011 and 25 by 2015. New areas for PAN Parks are likely to include Austria and Germany. The aim of PAN Parks is also to ensure the protection of 1 million hectares of wilderness in Europe, which will help iconic European species to recover. This will be done by not allowing any activities such as hunting, culling, fishing, mining, logging, grazing, grass cutting, road or building construction within the wilderness area of a certified PAN Park.

However, PAN Parks will encourage people to enjoy PAN Parks Wilderness without any special equipment – in a non-harmful and sustainable way. This will be achieved by working closely with tour operators and local business partners, thus also contributing to the local economy surrounding each protected area, as well as developing the eco-tourism model as a whole.

Be part of the solution

Please join us in our mission to rewild Europe - to preserve our wild land and countryside for our children and future generations to come. We believe it is our responsibility to take action now before it is too late.

For more information, please contact: