PAN Parks - European network of wilderness protected areas

PAN Parks is founded on a partnership between protected area authorities, local communities, the tourism sector, and nature conservation organisations.

This unprecedented network of stakeholders all stand to benefit from the success of PAN Parks. In striving for a balance between nature conservation and tourism development, all stakeholders can call Europe's natural areas their own.

Founding partners

• WWF, the conservation organization
  For more information contact Andre Brasser at abrasser@wwf.nl  
• Molecaten, a Dutch tourism company
  For more information contact Gerben Weening at weening@molecaten.nl

Protected area partners 

• Bieszczady National Park, Poland
• Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria
• Fulufjället National Park, Sweden
• Oulanka National Park, Finland
• Retezat National Park, Romania
• Paanajärvi National Park, Russia
• Majella National Park, Italy
• Rila National Park, Bulgaria
• Borjomi Kharagauli National Park,Georgia 

Local partners

• Local business partners
• Local government
• Non-governmental organisations  

For the first local partners in Fulufjället National Park go to www.panparks.org/Network/OurParks/Fulufjallet/LocalPartners.

Conservation partners

• IUCN/WCPA 
• Europarc Federation 
• Large Herbivore Foundation
  

Business partners

Canon Europe
Organises volunteer camps in PAN Parks for its staff.


PAN Parks Accommodation, the Netherlands
PAN Parks Accommodation has a licensing agreement with the PAN Parks Foundation. The company builds quality accommodation in Certified PAN Parks. The first Accommodation parkwas opened on 24 September 2004 in Fulufjället National Park, Sweden. 

Visit www.panparksaccommodation.com or contact Gerben Weening at weening@molecaten.nl

James van Leuven, the Netherlands
He has been working as a professional photographer for almost 20 years. His profile is nature photography and documentaries. He produces PAN Parks labelled postcards showing European wilderness. Visit www.jamesvanleuven.nl

Tourism partners

SNP, the Netherlands
SNP, a Dutch tour operator specialising in active and adventurous holidays, was the first verified PAN Parks tourism partner. For more than ten years now SNP has been a supporter of a number of WWF projects and ever since the concept of PAN Parks began, SNP has been involved in the Foundation.
 
Either by foot or cycle SNP trips take you off the beaten track to beautiful places where one can experience and enjoy nature and culture. In small groups of people who share the same interests and who respect the local cultures SNP can take travellers all over the world. SNP presently offers two special holidays to certified PAN Parks destinations.

• 8 days walking holiday in Fulufjället, Sweden [site in Dutch]
• 10 days nature holiday in Oulanka, Finland [site in Dutch]

Trailfinders, the Netherlands
Trailfinders, a tour operator specialising in horse holidays, represents 80 organisations offering nearly 300 unique horse riding programmes to locations all over the world. Tailor-made holidays as well as group tours are organised according to the personal experiences of the Trailfinders team.
 
From horseback nature can be enjoyed and local culture and traditions experienced. Trailfinders currently offers three PAN Parks destinations in their holidays. 

• Oulanka, Finland  [site in Dutch]
• Fulufjället, Sweden [site in Dutch]
• Bieszczady, Poland  [site in Dutch]

Rucksack Reisen, Germany - The german tour-operator offers a wide range of active travels around PAN Park Fulufjället. Canoeing, hiking and riding weeks are the highlights of the summer programme. In winter the guests can enjoy husky trips, sking and snowshoe tours. for more information visit 

The german tour-operator offers a wide range of active travels around PAN Park Fulufjället. Canoeing, hiking and riding weeks are the highlights of the summer programme. In winter the guests can enjoy husky trips, sking and snowshoe tours. for more information visit 

Newmarket Travel, Uk - Newmarket Travel are a UK tour operator that specialises in organising group travel. They offer a range of both off the shelf packages and tailor made trips. The Newmarket group is one of the largest independantly owned tour operators in the UK. Looking after the travel arrangements of a quarter of a million customers each year, Newmarket has built a reputation for quality and value, as well as for high standards of customer care, throughout more than two decades of successful trading. They are now offering several itineries to Fulufjallet National Park in conjunction with PAN Parks Accommodation.

Exodus Travel, UK 
Exodus is the leading adventure travel company in the UK. They offer an unrivalled selection of over 500 tours, planned and operated by experts who share a passion for travel. Their eight programmes cover some 90 countries worldwide. Their tours are neither regimented 5-star packages nor unplanned forays into the unknown: they are authentic experiences of foreign places and cultures, where quality and interest come first. Quality should not be confused with luxury: They believe that the best way to discover the essence of a country is to use accommodation with character and transport appropriate to the terrain, whether that is a 4x4 jeep or a camel. They are now offering trips to Oulanka National Park For each booker on this holiday Exodus will give €50 to this worthwhile foundation and the money will help expand the network throughout Europe. http://www.exodus.co.uk/panparksproject.html