PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Understanding, acceptance and appreciation of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas is crucial to the protection of Europe’s natural heritage and counteracting biodiversity loss. As elsewhere in the EU, there is a lack of public understanding of the aims and importance of Natura 2000 in the Bavarian region of Germany. Negative perceptions of the network make it difficult to implement conservation strategies and management plans.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE Living Natura 2000 project set out to improve the image of the Natura 2000 network through an extensive communication and information campaign in Bavaria. This effort aimed at changing the perception and behaviour of relevant stakeholders towards Natura 2000, as negative perceptions are a widespread problem. The specific setting of this project allowed significant potential for transferability and replicability.
The specific objectives were:
- raising awareness of the Natura 2000 network, its aims and objectives, specifically focusing on relevant target audiences;
- increasing the willingness of key stakeholders, particularly landowners and land users, to cooperate in Natura 2000 actions;
- establishing and improving the cooperation between public administrators and policy- and decision-makers;
- building international, national and regional networks to promote the exchange of information and knowledge on the fulfilment of Natura 2000 goals;
- ensuring the Natura 2000 is seen in the media as a positive, future-oriented network.
In the medium term, it was expected that the project would promote cooperative implementation of the Natura 2000 network in at least half of the sites in Bavaria. It would thus contribute to the achievement of the key aims of the Habitats and Birds directives.
RESULTS
The innovative communication concept "It’s in my nature" was elaborated by the project and informed the awareness-raising activities and communication campaigns of the project. Hundreds of innovative actions were successfully implemented all over Bavaria.
The project addressed all relevant stakeholders working for and connected to the Natura 2000 network in Bavaria and increased its visibility and acceptance. One of the biggest impacts was achieved through the organisation and implementation of 2 large Natura 2000 ambassador campaigns. 6 well-known Bavarian personalities from the fields of music, culture, science and sport were (and still are) advertising for the Natura 2000 network, its importance, its beauty, and the need to protect it.
For the second Natura 2000 ambassador campaign alone, 560 large billboard posters with the Natura 2000 ambassadors were shown in all larger Bavarian cities with about 4.9 million individuals reached. Around 100 000 postcards with the Natura 2000 ambassadors were distributed. In addition, many individuals were reached with the social media campaign on Facebook, Instagram and with videos on YouTube, which totalled 32 408 views.
Some activities focused on stakeholders outside of Bavaria as well, such as the 5-days long Natura 2000 Relay Run crossing different Natura 2000 sites between Austria and Czechia. More than 80 contributions in newspapers, online-news, external websites and social media were published about this event. The final project event with the Natura 2000 summit in Brussels was a high-profile event with 250 attendees that raised attention on a German- and EU-wide level.
The project took advantage of the increased travelling and recreation demand within the home country during the pandemic and produced hiking recommendations for the application outdoor actives and podcasts about Natura 2000 areas. The podcasts "Wilde Winkel. Bavaria's Nature Podcast" alone received 4 300 listeners.
Impressive results such as the more than 25 million individuals reached and the 500 press articles published show the success of the project. Through a large variety of actions, Natura 2000 has been established as a positive and future-oriented initiative for nature conservation, for the protection of Bavarian landscapes, for biodiversity and for society as a whole.
The final project image film “Ganz meine Natur. Natura 2000 in Bayern” received outstanding attention on social media, with 29 000 clicks on YouTube.
