Site management

Site management

Across Europe there are key sites that are important for nature. Most of these sites need to be managed to maintain their value. This management is carried out by site managers, also sometimes referred to as nature conservationists, foresters or practitioners, who work for governmental, non-governmental or private enterprise organisations dedicated to the protection and conservation of nature.

Our members include many of these organisations, from large governmental organisations such as Natural England (Great Britain) and Metsähallitus (Finland), who manage thousands of hectares of land, to small non-governmental organisations such as the Society for the Coast (EUCC-Poland). Our members also include organisations and individuals who do not directly manage land, but whose work is sympathetic to Eurosite’s vision, such as the Dutch Montagu’s Harrier Foundation (Netherlands) and xct (Spain).

Just as Eurosite’s members come in all shapes and sizes, Europe’s natural sites differ greatly across the continent and even within countries and can include farmland, grassland, wetlands, forests, coastal sites and mountainous regions. Whilst some sites may be inaccessible and largely uninhabited, most nature sites in Europe today are used by a range of different groups, including farmers, hunters and local communities, as well as being home to Europe’s beautiful plants, birds and animals. We strongly believe in the importance of stakeholder dialogue, and we help our members to bridge divides wherever possible.

Site management and the people who work on the ground are at the heart of what we do – we aim to provide site managers with the tools they need to carry out their work. We believe this is best done through networking and information exchange. Eurosite networking is usually carried out around key themes, such as stakeholder engagement, climate change or monitoring.