A meeting for discussing the suite of the cooperation between the Alpine and Carpathian protected areas was organized in Berlin, 4th December 2008. Our colleagues from the Carpathians (Mr. Mircea Verghelet, CNPA – Carpathian Network of Protected Areas – Steering Committee chair and Mr. Ján Kadlečík, responsible of the CWI – Carpathian Wetland Initiative) met the German State Secretary for Environment Mr. Michael Müller.

At the beginning of the meeting, the activities of cooperation between the Alps and the Carpathians were presented. These activities were realized in the framework of the work programme of the Task Force Protected Areas – Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention and were supported essentially by Germany, Principality of Monaco and Foundation Heidehof. An international colloquium about the management of large carnivores in the protected areas of both mountain ranges was proposed to be organized in 2009. Mr. Müller underlined the need of cooperation for the alpine protected areas in this field with the Carpathians.

During the second part of the meeting, the Alpine-Carpathian cooperation plan, defining the priorities of cooperation between the parks of both ranges, was presented and Mr. Müller promised that Germany will continue to support common projects. Therefore, the German ministry of environment will try to develop a strategy with the contracting parties of the Carpathian Convention, in order to accelerate the establishment of the coordination unit for the CNPA.