The workshop will take place in the Valencia region of Spain (16-18 June 2026).
Valencia represents a highly relevant EU context for this exchange, offering a rich portfolio of community-led NRM initiatives within a Mediterranean setting. The region hosts multiple flagship sites—including the Tierra Bobal territory, the Valle del Cabriel UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and the Albufera Natural Park—where participatory governance, local stewardship, and sustainable economic activities are central to resource management strategies. These territories provide concrete and transferable examples aligned with the challenges faced by EaP countries, such as climate vulnerability, land degradation, water scarcity, and rural depopulation.
Summary of the event:
- 16 June 2026 Workshop Day 1: Knowledge exchange on ecotourism and site visit to Tierra Bobal
- 17 June 2026 Workshop day 2: Knowledge exchange on management plans and site visit to Asociación Reserva de la Biosfera Valle del Cabriel
- 18 June 2026 Workshop day 3: Site visit to Natura 2000 site (Albufera Natural Park) and event closure
Objectives
The purpose of the regional workshop is therefore to serve as a knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and learning platform, facilitating the transfer of EU best practices to the Eastern Partnership context.
Emphasis is placed on showcasing how community engagement can contribute to sustainable NRM while simultaneously supporting local economic development, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation.
The workshop will focus on concrete areas of work where community engagement has demonstrated strong results, including but not limited to:
- community-based ecotourism and sustainable territorial branding;
- participatory forest and silvopastoral management planning;
- management of protected areas and Natura 2000 sites;
- governance of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves; and
- integrated approaches linking agriculture, forestry, water management, and ecosystem services.
By convening EU and EaP stakeholders in a Mediterranean EU setting, the workshop will facilitate peer learning and practical knowledge transfer, support regional cooperation, and contribute to EU4Environment’s objectives by advancing inclusive, resilient, community-driven approaches to natural resource management across the region.
Background
The regional workshop is organised under the EU4Environment Programme (Activity 4.2), “Supporting the sustainable management of natural resources and economic development through local community engagement in the Eastern Partnership countries”.
EU4Environment supports sustainable natural resource management and local economic development in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries by strengthening community engagement, improving environmental governance, and fostering climate resilience. Under this activity, work in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine includes baseline mapping of community engagement in forest and natural resource management; targeted capacity-building to strengthen practical NRM skills; and lessons learned documentation. The focus areas include ecotourism initiatives; forest and protected area management; and biosphere reserves, alongside efforts to encourage policy uptake, twinning, and regional cooperation.