Heinz Mayer

Nockberge Biosphere Park 

40 years of partnership and friendship – united by a passion

40 years of Triglav National Park and 40 years since the Nockberge Referendum marked the foundation of the Nockberge Biosphere Park – two anniversaries that we are delighted to celebrate together. As a long-standing partner of the largest protected area in Slovenia, it is not just our enduring enthusiasm for nature that unites us, but now also almost 20 years of partnership and friendship.  Triglav National Park is one of the oldest in Europe. Together with Triglav National Park we have taken it upon ourselves to preserve nature and to protect and develop it in all its marvellous facets! Together we are committed to protection of nature and the landscape – a passion that unites us. This deep-rooted alliance has its origins in the ERA Project. In 2003 three Parks in the Alpe-Adria Region, namely the Nockberge National Park (as it then was), the Triglav National Park and the Prealpi Giulie Nature Park, decided to intensify their existing network and to develop a closer working-relationship. The objective of this relationship was mutual support, aimed at regional development within the framework of the three high-grade nature-regions. This was not just the start of a cooperation that has lasted to this very day, but also the start of many friendships. As Heinz Mayer says: “In the last 20 years not only have fantastic long-term projects come into being but also many close friendships. To this day we are reliant on our routine mutual support and regular meetings for exchange of knowledge and for cultivating our friendships.”

The foundations laid in 2003, by the Nockberge Biosphere Park and the Triglav National Park, remain symbolic of our deep solidarity and close partnership. Both Regions attach great importance to dealing with nature in a sustainable and equitable way. In recent years many projects have been carried out in close cooperation, and some of them are still on-going. To take one example, annual School Students’ Days in the Parks have become one of our permanent fixtures. However, this is not just a matter of schools visiting each other: all other participants are also routinely welcomed as guests at events and festivities, with exhibitions and presentations devoted to the protected areas in the other Parks. Back then, cultural exchanges between the Triglav National Park and the Nockberge Biosphere Park figured prominently, as they still do. Even now we continue to benefit from our close partnership and implement many projects collaboratively. The Restaurant Network was a particularly important project realised together with the Triglav National Park. With the assistance of the Park Administrations and the Klagenfurt Umweltbüro (Environment Office) and with tourist activities in mind, we successfully created a network of restaurants and farmhouses. As a result of this a number of culinary evenings took place. The idea was to invite chefs, from the Park Regions in the other countries, for one evening and give them the opportunity to prepare typical meals from their home regions. As soon as all partners were lined up, the culinary evening was organised.

The fact that life-long learning is hugely important is well known by the employees of both the Triglav National Park and the Nockberge Biosphere Park. For this reason, even now regular field-trips are still taking place so that we can learn from each other. Dietmar Rossmann, Head of the Biosphere Park Administration, hopes that this close cooperation may continue to flourish. As he says, “Our partnership and friendship is a real asset for our Biosphere Park. My warmest congratulations on 40 years of Triglav National Park! I look forward to many more years to come, in which we can learn from each other.”