On 4-5 October in Minsk, the Bern Convention organised a Conference titled “Reaching concerted site conservation at pan-European level: progress, challenges and future of the Emerald Network”.

The event, which marked the end of the current EU/CoE Joint Programme “Emerald Network of nature protection sites, Phase II”, gathered policy makers and practitioners responsible for biodiversity conservation at the European, national and local levels, as well as representatives of the civil society and the scientific community.

The conference showcased the achievements of and lessons learned by seven Eastern European and South-Caucasus countries in their work on the setting-up of the Emerald Network in the period 2013-2016. In a forward-looking manner, the participants discussed ways to address the countries’ common challenge of achieving a fully sufficient Emerald Network on their territories, a network capable of ensuring the long-term survival of species and habitats of European importance.

The main outcome of the Conference is a "3-dimensional Road Map for achieving a fully operational Emerald Network in 7 countries from Eastern Europe and the South-Caucasus", which identifies the key steps to be undertaken by relevant national authorities and other stakeholders to conclude the establishment by 2020 of a complete and fully operational Emerald Network. The Road Map can be seen as a practical working tool, giving guidance to the countries while planning their work for the next 3 years, including for resource mobilisation purposes. It will be presented to the 36th meeting of the Standing Committee to the Bern Convention for endorsement.