I will protect the right to clean air, water and land. Nature provides resources for food, development of medical treatments, healthy ecosystems help combat pollution and maintain the living environment for all organisms on Earth.

The relationship between people and our planet is dangerously unbalanced. We are seeing increasing evidence of this in our everyday lives, from extreme weather and forest fires to the emergence of new diseases. Much of the impact is, however, more subtle, but no less dangerous. One million species are threatened with extinction and natural habitats wildlife depends on is being degraded across the globe.

Protected areas form the centrepiece of conservation efforts around the world. They provide important space for ecological adaptation and evolutionary processes, thus playing a critical role in the face of climate change. Moreover, they generate direct human benefits in the form of ecosystem services.

In many cases, such protected areas represent the last hope for critically endangered or endemic species otherwise threatened by extinction. In terms of surface area coverage, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is home to some of the last intact natural areas of their size in Europe. Natural treasures such as the Southwestern Carpathians, the Danube Delta and Maramures truly justify the region’s labelling as the “Green Heart of Europe.” In CEE, species on the brink include large carnivores such as bears, lynx and wolves, as well as sturgeon.

It is crucial that these protected areas (a term that encompasses a wide array of different land and water designations) are managed and monitored according to strict and ambitious guidelines that foster the conservation of species and habitats - not only on paper, but in practice.