ABSTRACT
A physical manifestation of the shift from central to regional power structures in many European countries has been the relative reduction in the rate of designations of National Parks and their equivalent and the corresponding increase in some countries of Regional Parks. There are many common threads that can be identified within all the European Member States, and indeed at the Community level. The first and most important thread is the real and identifiable progress that has been made on many fronts and issues. All Member States do have a site-based system of management which will remain a cornerstone of conservation into the next century. At a more negative level, it is also evident that the European Community has struggled to find a coherent organizational framework within which nature conservation can find a secure and efficient place. The general conclusion must be that the environment does get severely compromised in the wider political and organizational wrangles within Europe.
