The overall objective of the project is the protection of NATURA 2000 and other protected areas from natural hazards through a certified framework for education, training and support of civil protection volunteers on a joint cross-border basis and this links directly to the Programme’s Thematic Objective 06 “Preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency”. The project’s main objective is the enforcement of the cross-border biodiversity resilience of specific protected areas in both countries against disasters or exceptional circumstances occurring after natural hazards such as wildfires and floods, and this is aimed to contribute to the Programme’s specific objective 5 “To enhance the effectiveness of biodiversity protection activities”.

eOUTLAND aims in achieving the latter through the following specific objectives: a) the establishment of successful interoperability between NSEA (Greece) and MARITZA (Bulgaria), b) the creation of a robust, certified and cross-border joint educational/training system for the civil protection volunteers which deal with the management of natural disasters such as wildfires and floods, c) the utilization of the involved structures’ scientific/technical tools and means by the trained/certified civil protection volunteers during their operations, d) the appropriate equipment of the trained and certified civil protection volunteers via the involved structures, and e) the establishment of a joint cross-border approach on issues of environmental protection against natural disasters with the support of civil protection volunteers.