Protected cross-border regions in the CADSES area face similar problems. Often frontiers divide one region of cultural and natural heritage into more than one national park, biosphere reserve, nature reserve or protected landscape area and they are situated in two or more countries. As a consequence, two or more administrations, management structures and - if existing - spatial information systems (SIS) are working for these regions. There is urgent need for co-ordination in establishing elaborate monitoring and management schemes in those protected regions, as human activities from one area usually affect the whole region. The increasing demand for transnational planning and management approaches is backed by various European and global initiatives such as FFH of EC, WCM of UNEP-WCMC or the UNESCO World Heritage. These initiatives foster efforts to homogenise documentation of natural heritages as well as the co-operation between administrations of neighbouring countries. The project aims at fostering regional to transnational networks of spatial information systems. The cross-border protected regions of Sächsisch-Böhmische Schweiz (DE/CZ), Neusiedler See-Seewinkel/Fertö-Hanság (AT/HU) and Krkonose/Karkonosze (CZ/PL) are the core regions of the project. The transnational approach is open-ended in order to assure the successive integration of additional regions throughout the duration of the project. Partners in the cross-border regions of Triglav/Prealpi Giulie (SI/IT) have already declared their co-operation at that level for example. Expected Results: Main effects and foreseen results of SISTEMaPARC are: - Foster the co-ordinated transnational development of cross-border protected regions by improving or establishing spatial database networks and spatial information systems, and initiate the transnational exchange of experiences and know-how, - Support transnational strategies of monitoring, planning and management of cross-border protected areas and respective regions through integration and application of spatial information systems with special regard to European initiatives on protecting natural heritage and transnational planning strategies, - Increase the awareness of the values of conservation and development of natural heritage by providing clear information, - Prepare and facilitate the implementation of transnational strategies for the adequate development of a tourism infrastructure, of co-ordinated measures for cross-border nature conservation and of information systems for the public, - Develop indicators for changes in land use and land cover by monitoring and correlating the dynamics of changes with the impact of political and socio-economic changes in the CADSES area since the late 18th century.