News Update and Recent Work
Examples of EUROPARC Consulting’s work:
Dynamic Dinaric project kicks off
Posted on: 19th March 2012
Could the Western Balkans become the Costa Rica of Europe? After all, Costa Rica is considered by many to be one of the most successful examples of sustainable tourism. Could the protected areas in this region do the same in Europe for visitors to enjoy the rich biodiversity without the need for long flights? Some participants at the Belgrade kick-off meeting of an exciting new project for EUROPARC Consulting certainly thought so.
The string of natural jewels known as the Dinaric Arc Parks stretches through Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo under UNSCR 1244, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
Representatives of project leader WWF MedPO, project funder Norway, EUROPARC Consulting and all the countries involved met in Belgrade for the lively and productive meeting (12 - 14 March).
The project brings much-needed investment to nature conservation in the region, as well as enhancing collaboration between the countries through regional and transboundary cooperation.
The aim, said project leader Leon Kebe of WWF MedPO, is “a vibrant regional collaboration network by 2015”. Based on a thorough ecological gap analysis by WWF, the project will use and build local capacity to develop a vision, brand, and internal and external communications.
A key part of the project will be the development of sustainable tourism in all the partner countries. No less than ten protected areas will be chosen to work towards and achieve the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism. The Charter is a carefully assessed process by which protected areas analyze and improve their sustainable tourism “offer”, ending with the award of prestigious Charter status.
Wilf Fenten of EUROPARC Consulting said: “It’s incredibly exciting to work with all the protected areas in the Dinaric Arc region, to welcome within the next few months at least ten new parks to the EUROPARC family, and to know that we will be working with them and their peers over the next three years to develop sustainable tourism which will protect and enhance this wonderful area and its biodiversity.”
Project blog: dinaricarcparks@blogspot.com
EUROPARC Consulting website: www.europarc-consulting.org
EUROPARC Consulting Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/europarc.consulting
EUROPARC Consulting email: wilf.fenten@europarc-consulting.org
or info@europarc-consulting.org
Practical guide to save precious places
Posted on: 27th February 2012
Europe’s special natural places – and the people who visit them - are set to benefit from a groundbreaking new guide put together by EUROPARC Consulting, which draws together expert thinking on sustainable tourism.
Practical, profitable, protected is the first manual on how to develop and manage tourism in protected areas[i]. Aimed at businesses, communities and area managers, it focuses particularly on places that are at an early stage of their tourism development, many in the former eastern bloc.
The Dutch-Latvian-British[ii] editorial team worked for over a year to bring together a wide range of stories and ideas reflecting how Europe’s natural places can be shared sustainably.
Co-author Lucy Galvin said: “We have amassed real knowledge and experiences from right across Europe. Over 30 case studies explore the practicalities, from guided walks across bogs in Sweden to renovating a castle with healing powers in Slovenia; from Green Way tourism routes in Byelorussia to buying shares in a national park in Germany.”
“The manual covers why tourism is important for nature; how to develop strategy; working in partnership; developing experiences for tourists; communicating; and generating income.”
“It’s important to share these ideas now, or in the rush to develop tourism much of Europe’s biodiversity could be lost. Many tourists want to experience real nature and authentic cultures, and the manual is about showing people how to protect and offer that, rather than a manufactured tourism ‘offer’.”
Experts on protected areas have also welcomed the publication. Wilf Fenten, Managing Director of EUROPARC Consulting commented: “These areas are under increasing pressure and we welcome the wealth of sustainable ideas that will help safeguard Europe’s biodiversity.”
Go to http://www.europarc.org/uploaded/documents/896.pdf to download a pdf of the handbook. Why not have a look at other parts of the EUROPARC Federation website at the same time?
Printed copies of the handbook are available from EUROPARC Consulting, The Shaws, Selside, Settle, North Yorkshire, England BD24 0HZ.
Price: The handbook is free but postage and packaging may be charged when ordering larger numbers of the handbook.
The manual was developed and published with financial support of LIFE+, a European Union programme supporting environmental and nature conservation throughout the EU.
Practical, profitable, protected: a starter guide to developing sustainable tourism in protected areas 84 pages, 2012
Publishers: European Centre for Eco and Agro Tourism (ECEAT) in partnership with the EUROPARC Federation.
Producers: EUROPARC Consulting GmbH, ECEAT and the Latvian Country Tourism Association.
Authors: Lucy Galvin, Aiva Jakovela, Hugo de Jong, Naut Kusters, Richard Partington, Asnate Ziemele.
Financial contribution: the European Union as part of the LIFE+ programme, project POLPROP-NATURA (LIFE07ENV/LV/000981), and from the Latvian LVAF fund.
[i] Protected areas include national parks, nature parks and Natura 2000 sites. Between them, 27 European countries have recognized 26,000 Natura 2000 sites. There are 273 national parks in Europe, covering 98,000 sq km.
[ii] Produced by a team of Europe’s leading experts, this manual combines expertise from EUROPARC Consulting, the consultancy arm of the EUROPARC Federation, which has 30 years of experience in developing tourism in Europe’s leading protected areas; the European Centre for Eco and Agro Tourism (ECEAT), adding the perspective of the tourism sector and entrepreneurs; and the Latvian Country Tourism Association contributing the specific lessons learned in the frame of the EU LIFE+ POLPROP –NATURA (LIFE07ENV/LV/000981) project which aimed at the creation of a model for sustainable tourism development in Latvia’s Sl?tere National Park.
