Parks and Benefits 1st Newsletter 09 2009

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Project newsletter, 1st edition, September 2009

PARKS & BENEFITS STRENGTHENS SUSTAINABLE NATURE TOURISM

WITHIN 8 PROTECTED AREAS IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION.

FOREWORD

Ladies and gentlemen, Dear partners,

I am glad to bring the first PARKS&BENEFITS-newsletter - after the projects approval in October2008 onto its way !

The first reporting period is done and it has been fully packed with work mainly to get the projectstarted.

My expectation for PARKS&BENEFITS is first of all- to make veryclear, that protected areas in the Baltic Sea Region with their typicalBaltic or even outstanding natural heritage are already an importantelement of the regional economies, while respecting theirconservation and development objectives.

Secondly it should open the eyes for those potentials within andaround protected areas, that are still not used for the development ofsustainable tourism (especially nature-tourism), of public-privatepartnerships and improved nature conservation.

Therefore PARKS&BENEFITS wants to strengthen cooperation andcommunication with the stakeholders on park-level und thuscontribute to sustainable Nature Tourism approaches and to mutual

benefits of the parks and their surrounding areas in the Baltic Sea Region as a whole.

I am convinced, that the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas is,among other working fields, an ideal instrument in order to achieve these aims. A number ofactivities have already been started.

The visibility for externals, however, is marked by the launch of the projects websitehttp://www.parksandbenefits.netat the same time as the publication of this newsletter.

Thus, I invite you to visit our website for much more information !

Please contribute to future newsletters and to the website, if there is anything from your work ofinterest to PARKS&BENEFITS.

I wish all the best for a successful project PARKS & BENEFITS !

Kind regards,

Olaf Ostermann

(Lead-Partner, Ministry for Agriculture, Environment

and Consumer Protection Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)


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1. PROJECT INTERNAL

1.1.KICK OFF MEETINGThe Kick-off meeting for the Project Parks & Benefitstook place from 9th -12th of March, 2009 at MritzNational Park, Germany. During the three-day seminarthe participants familiarized themselves with theframework of the Baltic Sea Region Program, whichprovides guidelines, ideas and management structuresfor the project and planned next joint steps for the 3-yearimplementation phase of the project.

1.2.2NDMEETING OF PARTNERSThe second project meeting took place in Maribo,Denmark from 8

thto 11

thJune. The meeting was

characterized by information exchange and workingsessions.

Firstly all partner parks gave an overview of theirsituation with regard to the Charter for sustainabletourism. Secondly strategic partners laid out theirapproaches for joint analysis of carrying capacity,sustainable transportation and accessibility as well as

the socio-economic benefit monitor. Thirdly external speakers provided strategic input aboutexperiences with Charter implementation and the necessities and dos and donts of visitormonitoring.

The meeting was opened by Mr. Kristian Ebbensgaard, the chairman of Region Zealand. It wasthe first time that such a high ranking politician had spoken about the importance of natureconservation and sustainable tourism in that region.

2. PARTNER NEWS

2.1.ESTONIA - CHILD WELFARE DAY INMATSALU NATIONAL PARK

On the 1st of June at Child Welfare day, EnvironmentalBoard and State Forest Management Centre organized atrip to Matsalu National Park for the 10th grade studentsof Haapsalu Sanatorium Boarding School. Students gotacquainted with the exposition in the Matsalu NatureCentre with special attention paid on wetland fowls.Museum visitation was followed by boat trip on Suitsu

and Kasari rivers, where children had a chance to observe birds, listen to bird sounds and solveseveral assignments on bird nutrition, protection of bird habitats and bird adaptations, describebodies of waters, animal traces as well as talk about history and human activities. Befriendingwith animals at Ranna ranch was one of the highlights of the day.

The purpose of this trip was to give the children with special needs to feel connection with living

and unliving nature, acquire knowledge about different biomes, their structures and mutualities,learn more about water birds, observe and recognize traces of human activities in the nature andassess this influence to the biomes.


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2.2.LATVIA - SEMINAR OF THE PROJECT"KEMERI NATIONAL PARK-

nature protection and tourism, cooperationoptions and benefits for local society

Latvian Country Tourism Association Lauku celotajs incooperation with the Administration of Kemeri Nationalpark held the first seminar of the project "KemeriNational Park- nature protection and tourism,cooperation options and benefits for local society" with45 participants on 22nd of May,2009.

The aim of seminar: to inform stakeholders about the project and possibilities to

participate/cooperate, to provide information on existing resources within Kemeri National Park,as well as initiate discussion about limitations and restrictions while living and working in theNational park. The development of new tourism products cycling tours - within project areainvolving local stakeholders was another essential aim of the seminar.

The first cycling tour test ride was held on 30th of May.The route makes a circle around the National parkshowing the variety of the national park treasures : thehistorical heart Kemeri town, coastal area and theinland with great variety of landscape andbiotopes, andalso known but still attractive areas which the visitorsusually do not know as belonging to the National park.

2.3.GERMANY - GPS-GUIDES AS A NEWTOOL FOR VISITOR INFORMATION

The Mritz National Park aims to implement GPS-Guidesto improve our visitor information system. The GPS-

system is based on a raster of Points of Interest whereusers are provided with information on the nationalparks flora and fauna, history, culture, environmentaland safety issues. In the beginning, the authority ought

to be focusing on a basic version of the GPS-based visitor information and guidance system astarter kit and advance the GPS-system step by step at a later stage. The goals to realise sucha system are the opportunity to reach younger target groups for environmental education, offervisitor information in foreign languages and use media like audio-, video- and geodata.


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2.4.GERMANY - PROJECT HEALTHY PARKS,HEALTHY PEOPLE, MRITZ NATIONALPARK,

National parks are the highest protection category inGermany. The Mritz National Park park is made up of30% lakes, 8% peatlands, 7% agriculture and the rest isforest. The area has major landscape values and isknown as the land of 1,000 lakes. In the almost 20

years since its designation Mritz has developed good visitor infrastructure including signage,hides, etc. The Mritz National Park is recognized by its health value and benefits offered.

Development of good publicity opportunities and coverage of the national park is an essential aimto concentrate. There are several activities organized leading to this aim like regional cooperationincluding the marketing of regional products (to promote the idea of good walking good eating).The Wander-Ma(h)l is organized by a rural cooperative and combines healthy, guided walksinside and outside the National Park, and healthy food made of regional products. The toursinside Mritz National Park are guided by park rangers while meals are provided by restaurantsand hotels, many of them being certified as Mritz National Park Partner.

2.5.DENMARK- REGION ZEALAND /MARIBOSOERNE NATURE PARK

The region was established the 1stof January 2007 by

merging three county councils, and pushing manyobligations on regional planning, nature protection, etc.to either the now bigger municipalities or to governmentagencies. We are still finding our ways after the greatreform. For this purpose we are looking on how we canadd some extra value. One of these areas isdevelopment of a system of regional nature parks. There

is no specific law on these, but the municipalities can establish them by issuing a planningdocument.

The region regards the Nature Park Mariboserne asfrontrunner with regard to development of nature parks.They have done very much work since they were

established in 1994. If they succeed with being certifiedas a European Charter Park they will still be in thefrontline in Denmark. This is also with regard to nationalparks in Denmark. We had the first national parkestablished last year (2008) in North-western Jutland,and recently our second nature park was opened inEastern Jutland. Three other parks has been agreed on,

all will open in the coming years.

The Region is working for that the Parks & Benefits project can help catalyze and improve ourwork on establishing a real working system of nature parks. Such a system should also look intoregional green corridors connecting the parks. For this purpose we want to use the project as anopportunity to make a regional analysis on the potential of nature parks. We also want to support

Nature Park Mariboserne in its efforts becoming a charter park. Furthermore we want to holdthree common seminars for the whole region and to make a study tour to Meckelburg-Vorpommern.


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3. INTRODUCING RELATED PROJECTS

3.1.BALTIC GREEN BELT

The Baltic Green Belt project wants to conserve, use anddevelop the common natural and cultural heritage of thecoastal border areas formerly dividing east and west. Tothis end, the project establishes a platform for

transnational cooperation between stakeholders working in nature conservation and sustainabledevelopment of the southern and eastern Baltic Sea coast.

The project community led by the University of Kiel(CAU) unites the Baltic NGO network Coalition CleanBaltic (CCB) with the IUCN (World Conservation Union)as well as a number of national partners from allcountries along the baltic south-east. Altogether, 22partners have developed the Baltic Sea RegionProgramme/Interreg IVB project baltic green belt. Theproject started in January 2009 will run until January

2012 and has a budget of more than 2 Mio ."

(www.balticgreenbelt.netund www.balticgreenbelt.uni-kiel.de)

Parks & Benefits project management

Tobias Lerche

c/o animare

projektmanagement tourismus

Rosa-Luxemburg-Strae 14

D - 18055 Rostock

t +49 (0) 381 440 49 51

f +49 (0) 381 440 49 49

e [email protected]

w parksandbenefits.net

Rostock: 2009/09/03

Parks and Benefits 1st Newsletter 09 2009

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