GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN ...

GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN PROTECTED AREAS

How policy makers can make tourism a real driver for nature protection and local socio-economic well-being!

Central Europe Eco-TOurism: Tools for Nature protection

CEETO - Central Europe Eco-Tourism: tools for nature protection

TABLE OF CONTENTS1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................1

2. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT OF THE CEETO PROJECT .....................................................................22.1. Objectives ........................................................................................................................22.2. Key challenges ...................................................................................................................22.3. Methodology ......................................................................................................................5

3. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN PROTECTED AREAS .........................................................63.1. Definitionofsustainabletourism ..............................................................................................63.2. TheoreticalplatformofsustainabletourismanditsimplementationinPA ............................................63.3. Theimportanceofstakeholdersinsustainabletourism ...................................................................73.3.1. Whatcanlocalpolicymakersdo? ............................................................................................83.3.2. Whatcancentraladministrations,nationalpolicy-makersdo? .........................................................9

4. GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES ................................................................................... 104.1. TheConventiononBiologicalDiversity(CBD)guidelines ................................................................ 104.1.1. Policy-making,developmentplanningandmanagementprocess ...................................................... 104.2. TheInternationalUnionforConservationofNature(IUCN)guidelines ............................................... 114.3. TheEuropeanCommission’sguidelines (directives)...................................................................... 124.3.1. Natura2000prioritiesforsustainabletourisminprotectedareas(Strategy–Policy–Planning) ................. 134.4. TheEuropeanCharterforSustainableTourism(ECST) .................................................................. 144.4.1. GuidelinesfortheParticipatoryplanningprocess ........................................................................ 144.4.2. ParticipatoryplanningsessionineightPAsoftheCEETOProject. ..................................................... 164.5. Strategyandactionplanguidelines ....................................................................................... 174.5.1. BasicprinciplesandinterventionlogicintheDS ......................................................................... 184.5.2. Structureofthesustainabledevelopmentstrategy ..................................................................... 204.5.3. TheprocessofpreparingaPAsustainabledevelopmentstrategy ..................................................... 23

5. PLANNING/MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING TOOLS ..................................................................... 255.1. Choiceofthemethodology .................................................................................................. 255.2. Methodologiesidentified ..................................................................................................... 25

6. GENERAL REVIEW OF CEETO PROJECT CASE STUDIES .................................................................... 296.1. Emilia-RomagnaRegion:PoDeltaRegionalPark ......................................................................... 296.2. Emilia-RomagnaRegion:HighModeneseApennineRegionalParkandSalsediNiranoNaturalReserve .......... 306.3. Emilia-RomagnaRegion:Tosco-EmilianoApennineNationalPark ...................................................... 336.4. SölktälerNaturePark ......................................................................................................... 356.5. BiosphereReserveSalzburgerLungau ...................................................................................... 366.6. UNESCOBiosphereReserveSoutheast-Rügen ............................................................................. 376.7. PublicInstitutionNatureParkMedvednica ............................................................................... 386.8. LandscapeParkStrunjan ..................................................................................................... 39

7. ASSESMENT STUDIES OF CEETO PILOT ACTIONS .......................................................................... 417.1. Internalevaluation ........................................................................................................... 417.1.1. Methodology ................................................................................................................... 417.1.2. Keyfindingsoftheinternalevaluationofpilotactions ................................................................. 417.2. Independentevaluationofpilotactions .................................................................................. 437.2.1. ThePilotActionsintheProtectedAreas ................................................................................... 447.2.2. Thebestpracticesinthetestingphase .................................................................................... 46

8. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................... 498.1. Sustainabletourismdevelopmentandimplementation ................................................................. 498.2. Decisionmakingprocess ...................................................................................................... 518.3. Buildingconsensusandco-operationwithstakeholdersinprotectedareas ......................................... 518.3.1. Managementandplanning ................................................................................................... 528.3.2. DevelopingPriorities,GoalsandObjectivesforSustainableTourismDevelopment ................................ 528.3.3. Networkingthestakeholders:who,how,withwhom? ................................................................... 538.4. Monitoringandevaluation ................................................................................................... 558.4.1. ExampleofCROSTOindicators .............................................................................................. 568.5. Finalconclusionsandrecommendations ................................................................................... 58

9. SOURCE AND LITERATURE ..................................................................................................... 62

10. REFERENCES .................................................................................................................... 63

CEETO - Central Europe Eco-Tourism: tools for nature protection

Terminology and list of acronyms Visitor Forprotectedareas(PAs),avisitorisapersonwhovisitstheareaofthePA,whoisnotpaid

tobeinthereanddoesnotlivetherepermanentlyeither.Thepurposetovisittheareaistypicallyrecreational,educationalorcultural1

Tourist Anyvisitorwhosetriptoaprotectedareaincludesanovernightstay.CEETO CentralEuropeEco-Tourism:toolsfornatureprotectionEU EuropeanUnionPA Protectedarea:aclearlydefinedgeographicalspace,recognized,dedicatedandmanaged,

through legalorothereffectivemeans, toachieve the long-termconservationofnaturewithassociatedecosystemservicesandculturalvalues.2

UNEP UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgrammeIUCN InternationalUnionforConservationofNatureUNWTO UnitedNationsWorldTourismOrganization

1 UNWTOandUNEP(2005).MakingTourismMoreSustainable:AGuideforPolicy-Makers.MadridandParis:UNWTOandUNEP,https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/97892844082142 Dudley,N.(ed.)(2008).GuidelinesforApplyingProtectedAreaManagementCategories.Gland,Switzerland:IUCN.https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/documents/PAPS-016.pdf.Accessed2January2020.

List of FiguresFig.1:Charterprinciples(europarc.org). ............................................................................................ 14Fig.2:Localdevelopmentstrategy–ahierarchyof4levels. ..................................................................... 22Fig.3:MethodsofensuringpublicityinanLDSplanningprocess. ................................................................ 23Fig.4:KeycomponentsofLDSplanning. ............................................................................................. 24Fig.5:Tableofmonitoringtools. ...................................................................................................... 27Fig.6:Evaluationofmonitoringtools. ................................................................................................ 28Fig.7:Analysisofstrategictouristflows.Archive:PoDeltaRegionalPark. ..................................................... 29Fig.8:VideoContentAnalysis(VCA)systemthatmonitorstransitsalongtheaccessroad. .................................. 31Fig.9:PietradiBismantova.Archive:WillyReggioni. .............................................................................. 33Fig.10:EvaluationofsummitbooksinNatureParkSölktäler ..................................................................... 35Fig.11:Preberseearea.Archive:BiosphereReserveSalzburgerLungau. ....................................................... 36Fig.12:AudioGuide.Archive:BiosphereReserveSoutheast-Rügen. ............................................................. 37Fig.13:InvolvementofStakeholders.Archive:NatureParkMedvednica........................................................ 39Fig.14:Studyonlandscapingandspatialplanningsolutions–glampinginpilotareaofBelvedereterraces. ............ 41Fig.15:Processofdevelopmentsustainabletourism. .............................................................................. 50Fig.16:Thedifferentvisionsandvaryingculturalbackgroundsofthegroupsofstakeholders. ............................. 54

List of tablesTab.1:SequenceoftheparticipatoryactivitiestoreachthegoalofthedevelopmentofthesharedAction. ........... 16Tab.2:ListofUNWTOmandatoryissuesandcorrespondingETISindicators. ................................................... 57Tab.3:ListofsupplementalindicatorscoveringtheninthUNWTOmandatoryissueandthefourthETISsection. ....... 58

CEETO-CentralEuropeEco-Tourism:toolsfornatureprotection Page1

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The present CEETO Guidelines are one of the main outcome documents of the CEETO project, whoseobjectiveisreinforcingsustainabilityintourismplanningandmanagement.

An enormous number of international conventions and declarations have put forward principles andguidelinesforsustainabletourismsincethe2002WorldSummitonSustainableDevelopment.Manycountriessaypubliclythattheyarepursuing,orwishtopursue,policiesfor“sustainabletourism”.Still,manyexpertswouldarguethatnotenoughactionshavebeentakenandnotenoughgoalshavebeenreachedtochangetourismpressures.

TheseCEETOGuidelines,nexttotheCEETO“HandbookofsuccessfulandinnovativepracticesforasustainabletourisminsideProtectedAreas”,-usingthelessonslearnedfromtheproject-endeavourtohelpnotonlyPAmanagers’butalsopolicymakers’,thusprofessionalaudienceandstakeholders,dailyworkintakingasteptowardsmoresustainabletourism.

Probablythereisnootherindustryintheeconomythatisconnectedtosomanydifferentkindsofproductsandservicesas is the tourismsector3.This iswhy the roleofgovernments is sounique tooverseeanddevelopopportunities,toprovideleadership,toestablishmechanismstocoordinatethetourismindustry.Policy-makersofdifferentlevelsshouldalsoreduceuncertaintyintourismpolicyandtoplanaswellastoimprovetherelationshipsamongthekeystakeholdersfromtheprivateandthepublicsector4.

Mass tourism has become a powerful industry worldwide in the last decades, able to generate manythousandsofjobsandgreatamountoftaxrevenueforthestates.Nowonderthatpolicymakers’temptationishugetofocusontheseconsiderations,withlessregardforlocalimpactsorawarenessofsustainability.TheCEETOGuidelinesofferaproceduraltoolandcasestudiestoencourageatypeoftourismthatisbothsustainableandattractive.ItcanhelpPAmanagements,municipalities,localtourismserviceprovidersandtouroperatorstocooperate,andthusenableanadequatequalityoflifeforlocalresidents.

However,itshouldbenotedthattheseGuidelines,whicharetheresultoftheworkandexperiencegatheredinthelasttwoyearswiththeCEETOproject,arepublishedinearlymonthsof2020,inaglobalemergencycausedbytheCovid-19pandemic.Thesocialdistancingmeasuresthattheentirepopulationisrequiredtoobserve,eveninthecomingmonthsforaperiodthatcannotbedefinedatpresent,willinevitablyconditiontourism and the enjoyment of the ProtectedAreas.At themoment there are no certainties about themeasurestobeadoptedandthebehaviourthatpeoplewillhavetomaintain.MainexpertsfromaroundtheworldpredictthattheworldofParks,fortheiropenspacesandnaturalvocationforwell-being,willconstitutean“OasisofHealth”becomingacatalystforvisitorsandoneofthemainattractorsoftouristdemand.

In thecomingmonths,policymakers,managersofProtectedAreasandall stakeholders involved in thesupplychainwillbecalledtocontrolthefruitionoftheterritories,sothemonitoringsystemsidentifiedandappliedwithintheCEETOprojectwillbeinvaluableandindispensablethanever.Althoughinasituationoppositetothatofovertourism,notcompatiblewithsustainabletourismandsofaratthecentreofourattention,themonitoringtoolswillbeusefulforthecontrolandmanagementofProtectedAreaseveninCoronavirusemergency,allowtodetectthebehaviourandnewneedsofpeopleforacorrectandbettertouristexperience.

3 lhj Pforr,C.(2004)Policy-makingforsustainabletourism,CurtinUniversityofTechnology,Australia,(inSustainableTourism,F.D.Pineda,C.A.Brebbia&M.Mugicaed.)https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/ST04/ST04007FU.pdf4 Pforr,C. (2004)Policy-making for sustainable tourism,CurtinUniversityofTechnology,Australia, (inSustainableTourism,F.D.Pineda,C.A.Brebbia&M.Mugicaed.)https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/ST04/ST04007FU.pdf.

CEETO-CentralEuropeEco-Tourism:toolsfornatureprotection

2. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT OF THE CEETO PROJECTCEETOGuidelines, on the one hand, summarizes the contents of the research implemented during theCEETOprojectandinformsabouttheresultsand,ontheotherhand,itpresentssuggestionsandideasonhowtogainmoreknowledgeandgivesexamplesonhowtoreducetheimpactoftourisminprotectedareas.

2.1. Objectives

CEETOGuidelinesserveasatooldesignedtosupportpolicymakersatinternational/national/regionallevelintheprocessofshapingthetourismplanningandmanagement.TheGuidelinesarebasedontheactivitiesandpilotactionsconductedinsixprojectpartners’countries-Austria,Croatia,Germany,Hungary,ItalyandSlovenia-andaimtoprovideaninsightintotrendsandprocessesinsustainabletourism.

CEETOGuidelinescanbeusefulforabroadaudience,butmainlyfor:

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL POLICY MAKERS

PARK MANAGERS AND OTHER CONSERVATION PRACTITIONERS

toincreasetheircapacityindevelopingsustainabletourismpolicies

toensurethattourisminPAsisappropriate,wellmanaged,andsupportsconservationobjectives

Withotherwords,theGuidelinesareasupportdocumentfortheabove-mentionedstakeholdergroups,thatpresentacoherentstrategyforthedevelopmentoftourism,inordertobalancegrowthandconservation,withinthecontextofCentralEurope’sprotectedareas.

TheCEETOGuidelinesdrawanumberofconclusionsandrecommendations.Theyidentifyappropriate,cost-effectiveandlow-impactmodelstomanagesustainabletourism,suchasaninnovativegovernancesystembasedonaparticipatoryplanningapproachthatimprovesthemanagingcapacitiesofPAs.

2.2. Key challenges

Someglobaltrends5andincreasingnumberoftouristsrequireustoadoptasustainablevisionthatconsidersmanagementofkeyissuessuchasenvironmental,culturalandsocialimpacts.Whatevertheproblemsorsolutions,sustainabletourismmanagementisincreasinglyseenasacoreagendaitemandnotsomethingthatcanbeignoredorpushedasideanylonger.

Tourist Awareness

Minimizingdamagetonaturalheritagefromtourismisoneofthekeychallengesfordecisionmakers.Ingeneral,byprovidingbetterunderstandingofthenaturalheritageoftheProtectedAreastouristscanhelpreduce or prevent adverse impacts and encourage support for conservation. Sustainable policies shouldendeavourtominimizedamagetohabitatsanddisturbanceofwildlifebyvisitors.

5 Koščak,O’Rourke,2020.


Therecommendedmeasuresinclude6:

Raisingawarenessthroughtheeducation(e.g.qualityguiding,visitorcentrescontainingcreativeinterpretativefacilities,providingpre-arrivalinformation).

Visitormanagement,controllingvisitornumbersandbehaviour;spatialzoningareastoseparatehumanactivitiesandkeywildlifehabitatswithwildliferefugeareastoreducedisturbancesandsolutionsforlitteringproblems.

Destination planning and development of sustainable local tourism destinations

Tourismdestinationmanagementcanbeseenasacontinuous,long-termprocess,involvingtourismproducts,servicesandprotectedareasstakeholders.Localtourismdevelopmentanddestinationplanningshouldbeorganizedasa“creativewayoftourism”.Itisthetourismthatismainlyconnectedwithcommunities,withthenaturalattractionsandwiththearea’sidentity.Intermsofmanagement,itisthetourismthathasnoorminimumimpactontheenvironmentandissustainably,preferablylocallymanagedtoallowtourists,communities and local people aswell as affiliated persons, to participate in themanagement process.In terms of activity and process, the tourism facilitates the learning by educating on culture and localcommunitiesaswellasonenvironmentandecosystem.Intermsofparticipation,thetourismisawareoftheparticipationfromtourists,communities,localpeopleandaffiliatedpersons.

Tourism – your everyday life is someone else’s adventure

Thecapacityoftourismforpromotingamoresustainableandinclusivedevelopmentisbased,amongotherfactors,onitscapacitytotakeplaceinavarietyofenvironments,includingruralorunderdevelopedareas,onitsimpactontheeconomyresultingindrivinglocaleconomiesandonthecreationofdirectandinducedemployment.Thetrendistogivetouriststheopportunitytolivelikealocalwhenvisitingadestination.Authenticityandmoreinteractionwiththelocalpopulationimprovescontentmentonbothsides.Tourismisbecomingatripartiteactivitybetweenproviders,tourists,andlocals.Foradestination,itisimportanttolivethebrand,torunthevaluesofthebrandthrougheveryactofproductcreationorcommunicationbyallpeopleinthedestination.

Local supply chain and added value

Tourismgenerateseconomicopportunitiesbyprovidingproductsandservices.Themoreatourismindustryissuppliedlocally,themoreitwillinduceeconomicgrowthandincreaseopportunitiesfornewbusinesses.Localandsustainablysourcedfoodcontributestocommunityeconomicresiliencereducesenvironmentalimpactsandmaycultivateanauthenticsenseofplaceandcultureforvisitors.Foodinallitsformsisthusapotentiallystrongelementinthebrandingofadestination.

Economic and social inclusion

Atlocallevel,tourismcreatesnewbusinessopportunities,whichisstrategicforreducingpovertyinregionswithlowlevelsofdevelopment(ruralareas).Itcanthereforeofferawayoutforthemostdisadvantagedgroups.Tourismemploymentthushelpsreducepovertyandeconomicandsocialexclusion,andmayofferalternativestomigrationtocities.Despitethebeneficialeffectsofjobcreation,itmustbekeptinmindthattourismemployment isveryunstable,even inadvancedeconomies,withhigh levelsofseasonality,turnoverandpart-timework.

Inclusive tourism

Inclusivetourismisagrowingsectorwithintheindustrythatemphasizestheideathattourismisforall,andtheoperatorsshouldactivelystrivetoimproveaccessibilityforallpersons.Aninclusivetourismdestinationis a destination that offers a tourism experience based on its own, singular attributes; transforms theindustrybyboostingitscompetitiveness;createsdecentemployment;andpromotesequalopportunitiesforall–especiallythemostvulnerablegroups–toparticipateinandbenefitfromtourismactivity,allinlinewiththeprinciplesofsustainabledevelopment.Inclusioncanbecomeafactorforcompetitiveness,both

6 UNWTOandUNEP(2005).MakingTourismMoreSustainable:AGuideforPolicy-Makers.MadridandParis:UNWTOandUNEP,p.43.https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284408214


becauseoftheinclusionofgroupswhosecharacteristicscanhelpenrichthevaluepropositionandbecausetheinclusionofdisadvantagedgroupsleads,inthemediumterm,toahealthiersocietyinwhichtourismenterpriseshaveagreatercapacityforgrowthandsuccess.

Climate change

Climatechangeisanongoingchallengethathasbeenaroundformanyyearsanditsimpactsarebecomingmoreandmoreevident.UNClimateChangeChiefPatriciaEspinosalaunchedattheWorldTravel&TourismConference(WTTC)inNewYorkinSeptember2019,theWTTCSustainabilityActionPlan-initiativebythetravelandtourismsector,supportedbyUNClimateChange,toencourageandhelptheentiresectortotakestrongerandmoreambitiousactiontoaddressclimatechange.Shesaidthatwhiletravelandtourismindustryhasgrowntobeaglobaleconomicforce,generating710,4%ofglobalgrossDomesticProduct(in2017),italsoaccountsforaround8%ofglobalgreenhousegasemissionsthatarecontributingtoclimatechange.

Ontheonehand,thetravelindustryhelpslocaleconomiesgeneratingprofits,whileontheotheritcontributestoenvironmentaldamage.Bynow,itisimpossibletoignorethereportsunderliningthedevastatingimpactoftourism,themajorityofwhichhappenviaair,carandseatransportation.Onemightarguethatthetravelindustrydesperatelyneedsmoreregulationbypolicymakers,buttouristsshouldalsobepreparedtotakeonsomepersonalresponsibilityandreduceairtravel.

“Over-tourism”

Over-tourismmeansunsustainabletourism,wherethenegative impacts forthedestinationenvironmentand local community outweigh any positive impacts. It highlights the impacts on destinations of poortourismplanningandregulation.Thephenomenonhasproducedadoubleeffect:whilethishasalsoledtoanegativebacklashagainsttourism,whichinsomecasesisharmfultodestinations,ithasalsoincreasedawarenessamongdiversestakeholdersabouttheneedformoreinclusivetourismdecision-making,planningandgovernance.

Thereisanincreasingtrendintourismtaxes-duetotheover-tourismissuebutmoreandmoredestinationsarerealizingthat,throughtherevenuegeneratedbythesetaxes,itispossibletocarryoutsustainabilityprojects.

Technologywillplayanimportantrole infindingsustainablesolution,while it isonlyatooltobeused.However,wearealreadyseeingtheeffectiveuseofmobiledatatoinfluencevisitorflowsinsomedestinations.Theopportunityofrealtimemonitoringcanultimatelyassistcapacitymanagement,andtheaccesstogeo-locationdata,couldhelpplanningvisitorflowsandimprovesupplychainmanagement.

Carrying capacity

Sustainable tourismdevelopment has to include a carrying capacity study; that is, an estimate of “themaximum number of people who can use a site without an unacceptable alteration in the physicalenvironmentandwithoutanunacceptabledecline in thequalityof theexperience toboth visitors andresidents”.The factors that need tobe consideredare aphysical impact of tourists, ecological impactoftourists,perceptionsofovercrowding,cultural,andsocial impacton local residents.This isessentialiftourismistocontributetotheconservationofculturalandnaturalheritagethroughtherealizationofeconomicvalueandraisingawarenessof,andcommitmentto,thelocalpatrimony.

Safety and security

Safetyandsecurityareoneofthekeycomponentsoftravelplanningforeverytourist.Safetyisconsideredasastatewhereriskanddangerareminimalforan individual. Inaddition,security isconsideredasanactiveprotection fromthreats toprovide risk free situations.For tourists, safetyandsecurityareevenmore important, since tourists enter new and unknown situations on their journey. Despite significantmedicalprogressoverthelastcenturies, infectiousdiseasesstillrepresentsignificantthreatstomodernsocieties.Whilesomehavebeenfoughtsuccessfullyandareonlyfoundwithinafewgeographicalareas(endemics),othershavetheabilitytospreadquicklyfromaninitiallylimitedoutbreak,becomingepidemics

7 NewActionPlanTowardsAchievingClimateNeutralityinTravelandTourismby2050,UnitedNationsClimateChange,September25,2019,https://unfccc.int/news/new-action-plan-towards-achieving-climate-neutrality-in-travel-and-tourism-by-2050.


orpandemics(aswecanseeatpresentincaseofCOVID19pandemic).Thefirstandmostcrucialaspectofanepidemicorpandemicis,andwillalwaysremain,humansufferingandthelossoflives.Nevertheless,thespreadofaviruscanhavetremendouseconomicimplicationsandtourismisoneofthemostvulnerablesectors;presentlytheeffectsoftheCOVID19pandemicarealreadyheavilyfeltthetourismsectorandasetofnewpoliciesforamoresustainableandcoherentproductinthefutureisneeded.

2.3. Methodology

Themethodology,of theCEETO“Guidelines fordevelopingaSustainableTourism inProposedAreas”, isdividedintothemaintasksandfinalrecommendations:

Literature review - focusing on the following areas: academic literature, of guiding principles adapproaches,reportsandothersimilarmaterial.

MethodologiesforparticipatoryprocessplanninganddefinitionofasustainabledevelopmentstrategyinProtectedAreas,andplanning/managementmonitoringtoolsoftouristflows.

Outcomesandlessonslearnedfromtheeightprotectedareasinvolved;testingamodelofgovernanceoftourismflowsaimedatreducingenvironmentalimpactandpressureoftourismandenhancethesocio-economicbenefitsthatcancomefromasustainabletourismapproach.

General recommendationsandconclusions forPolicyMakeratdifferent stagesof SustainableandResponsible Tourism Development in Protected Areas, considering the experiences of the CEETOprojectactionandevaluation.


3. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN PROTECTED AREAS

3.1. Definition of sustainable tourism

AccordingtotheUNWTOandUNEP,sustainabletourismisdefinedas:

“tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”8.

It derives from the principles of sustainable development (Rio de Janeiro, 1992) applied to tourism inprotected areas. Sustainable tourism are all forms of tourism development, management and activity,which maintain the environmental, social and economic integrity and well-being of natural, built andculturalresourcesinperpetuity,andcontributespositivelyandequitablytotheeconomicdevelopmentandimprovementofthequalityoflifeofpeoplewholive,workorstayinprotectedareas.

AccordingtothevisionoftheEUROPARCFederation:

“Sustainable Tourism in European protected areas provide a meaningful quality experience, safeguards natural and cultural values, supports local livelihoods and quality of life and is economically viable9.”

Allformsoftourismshouldattempttobemoresustainable.Makingtourismmoresustainableisnotjustaboutcontrollingandmanagingthenegativeeffectsof thesector.Tourism is inaveryspecial situationto benefit local communities, economically and socially, and to raise awareness of conservation of theenvironment.Policiesandactionsmustaimtostrengthenthebenefitsandreducethecostsoftourism.

3.2. Theoretical platform of sustainable tourism and its implementation in PA

Fromthepolicymakers’pointofview,thesuccessfulimplementationofsustainabletourismpolicydemandscollaboration,coordination,decentralizationandparticipationaswellasinformation.Suchmethodleadstoacomprehensive,integrativeandlong-termstrategyforsustainabletourismbutalsorequiresahighdegreeofpoliticalflexibilityandthewillingnesstointroducefar-reachingreformsinpoliticalstructures10.

Governmentshaveacrucialroleinthetransformationtoanew,sustainablemodeloftourism.Theymustrecognizethatit istheirlong-terminteresttopersuadethetourismindustrytotakesustainabilitymoreseriously,pointingouttheadvantagesforattractingnewbusinessandtheoverallprofitabilityofamoresustainableapproach11.

How could different levels of policy makers improve sustainable tourism development and capacity of a tourism sector?

Protectingnaturalvaluesisoftenalocaltask,whichcanresultinconsiderablefinancialcostseventhoughthe benefits are felt far beyond the local level. Local policymakers have to providemultiple servicessimultaneously. These include public infrastructure; water and waste management; promotion of localeconomicdevelopment;educationandhealthcare.Theirchallengeistomaintainandimprovethequalityoflifeforcitizens.

Protectingnaturalresourcesandbiodiversityissometimesperceivedasanobstacleforlocaldevelopmentwhen,infact,itcouldactuallyenhanceit:

8 UNWTOandUNEP(2005).MakingTourismMoreSustainable:AGuideforPolicy-Makers.MadridandParis:UNWTOandUNEP,https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284408214.9 EUROPARC Federation, Charter Principles, https://www.europarc.org/sustainable-tourism/charter-principles/ (accessed Jan. 32020).10Policy-makingforsustainabletourism,C.Pforr,SchoolofManagement,CurtinUniversityofTechnology,Australia,https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/ST04/ST04007FU.pdf11UNWTOandUNEP(2005).MakingTourismMoreSustainable:AGuideforPolicy-Makers.MadridandParis:UNWTOandUNEP.https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284408214


“a municipality can save money by securing water provision, wastewater treatment, and protection against erosion or floods more effectively and efficiently through natural rather than technical solutions”.

Keepingandmaintainingwell-functioningnaturalecosystemsisthebeststrategyforlocalpolicymakersto dealwith future pressures and threats, for example, those linked to climate change. Environmentalconcerns are often considered unpopular or costly, and the value of nature can be side-lined in policydebatesforavarietyofreasons:

“development strategies focus on economic growth without recognizing the role of functioning natural systems for local well-being”.

Thelocalcapacitytorespondtothevalueofnatureisconstrained.Decision-makingisoftenfragmented.Under the standard economic growthmodel, incentives are often provided for activities that can leadto destroyed ecosystems. Identifying and implementing policies that effectively protect and conserveecosystemsandbiodiversityrequiresthecollaborationofmanystakeholdersatdifferentlevels.

3.3. The importance of stakeholders in sustainable tourism12

Many different interests can and could benefit from sustainable tourism:

Tourismbusinesses,whileseekinglong-termprofitability,shouldbeconcernedabouttheircorporateimage,theirimpactontheglobalenvironmentandthatimmediatelyaroundthem.

Localcommunitiesareseekingincreasedprosperitybutwithoutexploitationordamagetothequalityoftheirlife.

EnvironmentalistsandPAmanagersareworriedabouttheharmfulimpactsoftourismbutalsoseeitasavaluablesourceofincomeforconservation.

Visitorsareseekingahigh-qualityexperienceinsafeandattractiveenvironments;theyarebecomingmoreandmoreawareoftheimpactsoftheirtravelling.

Governmentsonalllevelsshouldrecognizethedifferentpositionsandmotivationsofthesestakeholdersandworkwiththemtoachievecommongoals13.

Sustainabilityistheresponsibilityofallparticipatingintourism.Mostoftheeffectsoftourismaretheresultoftakenactionsbyprivatesectorenterprisesandbythevisitorsthemselves.However,thereisanobviousneedforgovernments(ondifferentlevels)totakealeadingroleforatrulysignificantprogressinmakingtourismmoresustainable,because:

Thetourismindustryisveryfragmented.Itisdifficultfortheindividualactionsofmanymicroandsmallbusinessestomakeprogresstowardssustainabilityunlessthereisgovernmentcoordinationinthesector.Governmentsmustcreateanenvironmentthatenablesandencouragestheprivatesector,touristsandotherstakeholderstorespondtosustainabilityissues.

12UNWTOandUNEP(2005).MakingTourismMoreSustainable:AGuideforPolicy-Makers.MadridandParis:UNWTOandUNEP,https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284408214.13UNWTOandUNEP(2005).MakingTourismMoreSustainable:AGuideforPolicy-Makers.MadridandParis:UNWTOandUNEP,https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284408214.


3.3.1. What can local policy makers do?

Environmentalgovernanceoperatesatdifferentscales:

internationalagreementsfrommanyareasofenvironmentalpolicy;

nationallegislationsetsthelegalframeworkforlocaldecision-makingandissuesgeneraldirectives14;

decisionsmadeatthelocalandregionallevel.

Localpolicymakerscanfullyutilizenature’sassetsforlocaldevelopment.Theycan:

Inmanytouristdestinations,thelargestshareoftourism-relatedincomegoesnottolocalserviceproviders,whilethecostsaremostlybornelocally.Localpolicychallengesaretochanneltourismdevelopmentinsuchawaythatafairshareofincomeisretainedlocally,andthatlocalsremain‘sovereign’ownersoftheirhomeplace.Thistakescarefulgovernmentplanningandmarketing,capacitybuildingandlocalregulation.Oneimportanttooltohelpthisprocessisthedevelopmentofvariousnationalandinternationalcertificationsystemstosetbasicstandardsforsustainabletourism.SuchaschemeistheEuropeanCharterforSustainableTourism(ECST)inProtectedAreas,coordinatedbytheEUROPARCFederationandthePanParkscertificationsystem15.

The UNEP suggests eight key areas for local engagement of policy makers16:

Planning:landuseandsectoralplanningpresentopportunitiestocombineagricultureandforestmanagementwithotherlanduses.Planningcanalsobalanceproductiveindustrywithmaintainingalandscapeattractivefortourism.

Management:localgovernmentscanidentifywaystointegratetheeconomicbenefitsofecosystemservicesintomanagementpractices.

14TEEB-TheEconomicsofEcosystemsandBiodiversityforLocalandRegionalPolicyMakers,UNEP,(2010)http://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/TEEBguide.pdf.15TEEB-TheEconomicsofEcosystemsandBiodiversityforLocalandRegionalPolicyMakers,UNEP,(2010)http://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/TEEBguide.pdf.16TEEB-TheEconomicsofEcosystemsandBiodiversityforLocalandRegionalPolicyMakers,UNEP,(2010)http://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/TEEBguide.pdf.

Make good use of available instruments and procedures. There are a number of assessmentproceduresandpublicmanagementtools,whichcanhaveadirect impactonecosystemservices.Theseinclude:EnvironmentalImpactorStrategicEnvironmentalAssessments;Cost-BenefitAnalysisforpublic infrastructure; localand regional tax incentives; spatialplanning; regulationofnaturalresourceexploitationsuchasforestryorfisheries,aswellasextensionprogrammes.

Develop local solutions: experiences around the world has shown that local laws and policyinstruments, alongside local recognition of value, has helped to address biodiversity issues. Newinstruments to improvebiodiversity relateddecisionmaking include local Payment for EcosystemServices(PES),ReducingEmissionsfromDeforestationandForestDegradation(REDD)pilotschemeandCleanDevelopmentMechanismprojects.

Advocate environmental concerns at higher policy levels: localandregionallevelsofgovernmentcanplayimportantrolesinadvocacyandtherebytrytoinfluencenationallevelpolicymakingandpublicattitudes.


Regulation and protection: local governments play a crucial role in interpreting and implementingregulationsthatencouragebestpracticesandecosystemprotection.

Coordination and collective action: negotiation and coordination between different interest groupsinevitablytakesplaceatthelocallevel.Localgovernmentscansupporttheformationofresourcemanagementcommittees; they can integrate formal and informal institutions to ensure effective participation andoutcomes.

Investment:localgovernmentscaninvestinecosystemservicesthroughpurchasingpolicy.Theycanchoosetobuylocaltimberforgovernmentbuildings,supportsbuyinglocallyproducedfood,forexamplethroughlocallabelsforlocalproductsetc.

Incentives:localgovernmentscancreatepositiveincentivesforimprovedecosystemservicesmanagement.Forexample,fundstohelppromotinggreenbusinessprojectsorinvestmentsthataimtosecurethelong-termviabilityofecosystemservices.

Extension services and capacity building:many environmental problems occur because people do notunderstandthefullimplicationsoftheiractionsortheavailablealternatives.Farmersmaynotbeawareofalternativesthatallowforamoresustainablelanduse,whileatthesametimebeingeconomicfromtheirperspective.

Research and promotion: local agencies often carry out research in order to assess the role of localecosystemservices.The successofmonitoringandothermeasuresoftendependsoncollaboratingwithwell-informedlocalstakeholders.Oncebenefitsareassessed,thisinformationcanbeusedtopromotelocalproductsorservices.

3.3.2. What can central administrations, national policy-makers do?

Forpolicymakersitisimportanttobeawareandtoweighthebenefitsandcostsofprotectedareas.Whilespecificbenefitsfromindividualsiteswillvarydependingonlocation,ecosystemandmanagementstrategy,theimportanceofprotectedareasisgreatforhumanlivelihoodsandwell-being.Benefitscanbederivedfromthefollowing:

Market-based sources of protected area income: these include international tourism, in particularecotourism,marketsforenvironment-friendlyproduct.

Supply clean water:well-managednaturalforestsprovidehigherqualityofwaterwithlesssedimentandfewerpollutants.Protectedareasareakeysourceofsuchwaterworldwide.

Maintain food security by increasing resource productivity and sustainability:protectedareasprovidehabitatandbreedinggroundsandcanalsosupportfoodandhealthsecuritybymaintaininggeneticdiversityofcrops.

Support nature-based tourism: Natural and cultural resources in protected areas (e.g. biodiversity,landscape and recreational values) are an important driver of tourism.TheWorldTourismOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(UNWTO)estimatedthatinternationaltouristarrivalsgrew5%in2018toreachthe1.4billionmark.Suchahighnumberofvisitorsentailcertainneedsforfundamental infrastructureandrequirementsforemploymentandhumanservices,allofwhichhaveconsequencesfortheeconomy,society,cultureandtheenvironment.Allofthesetrendsareaffectingprotectedareas.

Contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation:15%ofglobalterrestrialcarbonstockiscontainedinprotectedareaswithavalueunderstoodtobeinthetrillionsofdollars17.Withdeforestationaccountingforanestimated17%ofglobalcarbonemissions18,maintenanceofexistingprotectedareasandstrategicexpansionoftheglobalprotectedareasystemcanplayanimportantroleincontrollinglanduserelatedemissions.

Preserve future values:Protectedareasarecrucialforfuturegenerations.

17Campbell,A.;Miles,L.;Lysenko,I.;Hughes,A.andGibbs,H.(2008)Carbonstorageinprotectedareas:TechnicalReport.UNEP-WCMC. http://www.gibbs-lab.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Campbell_2008_Carbon_storage_in_protected_areas.pdf (accessedJan2020).18IPCC-IntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(2007)ThePhysicalScienceBasis,InSolomon,S.;Qin,D.;Manning,M.;Chen,Z.;Marquis,M.;Tignor,K.B.M.andMiller,H.L.(eds.)ContributionofWorkingGroupItotheFourthAssessmentReportoftheIPCC.CambridgeUniversityPress,Cambridge,UnitedKingdomandNewYork,NY,USA.


4. GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES TheCEETOprojecthasbeenaffectedbynumerouspolicyguidelines.Amongothers,bothpolicy-makersandsustainabletourismmanagersshouldobservefourinternationallyacceptedpolicyguides.Theseare:

ConventiononBiologicalDiversity(CBD)anditsguidelinesonbiodiversityandtourismdevelopment;

InternationalUnionforConservationofNature(IUCN)guidelinesforaplanningandmanagementofsustainabletourism;

EuropeanCommission’sguidelines, initiativesandgoodpracticesinEuropeforsustainabletourismandNatura2000;

EuropeanCharterforSustainableTourism(ECST).

4.1. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) guidelines

TheConventioncameintoeffecton29December1993andcurrentlyhas188Parties.TheprincipalgoalsoftheConventiononBiologicalDiversityare:

theconservationofbiologicaldiversity;

sustainableuseofitscomponents;

fairandequitablesharingofthebenefitsresultingfromtheutilizationofgeneticresources,includingappropriate access to genetic resources and transfer of relevant technologies, as well as properfunding.

TheConventionhasunderstoodthenecessitytoget involvedintourismdevelopmentprocedures,whichthereforeledtothedevelopmentofinternationalrecommendationfocusingonsustainability.

Theseguidelinescanbeseenassupporttooltoallstakeholdersoftourismdevelopmentandbiodiversityconservation (including policymakers, managers, whether in national or local government, the privatesector,localcommunities,NGOsorotherorganizations)astheydefineareasofapplication,managementprocesses,tasksandresponsibilitiesoftherespectiveinstitutions,environmentalimpactassessmentandmonitoring.

Elements of the guidelines19

Intheliterature,itiswrittenthatguidelinescancoverallformsandactivitiesoftourismandarerelevantfortourismandbiologicaldiversityinallgeographicallocationsandtouristdestinations.

4.1.1. Policy-making, development planning and management process

Framework for the management of tourism and biodiversity

One-step of the management process is engagement of stakeholders, including indigenous and localcommunitiestoensuretheirparticipationgovernmentbodies,andtourismsector,NGOstoincreasetheirawarenessandpromotetheexchangeofinformationandbestpractices.Thepolicy-making,developmentplanningandmanagementprocessconsistofthefollowingsteps:

Baselineinformationandreview(fromsurveyand/ormonitoring);

Visionandgoals(ActionPlan);

Objectives;

Reviewoflegislationandcontrolmeasures;

Impactassessment;

19 Anna Iványi: Linkages between biodiversity and tourism, 2011, An introduction, http://www.ceeweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/bidi_tourism.pdf.


Impactmanagementandmitigation;

Decisionmaking;

Implementation;

Monitoringandreporting;

Adaptivemanagement.

Notification process in relation to a management framework

Allstakeholders,whomaybeaffected,includingindigenousandlocalcommunitiesshouldbeinformedaboutthetourismdevelopmentplans,takingintoaccountlocal,regionalandnationalimpacts.Therecommendedmeasuresincludethelistofinformationtobedisclosedtoguaranteeappropriatetransparency.

Public education, awareness raising and capacity-building concerning tourism and biodiversity

Education and awareness-raising activities should focus on a wide range of stakeholders, including thepublic,theprofessionalsectors,alllevelsofgovernments.Aswellasthetourism,sectoritself,alongwiththetourists,toencouragetheconservationofnaturalandculturalheritage,andavoidunfavourableeffects.Capacity-buildingactivitiesshouldcontributetotheeffectiveimplementationoftheguidelinesbyallowingstakeholdersonalllevelstoparticipateintheprocess.

4.2. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines

“SustainableTourisminProtectedAreas:GuidelinesforPlanningandManagement”20aimtoassistprotectedareamanagersandotherstakeholders.Theseguidelinesprovideaconceptualbackgroundforunderstandingparktourismanditsmanagement,providingatheoreticalbasisforthemanagement, includingpracticaladvice.Thereportconcludesthatprotectedareamanagersneedtomakecontinuouseffortstocommunicatewithallstakeholders.Theguidelinessuggestthatnationalandinternationalorganizationsneedtoencouragegovernmentstomakeimprovementsinthefollowingcriticalareas:

Supportforeffectivelegislation,withadequateresourcesforimplementation;

creationofnationalpoliciesforprotectedareasandthemanagementoftourism;

developmentofamanagementplan;

tourismshouldcontributetothepurposesofprotectedareas.Guidelinesshouldhelpincreasingthebenefitsoftourisminallkindsofprotectedareas;

measurementofparktourismactivities,volumesand impactsmustbeaccurate,ascompleteaspossibleandeffectivelycommunicated;

matchtheservicesandproductsavailableintheparkandlocallywithtouristtravelmotives;

makeproductsandservicesavailablefortourists’expenditure;

aimforhighservicequalityinalltouristservices;

developa constituencyof satisfiedand supportivepark visitors,peoplewhowill argue forparkobjectivesinthelargepoliticaldebatesinsociety;

develop opportunities for park visitors to play a positive role in park management (throughmembershipinFriendsGroups,byprovidingdonationstotargetedprograms,orprovidingpersonalassistancetostaff);

ensurethatallinformationcreateappropriateexpectations;

minimize local leakage (retain local expenditures through maximum local self-sufficiency) bydevelopinglinkageswithlocalindustries;

providelocalaccommodationoptions;

20SustainableTourisminProtectedAreas:GuidelinesforPlanningandManagement,Eagles,PaulF.J.,Haynes,ChristopherD.,McCool,StephenF.,2002.http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/pag_008.pdf.


providerecreationactivityoptions;

encourageconsumptionoflocally-grownfoods;

ensurelocalparticipationandcontrol(e.g.localguideservices);

ensurerevenue-sharingordirectpaymentprograms;

understandtheroleoftheprotectedareainregionalandnationaltourismactivities;

understandthefiscalandeconomicrolesofparktourism;

hostspecialevents;

provideopportunitiesforlocalpeopletocelebratetheirculturaltraditions;

whereneeded,assistintheeducationoflocalpeopleintheskillsnecessaryfortourism;

evaluatealltourismservicesprovidedbytheprivatesectortoensureservicequalityandadherencetoparkpolicy;

ensurethattheparkhasstafftrainedintourismplanningandmanagement;

continuouslyevaluatealltourismprogramstoensurethatgoalsaremet;

ensurethattourismprogramsarebaseduponcompetentfinancialmanagement;

priceappropriately;

earmarktheincomefromfeesappropriately.

touristfacilitiesandprogramswithinprotectedareasshouldactasstandard-settersinenvironmentallysensitivedesignandoperation.

4.3. The European Commission’s guidelines (directives)

The EUhasarangeofpolicymechanismsthat,inturn, maybeintegrated withinternationalpolicies and institutions21. For example, EU nature conservation policy is made upon a combination of internationalagreements, themostimportantofwhichistheConventionofBiodiversityandEuropean policymeasuressuchastheBirdsDirective(1979)andtheHabitatsDirective(1992).Theseagreements providetheinstitutionalbasis for European biodiversity programs such as Natura 2000 andwider EU conservation policy. UnderNatura2000,allEUstatesmusttakestepstoensurethatnaturalhabitatsandspeciesinthenetworkreceive“favourable conservation”status.Theaimwastocreateacoherentecologicalnetwork ofprotectedareasintheEU.InNatura2000sites,tourism activitiescanbecarriedout,aslongastheyareproperlymanagedwithinthecarryingcapacity.

The article6oftheDirectiveobligestheMemberStatestoset upconservationmeasures.Althoughtherearenoappropriate regulations,itisimportanttoincludethelocalcommunityinplanningand management,becausehumanactivitieswillremainanorganicpartofthenetwork.

Theareasthatmakeup theNatura2000networkarenotstrictlyprotectedreserves wherehumanactivitiesareexcluded.However,restrictionsarepossibleandcanbeprescribedforeachindividualareatomaintainthefavourableconservation statusofthespecialconservationgoods.

21C.MichaelHall:Policy,PlanningandGovernanceinEcotourism,DepartmentofTourism,SchoolofSciences,UniversityofOtago,Dunedin,NewZealand,CABInternational2006.,EcotourisminScandinavia:LessonsinTheoryandPractice(edsS.GösslingandJ.Hultman).


4.3.1. Natura2000 priorities for sustainable tourism in protected areas (Strategy – Policy – Planning)

Assessingresources,recognizingvulnerability,choosingappropriatetourism22.

Reflect existing designations and plans: IntegrateNatura2000sustainabletourismstrategyintoexistingmanagementplans.Refertoexistingregionalandnationalplansandstrategies.

Start with understanding the site: Inthefirstphaseisimportanttocarryoutaninventoryofnaturalandhumanresources,assessingtheirwell-beingandneedforconservation,andpotentialbenefitfromtourism.

Undertake further research: Furtherresearchisimportant,togainabetterideaunderstandingoftheirvulnerability.

Knowledge about your existing visitors Itisimportanttounderstandwhothevisitorsare,whentheyarevisitingthesite,whyandtheirimpact.

Market potential and pressure: Decidewhether,whereandwhentherearelimitstothenumberandtypesofvisitorandsiteshouldreceiveinthefutureiftheenvironmentandheritageisnottobedegraded.

Identify capacity limits: Whereandwhenthereshouldbelimitstothenumberandtypesofvisitor.

Select types of tourism to match resources and markets: Itisimportanttoidentifywhattypeoftourismisappropriateforthesite.

Creatingastrategybasedonconsultationandpartnership23

Involve all stakeholders from the beginning: Involveawiderangeoflocalpartnersfromthebeginning.

Establish partnership-groups: Workinggroupsandseminarsencourageanassociationoflocaltourismprofessionalstobecomeofficialpartnersresponsibleforthestrategy.

Raise awareness and commitment: Forpromotingwidespreadawarenessofthestrategy,itisimportanttoinvolvelocals.

Allocate necessary resources Sufficient time (minimum 6 months) is needed to creating a strategy. Strategy must be simple and clear: TheStrategymustbewell-focused,easytoreadandwelldisseminated.

Keeping everyone involved and informed: Involvedpartnersmustbeinformedateverystage.

Widen the scope Strategicissuesoftourismmanagementanddevelopmentshouldaddressareasaroundthesite,includingbufferzones.

22EuropeanCommission:Environment-ManagementofNatura2000sites(accessed:2018.12.04.),page47.http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs/docs/nat2000/sust_tourism.pdf.23EuropeanCommission:Environment -ManagementofNatura2000 sites (accessed:2018.12.04.),page48.http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs/docs/nat2000/sust_tourism.pdf.


4.4. The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST)

TheEuropeanCharterforSustainableTourisminProtectedAreasisapracticalmanagementtoolthatenablesProtectedAreastodeveloptourismsustainably,isbothaplanningtoolandaqualitylabel.

In1995,EUROPARCtooktheinitiativetosetuptheEuropeanCharterforSustainableTourisminProtectedAreas.ThecoreelementoftheCharterisworkinginpartnershipwithallrelevantstakeholderstodevelopacommonsustainabletourismstrategyandanactionplanbasedonathoroughsituationanalysis.TheaimofallCharterprojectsandactivitiesistheprotectionofthenaturalandculturalheritageandthecontinuousimprovementoftourismintheProtectedAreaintermsoftheenvironment,localpopulationandbusinessesaswellasvisitors.

TheEuropeanCharterforSustainableTourism,definedbytheEUROPARCFederation,isbothaplanningtoolandaqualitylabel.The5Charterprinciplesarerepresentedinfig.1.

Fig.1: Charter principles (www.europarc.org).

4.4.1. Guidelines for the Participatory planning process24

ThemainobjectiveoftheparticipatoryplanningprocessistoestablishaconsultingbodyinvolvingmainstakeholdersinthePA’sdecision-makingprocessesandActionPlandevelopmentandimplementation.

The crucial scenes of the participation are the “local forums”.A forum involves stakeholders that areinterestedinthedevelopmentofthetourisminthearea.Thesearelocalcommunities,localauthorities,institutes, ministries, tourism service providers, tourist associations and external experts, SMEs, localguides,etc.Stakeholdersandtheirinvolvementinthedecision-makingprocessarethemaindrivingforcesbehindthesuccessfulsustainabletourismdevelopment.

Themeetingsareusuallyconductedbyspecialistsincommunicationandgroupcollaboration(facilitators),whomakeuseofanumberofconsolidatedcollaborationtechniquessuchas:

24CapacityBuildingWorkplanforProtectedAreas,May2018CEETOProject(www.ceeto-network.eu)

KEY ACTIONS KEY TOPICS PRINCIPLES

1. GIVING PRIORITY TO PROTECTIONS

2. CONTRIBUITING TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

5. PURSING CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT

4. PLANNING SUSTAINABLE TOURISM EFFECTIVELY

3. ENGAGAING ALL STAKEHOLDERS


Brainstorming Metaplan NominalGroup

WorldCafe FocusGroup IdeasFactory

Photo voice Goalorientedprojectplanning Criticalaccident

Despiteoftheselectedmeetingtechnique, inordertodesignaneffectiveandtimesavingparticipatory planningprocess,eachmanagershouldanswerthefollowingquestions:

1. Isthegoaloftheprocessclearandunderstandabletoeveryone?

2. Whataretheinterestsaffectedbytheresultsoftheprocessandwhoisrepresentingthoseinterests?

3. Whatkindofconflicts/alliancescan/shouldtheprocessbringforth?

In order to answer these questions, eachmanagermust have a clear understanding about the level ofinvolvement/commitment ofthestakeholdersandwhat kindofparticipatoryplanningprocessshouldbeimplementedtoreachthegoal.

Before involving the local community in theparticipatoryplanning process, theProtectedAreamanagers should define the expected results. It is also important to outline an understandable message to thepotential stakeholders, keeping inmind thatmost of them are not familiarwith technical or scientificterminology.Thepotentialstakeholdermighttakepart intheparticipatoryplanningprocessonlywhenhe/sheunderstands thatthegoalisinterestingforhim/her.Whenthegoalisclearitiseasier toavoidconfusionandfalseexpectations.

Managing a participatory planning process means to create a favourable discussion. The result of the participatoryplanningprocess shouldbethe integrationofconvergencesbetween themissionof thePAandtheinterestsofthelocalcommunity.Someconflictsbetweenstakeholderscannotbesolvedinsidethe processitself.Toomanyconflictsmightunderminethewholeprocess,shiftingthefocusfromthegoaloftheprocesstothereasonoftheconflict.Ontheotherside,aparticipatoryplanningprocesscancreateorenhancepositive alliances,basedonconvergencesofinterests.Drawingamapofexplicit orlatentconflictsandalliancescananticipateobstacles,threats andenlightenopportunities.

The Capacity Building Work plan (CBW), successfully implemented within the CEETO project, aims tosupportthemanagementbodiesofProtectedAreasintheparticipatoryplanningprocesstodefinethelocalSustainableTourismActionPlan,supplying themguidelinesandmethodologicaltools.

Thankstoitsflexibility,thisCBWallowsthemanagersofeachProtectedAreatodefinetheirowntailoredparticipatoryplanningprocess,accordingtotheirspecificcontext, leveloflocalstakeholderinvolvementandtourismmonitoringneedsandpriorities. FiveproposedParticipatoryActivitiesSessionsinspiredbytheEuropeanAwarenessScenarioWorkshopmethodology(EASW)–successfullytestedinmanysimilarprocessesinProtectedAreascontexts,suchasEuropeanCharterforSustainableTourism(ECST)candidacyparticipatoryprocesses–andadaptedtothespecificobjectivesofCEETOProject.


InthedevelopmentoftheCEETOProject,theparticipatoryactivitiescarriedouttodefinetheProtectedAreasSustainableTourismActionPlanswereimplementedinachronologicalordertoreachthegoaloftheparticipatoryplanningprocess(tab.1):

ParticipatoryActivitiesSessions:

Sessions Participatory Activities Objectives

1 EstablishingtheForum Involvethecommunity

2 ParticipatoryMapping Knowtheterritoryandshareinformation

3 FutureSearch Imaginethetourismyouwant

4 IdeasFactory Createpossiblesolutionsandalternatives

5 WorldCafé DefinetheActionPlan

Tab.1: Sequence of the participatory activities to reach the goal of the development of the shared Action.

4.4.2. Participatory planning session in eight PAs of the CEETO Project.

Thefacilitatorrecordstheresultsofeachsession.Thestartingsessionwasopenedwithaclearpresentationofthegoals,programandtheagendaoftheparticipatoryplanningprocess.

Thefacilitatoroftheparticipatoryplanningprocesskepta“logbook”oftheprocessitselftobepublishedonthesocialmediaand/ortheofficialwebsiteofthePA.Torealizeaneffectiveparticipatoryplanningprocess,itisrecommendedtodecidetheagendaofthesessionstogetherwithparticipants.

Session 1: Establishing the Forum

Thefirststepoftheparticipatoryplanningprocesswastheestablishmentofa localforumbetweenthePAmanagement body and the stakeholders, including localmunicipalities, conservation and communityorganizations/associationsandrepresentativesofthetourismbusinesses.

TheobjectivewastoinvolvethelocalcommunityandtogetthemcommittedtotheoverallobjectiveoftheparticipatoryplanningprocessandthedefinitionoftheSustainableTourismActionPlan.ParticipantsperceivedtheForumastheplacewheretheycanexpresstheirneeds,interests,hopesandfearstowardsthetourismdevelopmentintheirterritory.TheForumshouldbeapermanentlinkbetweenthePAandthelocalcommunityintheframeworkofsustainabletourismdevelopment.

AsidetheForum,theparticipatoryplanningprocessrequiredtheestablishmentofasmallandoperativeCoordination Committee, including the representatives of the PAmanagement, of the local authorities andateamofexperts.TheCoordinationCommitteeisinchargedformonitoringactivities, facilitatingtheparticipation ofthestakeholders,evaluatingtheoutputsofeachsessionandproposingpossible correctionstotheprocess.

Session 2: The Participatory Mapping

TheParticipatory Mapping (orCommunityMapping)combinescartography withparticipatorymethods to representterritorialknowledgeoflocalcommunities.

ParticipatoryMappingisusefultodefine:

themostprecious/valuablearea(s)topreserveandpromoteinthePA;

themostvulnerablearea(s)endangeredbytourismpressure;

themostrelevanttourismflowsthatcrossthePA.

Session 3: The Future Search

TheFutureSearchmethodologyisaninteractiveplanningactivitythatfocusesonbreakingdownborders


between different, andmaybe conflicting, interests, building alliances and spreading knowledge aboutcommonscenariosforthefuture.Participantswereaskedtoimaginethefuture.

TheFutureSearchisuseful:

todefinethecommonvisionthatwillunderpinthewholeSustainableTourismActionPlan,i.e.thebasisoftheStrategyandoftheplanitself;

toshownegative/positiveimpactsoftourismflowsonthePA.

Session 4: The Ideas Factory

ThepurposeoftheIdeasFactoryisdraftingdifferentpotentialanswerstoacommonissue/problemortotakeadvantageofopportunities.DifferentideascomingfromstakeholderswithdifferentbackgroundsandabilitiescanhelptobuildamoreeffectiveandintegratedActionPlans.

TheIdeasFactoryisuseful:

todefineafirstlistofpossibleactionstoincludeintheSustainableTourismActionPlan;

to detail the Pilot Actions.

Session 5: The World Cafe

TheWorld Cafemethod is designed to create a collaborative environment for stakeholders to developconcreteactionsandinitiatives.

TheWorldCafeisuseful:

to define indicators, the time of implementation/monitoring and economic resources, possiblepartnershipsofallthepossibleactionstobeincludedintheSustainableTourismActionPlan;

topresentanddiscusstechnicalsolutionstotheproblems/issuesemerged.

Incaseofonesingleaction,theWorldCafeshouldbeorganizedinonesingleround,todefinemultipleaspects,includingpossibletechnicalsolutions,indicatorsrelatedtotheexpectedresults,timeforimplementation, resourcesandpossiblepartnerships. If thePAmanagementhas todefine severalactions,theWorldCafeshouldbeorganizedinmultiplerounds.

4.5. Strategy and action plan guidelines

Thedevelopmentapproachinanyprotectedarea(PA)isformalizedinadevelopmentstrategy(DS)document.Itincludesasaresultofaparticipatoryprocessamongthestakeholdersoftheterritory,whoseapproachoftheCEETOProjecthasbeendescribedinthepreviousparagraph,theobjectives,thedefinitionofstrategicprioritiesandrankingoftheactionstobeundertaken.

Thischapterdescribes:

1. ThebasicprinciplesthatshouldbeappliedintheDS

2. ThestructureoftheDS

3. TheprocessofpreparingaDS


4.5.1. Basic principles and intervention logic in the DS

Extensive consultation with a wide range of local actors and stakeholder groups is a precondition fordevelopmentstrategy(DS)planningandoneimportantelementofgoodgovernancewithinatargetedPA.Toachievethis,theplanningprocessmustensurecontinuousaccesstoinformationforlocalstakeholders.ThefacilitatorsandthestakeholdersresponsibleforadministeringtheDSplanningprocess(DSplanningteam)should:

Consultthelocalcommunityatallofthekeystagesinthepreparationofthestrategy

Encouragecooperationamonglocalpartners

StrivetocommunicatevariousmilestonesintheDSplanningprocessinasimple,straightforwardway

Constantlytrytoincreasethenumberofstakeholdersparticipatingintheplanningprocess,

AndensuretransparencyofallDSplanningrelatedprocessesbyvariouspublicitymeasures

The stakeholders in DS planning can include (this is not a full list)

Businesses(agriculture,forestry,fisheries,serviceindustry,manufacturing,etc.)

Notforprofitorganizationsinthecivilsector(NGOs)e.g.:Localinterestgroups,environmental,sporting,church,women’sassociations,alpineclubs,etc.

Otherrepresentativesofvillagesandsettlements

Regionalandmicro-regionaldevelopmentcouncils

Developmentagencies

Mayorsandmunicipalities

Chambersofcommerceandindustry

Committeesoflocalgovernments

Activecitizens

Andnon-membersaswell,forinstance:local,regional,nationalmedia,highereducationinstitutions,regionalandcentralgovernmentbodies,etc.

Thestrategymaybedividedintodifferentpriorities.Itcancontainseveralprioritiessuchascommunitydevelopment,sustainabletourismdevelopmentandothers,andallprioritiescanhaveseveral individualstrategies.Anindividualstrategyanswersthequestion“whattodoinordertobecompetitivewithinthispriorityduringthenextprogrammingperiod”.UsuallythebrainstormingsessionsprovidemanyanswerstothisquestionfromwhichthePAstakeholdersandmanagementmustthenchoosethemostfeasibleones.Oneoftheessentialrolesthatthestrategicplanningprocess(andlocalpartnersintheprocess)playistheselectionorprioritizationofthemostfeasibleandeffectiveideastobeincludedinthestrategy.

StrategiesshouldfocusonlinkagesbetweenPAdevelopmentactions:Themainaddedvalueofthestrategiesistobefoundinthe way in which these actions are implemented and linked together, both in and by local communities in the respective PA.

Linkages and integrationcanbehorizontalorvertical:

Insomestrategies,partnerswillseekhorizontalintegrationwithinthearea,forexampleindeprivedperi-urbanneighbourhoodsorinruralareasinPA

Inothersthestrategymayfocusonverticalintegratione.g.ofdifferentactorswithinasector,supplychainordeliverychain

Strategiesshouldintegratedifferentsustainable(i.e.economic,social,environmental)developmentapproachestoacoherentmulti-sectoralapproachandsupporttheoverall long-termobjectives intheareasconcerned.Althoughtheentrypointmaybeaparticularsectorsuchasfarmersortourism,thestrategyshouldnotfocusexclusivelyonitandshouldpromotelinkswithothersectors,asthese


arenecessarytofosterlong-termdevelopmentofanarea.Strategiesshouldalsobeintegratedascoherentlinksbetweenactionsorprojects.

Strategiesmusthaveaninnovative character:

Innovationcantakemanydifferentforms(services,products,organization,socialinnovation,delivery,publicsectorinnovation,openoruser-ledinnovation,etc.).Allthesearevalidincontributingtotheinnovativecharacterofthestrategy.

Innovationshouldalwaysbeassessedinreferencetothelocalsituation,becauseanapproachwhichisinnovativeinacertainplacemightalreadyhavebeenusedsomewhereelse.

Cooperation and networkingwithotherareascanbeakeycomponentofthestrategy:

Cooperationstartsatlocallevelinthepartnershipbetweenthedifferentsectorsrepresented.

Cooperation with other territories protected or not is a strategic tool that can be used by thePAmanagement and stakeholders to reach the criticalmass needed for someprojects or to poolcomplementaryresourcesandexpertise.

NetworkingisatooltoenablePApartnershipstobenefitfromthelessonsfromotherexperiences.Networkscanalsobeorganizedonavoluntarybasisandrepresenttheirmembersinnegotiationswiththemanagementauthoritiesatalllevels.

There is a need to ensure coherence and consistencywith existing national or regional strategies. Thestrategies should consider the principle of promotion of equality between men and women and non-discrimination,aswellassustainabledevelopment.

Aspecialpriorityhastobegiventomonitoring arrangementsforthestrategy,asthesewillbecrucialtoensureevidenceofthesuccessfulachievementoftheobjectivesset.IntheEU,amajorityofmanagementbodiesemployastructuredmonitoringapproach,whichismostfrequentlyannualandfocusedonfinancialprogress,whichisreportedtotheManagementBoard.

Thereisaneedforimprovedfocus,planningandstructuringoftheapproachtoperformancemonitoring.PAmanagementshouldhaveoperational performance indicatorsalignedwithquantifiedlocaldevelopmentstrategy objectives and targets.Any gaps should be addressed through training or guidance.Aswell asindicatorsforreportingphysicalachievement(setatprogrammelevel);thereisaneedforDSspecificoradditionalindicators.

Linkedtomonitoring,thestrategyshouldalsoforeseearrangements for its evaluation.Thisreferstobothevaluationandself-evaluationprocesses.Self-evaluationtendstobeaspecificapproachtargetedatthePAmanagementwork(strategy)only,whileexternalevaluationofthestrategyislinkedtotheevaluationrequirementsatprogrammelevel(i.e.nationalorregional)towhichthePAhavetocontribute.Thepurposeinundertakingevaluationshouldbeclearandreflectinitsdesigntheutilizationoftheoutcomes.Thereisthereforeaclearlyindicatedneedfortraining,guidance,andrelevantwell-explainedandsignpostedbestpracticeexamples.

The financial planisanimportanttooltomeettheobjectives of the strategy.ItisneededtomakethePAmoreaccountablefortheimplementationofthestrategy.AtthemomentofDSselection,aPAmanagementshouldbeabletoplanfortheavailabilityoftheindicativebudgetsindicatedinthestrategy,thoughthesecanbesubjecttorevision.

Intervention logic of a development strategy

InterventionlogicisthetoolthatisusedtoconnectthedetailoftheDStothedevelopmentpriorities(whotosupportwhatpurpose).Locatingthedetail inthe“bigpicture”makestheDSmoretransparent(whytheseactionsarebeingtaken),supportsobjectivedecision-making(whysomeprojectsshouldbesupportedandothersnot)and(bydefiningthekeyworkingparts)helpsthePAmanagementteamtodiagnosefactorsthatarelimitingtheperformanceofthestrategy.Atthemostbasicleveltheinterventionlogicexplainstheresourcesthatareusedtoachievetheobjectivesthatmeettheprioritizeddevelopmentneeds.Threelevelsofobjectives–operational,specificandoverall–areusuallydefinedtoprovidemoredetailontheworkingparts.InEUprogrammingpractices,thesecomponentsoftheinterventionlogicarecalledinputs,outputs,resultsandimpacts.


4.5.2. Structure of the sustainable development strategy

ThefollowingheadingsarethekeythemesthatcanbepresentedinafullPAdevelopmentstrategy:

INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARYEXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PUBLICITY MEASURES DURING DS PLANNINGTHE STRATEGY

Descriptionofthebaselinesituation

Thelocalstakeholder‘sperceptionofneeds

Analysisofdevelopmentneeds

Visionandpriorities

Objectives

Theactionsandmeasuresthatwillbetakentoachievetheobjectives

Measures

Specificeligibilitycriteriaandprojectselectioncriteria

Input,output,resultandimpactindicatorsandtargets

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN PAmanagementandstakeholderscapacitiesforimplementation

Organizationalstructures

Maintaininganddevelopingpartnerships

Decision-makingandadministrativecapacities

Implementingmeasures

Animation

Supportforprojectdevelopment

Arrangementsfortransparentdecision-making

Financialplan

TotalbudgetallocationfortheDS

Budgetallocationpermeasure

Budgetallocationperfund

RunningcostsofthePA

Financialmanagement

Monitoring,evaluation,revision

Datagatheringandutilization

Analysisofrelevantdata

Communicationwithbeneficiariessupported

On-goingevaluationarrangements

RevisionoftheDS-methodandfrequency

ANNEXES AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS Maps

Projectideassubmitted

Listofrelevantstrategicdocumentsreviewed

MinutesandalistofparticipantsatmajorDSplanningmeetings

Planningteammembershipform

Statisticsused


Amoredetaileddescriptionofsomeofthemostimportantcomponentsarepresentedhere:

Introduction and summary

ThissectioninaDSdescribestheneedforDSanditsimplementationinthePA;hasanexecutivesummaryoftheDS;describesthekeypublicitymeasuresimplementedduringtheDSplanningprocess;includesabriefsummarydescriptionofthelinkagesbetweendevelopmentneedsandthemesandobjectivesidentified;andsummarizesthemainimplementationarrangements.

Description of the baseline situation

Thissectiondescribes:

General characteristics of the territory: Location, administration, geographical extent, area,population,keyenvironmental,economicandsocialassets,problemsandtrends,thefactorsthatmaketheareacoherent;

Stateoftheenvironment,geography,landusepatterns:Location,settlementstructure,areasunderenvironmentalornatureprotection,keyenvironmentalproblems,dominantlandusepatterns(e.g.forestry,arableland,protectedarea,industrialutilization,etc.);

Demography: population, age and gender structure, migration, economically active population,tendenciesinthedemographicchange,populationintownsandvillages,populationinlessdevelopedareas,ethniccompositionandvulnerablesocioeconomicgroups;

Economy:economicstructureandtrends,structuretrendsandtheperformanceofthemainsectors(e.g.agriculture,manufacturing,services,tourism),keyemployers, infrastructure,unemployment(rate,structureandtrends),incomesandlivingstandards;

Infrastructure and utilities: roads and transport, communications, telecommunications, wastemanagement,watersupply,watertreatment,heat;

PublicServices:socialservices,healthcare,labourexchange,lawandorder,safety;

Socialsituation:educationlevelofthepopulation,provisionofeducationandtraining,information,non-governmental organizations, communities and community life, level of activity of the localpopulation,involvementinvariousinitiatives,traditionstobuildon/preserve,culture,sports,leisure,etc.

Foreachof theabove themes, themainproblems/challengesandopportunities shouldbe summarised.ThesecanbeprioritizedduringthepreparationoftheSWOTanalysisandthedefinitionofprioritythemes.

PA local community and stakeholder’s perception of needs

Thisoutlinesthescopeandmethodsofconsultingthelocalstakeholdersontheirperceptionofdevelopmentneeds.Someexamplesofmethodsarestructuredinterviews,questionnairesurveyofcommunityorganizationsetc.

Review of analysis of the situation presented in other development plans and strategies relevant for the PA or parts of it

Coherencewith relevant regional, national orEU leveldevelopmentprogrammingdocuments shouldbeensured, with special emphasis on the coherence with the objectives of the National PA DevelopmentProgramandothers.

Needs analysis

Theneedsanalysisshouldincludethefollowing:

Ananalysisoftheinformationprovidedbytheconsultationswiththelocalstakeholders;

Ananalysisofthebaselinesituationandtrendsinrelationtotheneedsandopportunitiesperceivedbylocalstakeholders,supplementedwithquantificationwherepossible;

Asummaryoftheconclusionsoftheanalysisofthesituation;


Thesourcesoftheneed'sanalysisare:

Descriptionofthebaselinesituation;

Relevantstatisticaldata;

Dataandanalysisfromotherdevelopmentplansandstrategies;

Consultationwithlocalstakeholders(throughfocusgroups,thematicworkinggroups,questionnaires,publicmeetings,orweb-basedsurveys).

SWOT analysis

TheSWOTanalysisshouldprovideabridgebetweenthedetailoftheneed'sanalysisandthedefinitionofdevelopmentprioritiesandhelpstakeholderstakeasystematiclookatthecharacteristicsoftheDSarea.

TheDSplanningteaminitiallycanperformtheSWOTanalysis,butforcomprehensiveandthoroughanalysis,theexerciseshouldberepeated,andtheresultsrefinedwiththeparticipationofawidercircleoflocalstakeholders.

The Strategy – from vision to measures

Thehierarchyofvision-priority-objective-measuredescribesandframestheactionsthatareplannedbythelocalactiongrouptoaddressthechallengesidentifiedinthedescriptionofthebaselinesituationandtheneedsanalysis.TherelevantsustainabledevelopmentprogramandthePAregulationdeterminethescopeofactiondefinedintheobjectivesandmeasures.

Vision

ThevisionintheDSisaholisticdescriptionofthedesiredstateofenvironmental,economic,andsocialconditionofthearea.ItisthefuturestateoftheareawhichresultsfromtherealizationoftheDSandofwhichthePAmanagementmembersandlocalstakeholderscontinuouslystrivetoachieve.

Priorities

PrioritiesorprioritythemesarethedevelopmentissuesthatthePAselectsasthefocusoftheirdevelopmentactivityinaspecifictimeframe.

Fig.2: Local development strategy – a hierarchy of 4 levels.

Vision

Prioritytheme1

Objective 1a

measure

measure measure

measure

measure

measuremeasure measure measuremeasure

Objective 1b Objective 2a Objective 2b Objective 3a Objective 3b

Prioritytheme2 Prioritytheme3


Objectives

The objectives define how the implementation of the strategy will contribute to the achievement ofthe development priorities.They definewhat the community and PA stakeholders can expect from thedevelopmentinitiative.TheindicatorsverifyingachievementoftheobjectivesmustbeSMART–specific,measurable,achievable,relevant,andtime-bound(see also Ch.8.4.1 on CROSTO monitoring of sustainability in Croatia, as example of possible indicators).Thedescriptionofeachobjectiveshouldprovideinformationonitslinkagetospecificdevelopmentneedsidentifiedduringtheanalysisofneedsstageandthewayitcontributestomeetingthoseneeds.

Measures and actions

Themostimportantcomponentsofameasureficheinclude:

TitleofthemeasureinDS;

Quantifiedoutputs;

Totalpublicexpenditureformeasures;

Minimumandmaximumamountofsupportperproject;

Maximumaidintensitypertypeofbeneficiary;

Potentialbeneficiaries;

Briefdescriptionofeligibleactivities;

Supportingdocumentsrequiredfromapplicants;

EligiblestakeholdersandtheareawithinPA.

4.5.3. The process of preparing a PA sustainable development strategy

Buildingupaparticipatorylocaldevelopmentstrategy(DS)isaprocess,whereactorscometogether,holdmeetingsandtalkaboutinterestsandneedsintheirarea.Localmedia(newspapers,radioandTVchannels)oftenprove veryhelpful partners in this regard.Oneperson shouldbenominated to takenotes of thestrategybrainstormingsessions–preferablythesamepersonwillbeinchargeofeditingthedifferentpartsofthestrategytogether(authorscanbemany).

DSplanningsessionscanincludemeetingswithlocalstakeholdersintheformofpublicmeetings,(e.g.openmeetinginamunicipalorvillagecentre),thematicorfocusgroups(maybeorganizedaroundsomespecificthemeswhichonlysomespecificstakeholdergroupsareinterestedin),ortopreparedraftproposals,web-surveysorquestionnaires,ormediaappearances.

LDSplanningteam

meetings

thematic/focusgroups

publicmeetings questionnaires web-surveys localmedia

EnsuringparticipationinLDSplanning

Fig.3: Methods of ensuring publicity in an LDS planning process.


Components and phases in the preparation of a PA sustainable DS

DSplanningcanbedividedintotwokeycomponents:PlanningthePASustainableDevelopmentStrategy;andplanningtheimplementationofthePASustainableDevelopmentStrategy.TheFig.4showsthesetwokeycomponents,theirparts,andthelogical(nottimeschedule!)relationshipsamongthem.

Fig.4: Key components of LDS planning.

Thefollowingfiguredescribesinmoredetailsthefirstthreephasesofthefirstcomponent.

Planning the local Development Strategy

Phase 4: Planning and LDS implementation

Projectideasfromstakeholders

Implementationplan LAGcapacity

buildingplanInformationand

publicityEvaluationandmonitoring

Phase 1: The Data and the Needs

Statistics

Strategicdocuments

SWOT

LocalStakeholder'sneeds

Phase 2: The baseline

Descriptionofsituation

Analysisofneeds

Phase 3: The strategy

Vision

Prioritythemes

Objectives

Measures

Phase 1

In Phase 1 of the DS planning, information relevant to the area covered by the localdevelopmentstrategyneedstobecollectedandsystematicallycategorized.ASWOTanalysisisausefultoolforsuchcategorizationandcanprovideagoodinputforPhase2.Theneedsof local stakeholders should be collected in a public process that encourages potentialbeneficiariestoparticipate.

Phase 2

Phase 2includesthedescriptionofthesituationandtheanalysisofneeds.Thisshouldnotbepurelybebasedon‘deskresearch’,buttheworkwiththeinvolvementoflocalstakeholders.

Phase 3

Phase 3includesthedevelopmentofthestrategyincludingthevision,theprioritythemes,theobjectives,andthedetailedmeasures.Themeasurescanbedevelopedintwoways:

Derivedthroughthehierarchyofvision-themes-objectivesduringpublicconsultations,

Derived from project ideas collected from local stakeholders and integrated into thestructureofobjectives–themes–vision.


5. PLANNING/MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING TOOLS This inventorypresents touristflowsplanning/management/monitoring tools and success stories for thedevelopmentofsustainabletourismtakenfromtheexperiencesofdifferentProtectedAreasinEurope25.

ItaddressesthemanagersofProtectedAreas(local,regionalornationalpublicentities,competentagencies)andtheirstakeholderssuchasNGOs,researchcentresanduniversitiesorSMEsthatmightbeinterestedintheinterconnectionbetweenenvironmentalandbiodiversityconservationanddevelopmentofsustainabletourismstrategies.

5.1. Choice of the methodology

First,itisimportanttoclarifysomeconcepts,distinguishingbetween"surveys"and"monitoring".Inthefirstcaseitisamatterof“investigatingacondition”,atacertainmoment,presumablyforthefirsttime,todefineastateofaffairsonthebasisofwhichpoliticalandgovernancedecisionsaretaken.Withtheterm"monitoring",instead,weassumeacontinuousevaluationorasetofindividualinvestigations,repeatedovertime.

Thedefinitionofthemonitoringobjectivesisveryimportant,becauseeachobjectivemayinvolveadifferentmixoftechniques.Afterthedefinitionoftheobjectiveswehavetodefinewhichissuesarenecessarytomonitor,what’sthebestplace(orplaces)toacquiredata,who/whatshouldbemonitored,whatsetofinformationisrequired,howandhowoftentoacquiredataandsoon.Whenchoosingthetypeofmonitoring,thecostsshouldnotbeoverlooked.

Toolsidentifiedbelowareamixofwell-consolidatedmethods,whichhavebeenusedformanyyears,andinnovativemethods.Thefollowingsynopticschemecanbeconsideredasastartingpoint,whichcanbefurtherenhancedanddevelopedbyintroducingothertechniquesortransformationsoftheexistingones.

5.2. Methodologies identified

Inthissection,ashortsummaryoftheidentifiedmethodologiesaimedatmonitoringtourismflowsinPAs.

St. Gallen Method

TheSt.GallenMethodallowstoanalysethestrategicflowsofvisitsstartingfromtheknowledgeofthelocalstakeholderswhichdescribeanddraftonmaps(subsequentlycombinedandoverlapped)theroutespreferredbytouristsand,asaconsequence,touristproductsthattheyseekintheterritory.

Car counting

Thismethodisbasedoncountingcarspassingthroughestablished"checkpoints"andhelpstoknowtheleveloftrafficwithinagivenarea,aswellashowthelevelvariesoveraperiod.

Inorder to implement thismethodology,counting toolsareneeded (pyroelectrics, tickets,parking lots,videocameraswithVCA26,photocells).

People counting

Thismethodisbasedoncountingpeoplepassingthroughestablished"checkpoints"andenablestoknowhowmanypeopleenteracertainarea,aswellashowthelevelvariesoveraperiod.

To implement thismethodology counting tools are required (pyroelectric, pressure, optical, infrared ormagneticmeters,entrancetickets,videocameras,turnstiles).

25Inventoryofplanning/management/monitoringtoolsandsuccessstoriesforsustainabletourisminPAs,Feb2018-CEETOProject(www.ceeto-network.eu/)26https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_content_analysis.


Telephone cells (big-data analysis)

Thismethodisbasedonbigdata.Theyare,usuallycollectedbytelephonecellsandanalysedtoobtaininformationaboutthemovementofvisitorswithintheProtectedArea.Ageo-referenceddatabaseprovidedby a telephone operator is required to implement this technique.The personal datamust bemanagedinaccordancewiththeGeneralDataProtectionRegulation(GDPR)(EU)2016/679andanimportantdataelaborationbyserviceprovidersisrequiredtoextracttheusefulinformation,sogenerallythesedataarerelativelyexpensive.

Interview

Thisisoneofthemostcommonlyusedmethodsbecauseitischeapanditallowshavingspecificinformationaboutthevisitor.TheanalysedsampleisobviouslyaveryrestrictedsubsetofthewholePAusers.Forthismethoditissufficienttohaveavoicerecorder.

Survey

Like interviews, it is one of themost commonly usedmethodswhen it is necessary to collect visitors'preferencesinordertoapplyappropriatemanagementstrategies.Thistechniquecanberealizeditonlineorlive,thuseitherinternetformsorpapersurveysareneeded.

GPS Tracking

Thismethodhasbecomemorewidespreadbecauseitallowsto“follow”(tracking)visitorsinsidethePark,andgainknowledgeaboutthefavouriteroutesandthemostvisitedplaces.GPStrackerdevicesarerequiredinordertousethistechnique.However,duetothepresenceofaGPSinsideeachSmartphone,aproperAppoftheprotectedareasthat,inreturnforusefulinformation,recordtheGPSdataoftheuserswhiletheymovewithintheProtectedAreaitselfcouldbeanoption.Inaddition,therearenowworldwidefreelyaccessibleanonymousdatafromGPSpositioningofsmartphones(StravaHeatMap).

Social Media

TheuseofthelargeamountofdataandinformationthatcanbeprovidedbySocialMediaisoneofthemethodologies that are most successful because it allows managers to know trends, preferences andbehaviourofvisitorsinaveryeasywaybycheckingwhattheypostontheweb.

Statistical models

Statisticalmodelsareasetofstatisticaltools,moreorlesselaborated,andusedtoobtainandestimatetheobjectofstudy.

Focus Group

Thefocusgroupisausefultechniquetodeepenathemeorparticularaspectsofatopic,interviewingahomogeneousgroupofpeople.

Video camera

UsingcamerasattheentranceoftheParksoratsomefocalpointsmaybeusefultogatherinformationaboutthenumber,flowandbehaviourofvisitorswithintheArea.

Forthismethodology,camcordersand,ifavailable,frameanalysis(orvideo-Analysis)softwarearerequired,whichwouldotherwisehavetobedonemanuallybyanoperator.

Bioacoustics

Bioacoustics is a branch of zoology, strictly related to ethology, that investigates soundproduction andreceptioninanimals,includingman,andhowanimalscommunicatebymeansofsound.


Toimplementthistechniqueisnecessary:

Microphone/hydrophone

Recorder

Computerwithdedicatedsoftwaretoelaborate(filter)sounds

Interviewitallowstohave

specificinformationonvisitors

Statistical modelstoobtainanestimateoftouristflowswhentherearenotalltheinformationavailable

St. Gallen Methodallowstoanalysethestrategicflowsofvisits

Car countingcountingcarspassingthroughestablished

"checkpoints"

Car countingcountingcarspassingthroughestablished

"checkpoints"

Telephone cellsobtaininformationonthemovementsthat

visitorsmake

Social Mediatoknowtrends,preferencesand

behavioursofvisitors

Bioacousticinvestigatessoundproductionand

receptioninanimals,includingmanand

detecttheirpresence

GPSto"follow"visitorsinsidethePark

Video cameratogatherinformationaboutthenumber,

flowandbehaviourofvisitors

Surveyitallowstohave

specificinformationonvisitor

Focus Grouptodeepenathemeorparticularaspectsofa

topic

Fig.5: Table of monitoring tools.

Thechoiceofthemethodbestsuitedtoourneedsmusttakeintoaccountmanyaspects:technical,economic,management,etc.Foreachoftheidentifiedmethods,fig.6describesthroughicons,theparametersof:

1. Complexity-difficultyinimplementingthemethod;

2. Profiling-abilityofthemethodtoprofiletourists;

3. Data Quality-abilityofthemethodtoobtainqualitativelyreliabledata(whetherqualitativeorquantitative);

4. Possible Combination-abilityofthemethodtocombinewithothermonitoringmethodologies;

5. Flexibility-abilityofthemethodtoadapttospecificlocalneeds;


Tool Complexity Profiling Dataquality Possible combination Flexibility

St. Gallen Method

Carcounting

Personcounting

Telephonecells

Interview

Surveys

GPS

Socialmedia

Statistical models

Focusgroup

Videocamera

Bioacoustic

Legend:

VeryeasytodoHighlevelofprofiling,dataquality,accuracyandflexibility

Easy to doGoodlevelofprofiling,dataquality,accuracyandflexibility

QuiteeasytodoMediumlevelofprofiling,dataquality,accuracyandflexibility

DifficulttodoLowlevelofprofiling,dataquality,accuracyandflexibility

VerydifficulttodoAbadlevelofprofiling,dataquality,accuracyandflexibility

Fig.6: Evaluation of monitoring tools for profiling, quality of data, for combination with other tools, flexibility and its complexity.


6. GENERAL REVIEW OF CEETO PROJECT CASE STUDIESCEETOprojectcasesincludeprotectedareasfromfivecountriesinCentralEurope:SölktälerNatureParkandUNESCOBiosphereReserveSalzburgerLungau(Austria);NatureParkMedvednica(Croatia);UNESCOBiosphereReserveSoutheast-Rügen(Germany);RegionalParkofthePoDelta,AppenninoModeneseRegionalParkandAppenninoToscoEmilianoNationalPark(Italy)andStrunjanLandscapePark(Slovenia).TheeightprotectedareasinvolvedintheCEETOprojectstartedwithdevelopingaprocessaimedatelaboratingaSustainableTourismActionPlans(capacitybuildingandparticipatoryprocess).FollowingspecificmanagingandmonitoringtoolsdefinedintheirActionplanswereimplementedlocally.

Basedonthereportsdonebyeachprotectedarea,asummaryofimplementedmonitoringactivitiesandachievedresultswascreated.Inthefollowingchapters,onewillfindassessmentstudies;onewasdonebyanexternalexpertand the second internalevaluation through structured interviewsandquestionnairesdeliveredtoprotectedareasstakeholders.Furthermore,eachprotectedareaisunique,possessingparticularcharacteristics, confronting specific limitations and environmental problems and revealing differentopportunities thus requiring specific attention.Therefore, to select best practices fromeachprotectedareaitisimportanttochoosethemostappropriateapproach.

6.1. Emilia-Romagna Region: Po Delta Regional Park

Monitoring Activities

The“Analysisofthestrategicvisitors’flows”waschosenaccordingtotheSt.Gallenmethod.ThistechniquerespondstotheneedtoknowhecharacteristicsoftheexistingtouristflowsintheareaoftheCerviaSaltPanandtheMesolaWoods,inordertobettermanagethem, reducing their impact, encouraging better distributionthroughoutthePark(eventothoseareasthatarealmostunknown)andthroughouttheyear.

Thismethodologywasalsosupportedbyaphaseofdatacollection,especiallythroughvisitorstotheVisitorCentresandthecollectionofquestionnairesaboutthecharacteristicsofthetourist.

Within thePilotActiondesignphase, they forecasted twokindofmonitoringactivities.

Forthefirstmonitoringactivityin2018:

1. Analysisofstrategicvisitorflowswithlocalstakeholdersrelatedtotourismactivity;

2. QuestionnairescollectionduringthemonthofJulyforafirsttouristprofiling;

3. Datacollectionavailabletohaveapictureoftheseasonality.In2018,thevariousVisitorCentreswereaskedtosendthemthedataavailableatthattimeandtheyeachpresentedthemselvesindifferentways (themonthlyorannualdata,acumulativedataordatadividedbetweennormalentriesandstudents,forexample,etc.).

Forthesecondmonitoringactivityin2019:

1. DailydatafromVisitorCentresbetweenMarchandSeptember2019tohaveacompleteviewoftheseasonalityofvisitorflowsinvisitorcentresduringthemonitoringperiod.In2019,theystructuredanadhocdatacollectionmoduleforallVisitorCentres,tohaveaconsistentandcomparabledataindifferentperiods.ThemodulewillalsobeusedbytheVisitorCentresaftertheendoftheCEETOproject.

2. Questionnaireswerecollectedallyearlongtobuildonthefirstphaseofcollectingquestionnairesin2018,thusimprovingtheknowledgeabouttouristswhovisitstheterritoryofthePA.

Fig.7:Analysisofstrategictouristflows.Archive:PoDeltaRegionalPark.


Achieved Results

1. Touristic pressure reduction

Withrespecttothepurposeoftheproject,itwasnotfeasibletoidentifyrealeffectsintermsofenvironmentalimpactsreduction.However,aspartofthepilotactionanimportantsocialcommunicationcampaignwascarriedout,throughtheFacebookandInstagrampagesofthePoDeltaBiosphereReserveonthecorrectbehaviourinaprotectedarea,withtheaimofcreating(orraising)touristawareness.About600’000peoplewerereachedandthepostreceivedabout330’000clicks.ItworkedbetteronInstagram(between70and80%)thanonFacebook.

2. Tourist experience improvement

TheCommission'sproposalforaDirectiveonthetouristexperienceimprovementcanbementionedintwomainactions:

ThefirstreferstothecreationofinformationpanelsattheFossilDunesofMassenzatica.Thesetools,infact,areessentialtoensureacorrectandcompleteenjoymentoftheareaandtounderstandthesignificanceandvalueofthisgeomorphologicuniqueness.

TheprocesstoimprovethecoordinationbetweentheVisitorCentres,toensureuniformcommunicationandinformationthroughoutthePark'sterritory.TheobjectiveswerethateachVisitorCentreshasthesamebaselevelof:

à informationaboutthepeculiaritiesofthePark;

à improvingthequalityoftheinformationgiventothetourists;

à givingtheoperatorstheabilitytoadvisetouristsaboutthemostsuitableplacestovisit.

3. Socio-Economic Benefits

Thesocio-economicbenefitscannotbeconcretelycalculatedwithinthepilotactionbecausetheperiodanalysedwasnotlongenough.However,importantrepercussionsintermsofawarenessandparticipationoflocalstakeholdershavealreadybeenevidentduringtheorganizedworkshops.TheVisitorCentremanagerswhohavealsobeeninvolvedinotheractivitieshaveunderstoodtheimportantrepercussionsthatCEETOcanhaveontheterritoryifthefive-yearStrategyandtheActionPlanarecarriedoutandimplemented.AwarenessthathasbeencapitalizedwithECTS.Infact,amongthesocio-economiceffectsconnectedtotheCEETOprojectthereistheapplicationprocessfortheEuropeanCharterofSustainableTourismthathasallowedtocreateanimportantpublic-privateinvolvementontheterritoryofthetwoRegionalParksofthePo Delta.

Withinthispath91projectshavebeencollected, frommorethan20differentsubjects,where60%arepublic,30%private,andtherestorativemixedpublic-private.TheactivitiesintheECSTActionPlanasawholehaveacapacitytargetofover€30millionspreadoverall5years.SomeoftheactionsincorporatedintheECTSActionplanareNewSaltPansCyclePath;RenewaloftheParkposters;GettingtoknowthePoDeltaPark;PersonaltrainingParkandVisitorCentresandAnalysisofstrategicflowsofvisit.

6.2. Emilia-Romagna Region: High Modenese Apennine Regional Park and Salse di Nirano Natural Reserve


Thetwopilotareashavedifferentcharacteristicsandcriticalitiesand,therefore,themonitoringactivitiesimplementedinthetwopilotactionshaveprovidedfordifferentapproachesandsystems.

In the Lago Santo Modenesearea,themonitoringobjectiveconcerned:

Thepromotionofsustainableformsofaccessibility,toreducetrafficcongestion;

UsageoftheparkingandtheInfoPoint.


Themonitoringactivitiesresultsare:

1. AsregardsthereductionofcaraccessattheLagoSantocarpark,itwillbeconfirmedbythenumberofticketsissuedbyparkingmetersforaparkingfee(whichwillbecomparedwithdatafrompastsummerseasons);

2. Theevaluationofthenumberofpeople,whowillbenefitfromthealternativeroutes,willbebasedonthee-bikerentaldata,onthenumberofpeopletransportedbytheshuttles,andanestimationofthenumberofhikerswhowillusethereopenedhikingpaththatjoinsTaglioletoLagoSanto.

ThepurposeofthemonitoringattheSalse di Nirano,wasaimedatimprovingtheknowledgeofthemanagingauthoritiesandplanningsuitableactivitiestosteerthebehaviourofvisitors.

Tothepurposeofboth:

1. Monitoringthepresenceofexcursionistinthearea;

2. Monitoringthemainthreatstotheintegralprotectionzonebyfencecrossingexcursionists;

3. Planning the right counter measures, using a multi-Video Cameras system. The need was toimplementasystemabletoautomaticallyidentify,distinguishandcountvehicles(cars,bikesandmotorbikes),pedestriansandanimals.AnotherpurposeofthesystemwastoacquireasmuchdataaspossibletodocumentthemainfactorsofthreattotheReservearisingfrompoororincorrectuseevenbyvisitors,insupportofpossibledefenceactions,toempowertheexistingones.

Fig.8: Video Content Analysis (VCA) system that monitors transits along the access road. Archive: Emilia Centrale Park authority.

Achieved Results

Inbothpilotactions,theoverallevidencegatheredthroughthesemonitoringsystemsconstitutesthebasisfortheimplementationoftheactivitiesforeseeninthefive-yearActionPlan.ThedataacquiredatLake Santo ModenesewillbeusedtoreplicateandimprovetheinitiativeexperimentedinthesummerperiodincollaborationwiththeMunicipalityofPievepelago.Throughtheimplementedmonitoringsystem,itwaspossibleto:

Encouragesustainableformsofaccessibilityinsteadofthecar;

Acquireabetterknowledgeofthecharacteristics,choicesanddegreeofawarenessofvisitors;

MakevisitorsresponsiblefortheirownbehaviourinthePark,throughadequateinformationonthecorrectrulesofconduct.

ThedataacquiredattheSalse di Nirano Natural Reserve,allowedtheManagingAuthoritytoidentifytheweakestpointsofthefencesystem.Itwillbepossibletostudyasuitablesignagethattriestodissuadeintrusionactionsandthenmonitor,withthesametoolofVCA,ifthenumberofintrusionsorthepointsofintuitionareactuallyreduced.



With regard to the pilot area of Lake Santo Modenese, the PilotAction Indicators and future targetsforecastedfortheclosureofthePilotAction(September2019)areasfollows:

Totalnumberofshuttlepassengersperdirectionoftravel;

Lengthoftherouteservedbyshuttlebus;

Averagejourneytimebyshuttlebus;

Averagejourneytimebycar,withreferencetoAugust2018.

Thequantitativedataacquiredfromthedayofinstallation(19/07/2019)andelaboratedbytheVCAsystem,usingstate-of-the-artArtificialIntelligencealgorithms,includethefollowingdata:

Daily(weekly,monthly,etc.)numberofpeopleonfoot,bicycle,motorbike,horse,etc.andnumberofcarstravellingalongtheMunicipalRoad“ViaRioSalse”,nearthelocalityofCàRossa(locationofoneofthetwoVisitorCentresoftheReserve),withdistinctionbetweenascending(fromvalleytomountain)ordescending(frommountaintovalley)routeandaggregationofthehourly,daily,weekly,monthlyandoveralldataovertheentiremonitoringperiod;

HeatMapoftheroutesofthetourists/hikersofZoneAoftheReserve(consideringthemaximumsurfaceareathatcanbeframedbyasinglepositionofinstallationofthecameras),withaggregationofdaily,weekly,monthlyandtotaldataovertheentiremonitoringperiod;

Numberandstatisticaldata(duration,route,etc.),ontheoverridingofphysicalbarriers(fences)andinvasionoftheareasofmud-burstingvolcanoes,forbiddentoaccessandtrample;

Videoin"TimeLapse"modeoftheframedareas(minimumsamplingof1imageevery5'-10'),fortheseasonalevolutionaryreconstructionofthelandscapeandofthemorphologiesofthemud-burstingapparatus(mudvolcanoes).

Analysisofthedata,fromreporteddailystatisticsofovercomingphysicalbarriers(recognizedbythethreecameras),canconfirmthatthephenomenaisquitefrequent.Thehighestnumberofovershootswasrecordedbycamera3,theonepointingtothemostdistantapparatus.Thecauseofthiscouldbethevisibilityofthecamerasinareas1and2whileinarea3,beingfarfromthecameras,probablyleadspeopletothinktheyarenot"observed".TogetmoredetailsandtoexploitthepoweroftheVCA,thefrequentationandintrusionsfromtheheatmaps,whichareoverlapping,onthereal image,ofasemi-transparentcolourscalewereanalysed.Colourscalefrombluetobrowncolour,givesthedoubleinformationofpositionandfrequency/timeofpeopleandvehiclesonacertainarea.Itwaspossibletohighlight:1)theoverridingpointsmostlyusedbyoffenders;2)thepositionofwalking/stayinsidetheZoneAofthereserve.Thefirstpointsarethosewhere themanagingauthorities can strengthen thedissuasiveplatesormoreprecise indications to thefootbridgeaccesstothearea.


FortheareaofLakeSantoinModena,itisstrategictosharetheresultsofthemonitoringwithallthelocalstakeholders,i.e.theMunicipality;inordertounderstandhowtoimplementactionsinamorestructuredway.Thepromotionofalternativeaccessibility systems shouldhave significant impacton the reductionofprivatemotorvehicles.TheideaistoreplicateandimprovetheinitiativeimplementedinthesummerperiodincollaborationwithallstakeholdersandwiththeMunicipalityofPievepelago.

FortheareaofSalsediNirano,itwasessentialtounderstandifitispossibletoreplicatetheexperimentationoftheVCANEMOSsystem(NaturereserveMonitoringSystem)andthelocation,asasystemforacquisitiondataabouttheuseandpossiblethreatsthatmayoccurinprotectedarea.


ThepromotionofalternativeaccessibilitysystemsinthepilotareaSantoLakeshouldhaveasignificantimpactonthereductionofprivatemotorvehicles.

InthepilotareaofSalse di Nirano,themonitoringhasallowedtoidentifytheweakestpointsofthefencesystemandthosethatarestatisticallymoreusedbytheintruders.Inthefutureitwillbepossibletostudyasuitablesignagethattriestodissuadeintrusionactionsandthenmonitor,withthesametoolofVCA,ifthenumberofintrusionsorthepointsofintuitionarereducedorchanged.IntheareaofSalsediNiranothetestedmonitoringsystemcanbereplicatedinotherprotectedareas.


6.3. Emilia-Romagna Region: Tosco-Emiliano Apennine National Park


PilotActionsPietradiBismantova:

Assessmonitoringwithshuttlebuses;

Assessmonitoringwithapaymentparkingarea;

Touristmonitoringwithquestionnaires;

Collectionofdata;

Dataanalysis;

Evaluationoftheresultswiththeaimofreducingthevehicleaccessandincreasesustainablebehaviouroftourists.

PilotactionsLagdeiPlain:

opendays;

Assessmonitoringwithshuttlebuses;

Assessmonitoringwithapaymentparkingarea;

Touristmonitoringwithquestionnaires;

Collectionofdata;

Dataanalysis;

Evaluation of the results with the aim of reducing the vehicle access and increase sustainablebehavioursoftourists.

FortheLagdei plain,asurveillanceservicebythelocalpolicewasestablishedduringsummer2018.Theymonitoredcarparkingandprovidedsomepenaltymeasures.Insummer2019,itwasnotpossibletorepeatthesameactionduetolackofhumanresources.

ForthePietra di Bismantovaapaymentparkingareawithaserviceof“light”surveillanceattheentranceoftheparkingarea,bysomevolunteerswasestablishedduringsummer2018.

Attheendofthemonitoringseason,collecteddataaboutthevisitors’profilearedetailedasfollow.

Activitiesdonebythevisitorsrefermainlytofindingrelaxingplaces, being in contact with nature and the environment,where it’salsopossibletodooutdoor/sportsactivities,withaspecial focusonwalking, inbothpilotareas.Accordingtothequestionnaires, therearethreemainreasons forvisitingbothareas:

vacationandspendingtimeinnature;

relaxationandfun;

sportsactivities.

TherearealsootherreasonsforvisitingPietradiBismantova,forexampleculturalandreligiousaspects,while for the Lagdei plain spending timewith family and friends and the eno-gastronomy. In Pietra diBismantova,climbingisaveryimportantandreligiousaspectregardingvisitsofthelocalSanctuaryandmeditation.ItisinterestingtoknowthattheeconomicconvenienceisneitherareasonforcomingtothePietratheBismantovanortotheLagdeiplain.

Themonitoringshowedthatmanyvisitorscomeonlyforonedayandalmosthalfofthemknowthesesitesverywellbecausetheyvisitedmorethan5times.Theresultsofdataunderlinethatthemainvisitorsinbothpilotareaswerecouples,groupsoffriendsandfamilywithchildren.

Fig.9: Pietra di Bismantova. Archive: Willy Reggioni.


Personalcarsarethemainformoftransport.ThelowpercentageofuseofpublictransportsunderlinesthedifficultytogotothePietradiBismantovaandLagdeiplainwithoutprivatetransportation.However,atthesametimeitconfirmstheneedsoftheshuttlebusesasalternativemeansoftransports.CollecteddataabouttheshuttlebusesandtheincomesfromtheparkingpaymentsystemconfirmedthetrendofthehightouristicflowsinsummerwiththehighestpeakinAugustinboththepilotareas.

Thesurveyshowedthatmostofthevisitorsknowthattheyareinsideaprotectedareaandthattheyhavetomaintainsomeparticularbehaviours.Thisconfirmsworkdoneinthelast15yearsinbuildingtheidentityoftheTosco-EmilianoApennineNationalPark.

Achieved Results

Theacquireddatawillbeusedasthereferencetodecidewhetherthesekindsofactionscouldcontinueornotandeventuallywhatshouldbemodified.


Theresultshavebeencomparedwiththecommentsandneedsacquiredduringtheworkshoponthespotorganizedatthebeginningoftheproject.Thesurveyconfirmedthatcarsarethemainformoftransportandtheneedsoftheshuttlebusesasalternativemeansoftransports.Thetotalamountofpeopleconfirmsthatsuchactivitiesarerequired,especiallyifcomparedwithallthenegativecommentsregardingtheillegalparkingalongthemainroadaccess.

One interestingfindingthatemergedaboutPietradiBismantovawasthatmanypeopleknewabouttheshuttlebusservicebutonlyalowpercentageusedit,whilefewpeopledidnothavetheinformationaboutitbutwouldhaveuseit.


As seen from other sources (such as the registered overnights in the local accommodations) the dataconfirmedthatvisitorsaremainlyresidentsandexcursionists.Theyusuallyspendonedayinthepilotareasandaremainlydoingopen-airactivities.Thegoalistoencouragevisitorstostaymoredays.

Thelevelofsatisfaction,hospitalityandaccommodationserviceswasrangedveryhighforboththepilotareas.

ThechallengeisalsotousetheECSTandtheUNESCOBiosphereReservesnetwork,toimprovethenumberofsustainabletouristsnotonlyinthepilotareas,butingeneralintheTosco-EmilianoApennineNationalParkandintheUNESCOBiosphereReserve.Basedonthecollecteddata,thereisstillasmallpartofvisitors,whoarenotconsciousofsustainability.Despitethisfact,itseemsthatthewebsiteandsocialmediachannelsoftheNationalParkarethemostcommontoolsusedbyvisitorstogetinformationaboutthearea.

Ingeneral,visitorscomplainaboutthepaymentofparkinginbothareas,andalsocomplainabouttheillegalparking,andareaskingforsomeparkingmanagement.

3. Socio – Economic Benefits

Themoneyreceivedfromthepaymentparkingspaces,willbeusedformaintenanceservices.TheLagdeiplain, has confirmed the needs tomanage the accesses and the parking payment.The alternativewayofreachingtheareamustbeimplemented.Thatishowcollecteddatawillbeusedalsoasreferencetoimprovetheotheractivitiesoftheactionplan.

AsalreadydeclaredbytheMunicipalityofCastelnovone’Montithedataacquiredin2019willbeusedascomparativedatafortheactionsandactivitiesforeseenin2020atthePietradiBismantova.Theparkingpaymentsystemandtheshuttlebusareconsideredgoodexperiencesin2019andthereisthewillingnesstoreapplythemnextyear.

RegardingLagdeiplain,thereisawill,fornextsummer,toimprovetheshuttlebusservicenotonlyfrom“Cancelli”busstop,butalsofromthevillageofBoscodiCorniglio.Itwillbefinancedalsofromtheparkingpaymentsystem.


6.4. Sölktäler Nature Park


Themainpurposeofthemonitoringactivitieswastoevaluatethehumanimpactintheregiononleadingendangeredspeciesofseveralsensitivehabitats(div.grousespecies)andtofindtherelativefrequencyinthedifferentvalleysusingvisitorscounting.

Forthemonitoringofvisitors,wasplannedtoinstallfourlightbarriers.The counting serves as a basis for an annual comparison aswell as anumericalcomparisonwiththevisitorcountingofthevalleyswithintheNatureParkandwiththenumbersofSchladming-Dachstein.

Togetsomeinformationabouttourismactivities inwinter itwasalsoplannedtoobservethefrequencyofskitoursoverwinterbymappingskitracks,butduetothehighsnowconditionsandtheavalanchesituationinwinter2018/19,thisactivitywasnotcarriedout.Analternativewaytogetdataaboutvisitorfrequencieswasdatafromthesummitbooks.

Short-termmeasuresincludedinongoingmonitoringwasfocusedontheimpactofpeople/touristsontheenvironmentandwildlife.Thisincludedon-siteinspectionsinsummeraswellasinwinter,usingtheSwarovskispottingscope.Thistypeofobservationallowsdeterminingtheeffectsonaverylargearea.Oneofthegoalswasalsotodeterminethecurrenthabitatforthetwo"mountainchickens"blackgrouseandptarmiganinordertoexcludenegativedevelopments.Thesespeciesserveasindicatorofspeciesinalpinehabitats.Togettheknowledgeofthehabitatqualityfordifferentspecies,habitatmodelsweredeveloped.Theinformationoflandownersandhuntersweregatheredtoprepareamapofwildliferestareas.Inadditiontothehabitatmodels,selectedareaswerevisitedtofindevidenceofpresenceorabsenceandtoverifythemodel.

FortheresearchofmotivationofguestsinSölktälerNaturePark,placematswerecreatedanddeliveredtorestaurantsandalpinehuts.

Achieved Results


Themonitoringdataoftourists,skiersandpopulationsofwildlifeanimalsareessentialtokeepandsteerthegueststowardstherighttrailsandroutes.Sincethetouristicpressureinthenatureparkisstill lowandwillautomaticallyincreaseinthenextyears,theareaintheparkcanbeplannedspatiallynowforthefuture.Thisismuchmoreefficientthantryingtoregulateanalreadyhighandunguidedtouristicstream.


Theknowledgeoftouristsabouttheimportanceofalpinemeadows,theirpreservation,sensitivehabitatsandtheneedofwildlifeanimals,waspermanentlyimproved.AtthemanualcountingstationatSt.Nikolai,peoplewereinformed,anditwasdiscussedwiththem(2018).Placematsweremadetoreceiveinformationfortouristsandabouttheirmotivations.Thetwofolders(“Skitours”and“hikingandalpinehuts”)gavemuchinformationaboutthenaturepark,correctbehaviourtodecreasehumanimpactsandtoraiseawarenessforpreservation.Theworkshopsforinhabitantsincreasedtheirknowledgeaboutnatureandtheybecameambassadorsofthenatureparkanditsconcerns.


Socio-Economic benefits weremainly expected from the workshops for locals. They learnt about theirenvironment,howtoprotectandhottopresentittotourists.Socio-economicawarenesswillbepresumablygeneratedalso fromour summer –folder that tries toguide tourists to thealpinehuts. Inaddition, thewinterfolderswhichweredisseminatedinthewholeregion(Schladming–Dachstein),canattracttouristsandtraintheirenvironmentallyfriendlybehaviour.Generally,theimplementationofthemanagementplanwiththeaimsofraisingawarenessofthelocalsandsupportthepreservationofthealpinemeadowswill

Fig.10: Evaluation of summit books in Nature Park Sölktäler to estimate the frequency of different trails/routes. Archive: Nature Park Sölktäler.


giveasignificantinputforsocio-economicbenefitsoftheregion.Ingeneral,theresultsoftheentiredata(quantitativefromvisitorcounting,birdpopulation;qualitativefromquestionnaires)willbeinterpretedandwillserveasbasisforthetarget-performancecomparisonofthefive-yearstrategyfornaturepreservationforsocio-economicbenefitsforthelocals.

6.5. Biosphere Reserve Salzburger Lungau


Theplannedmonitoringbasedonavisitorsurveyusing standardized questionnaires in the PreberareaandthecomparisonoftrafficdatafromtheSalzburg TransportAssociation. The intervieweesfor the survey were randomly selected. Amongthemwerebothlocalsandguests.Thesurveywasconductedinsummerof2018(startingpoint)andrepeatedinsummerof2019(reviewoftheimpactofthemeasurestaken).

The aim of the survey was, on one hand, todeterminethesituationinthePreberarea(numberofprivatecars,usageofpublictransportsystem,underwhatcircumstancesconceivable)and,ontheotherhand,toobtainmoreinformationaboutthecurrent awareness and knowledge of the visitorsregardingtheBiosphereReserve.

Surveyimplementedinsummerof2019servedtocheckthelevelofchangescomparedtothepreviousyear,bothintermsoftheuseofpublictransportandthelevelofknowledgeandinformationaboutthebiospherereserve.

MonitoringactivitiesinthePreberarearegarded:

1. Thenumberofpersonsusingpublictransportservice;

2. Theresultsofthesurveysregardingthearrivalofvisitors,reasonsforthe(non-)useoftheoffer,aswellastheirsatisfactionwiththeofferandthewillingnesstousepublictransport.

Achieved Results


Sinceitwasnotpossibletoimplementtheplannedactions,anincreaseof10%intheuseofpublictransportwasnotachieved.Actionssuchareparkingspacemanagementandexpansionofthebusservicewillbeputintothetestphaseinthesummer2020andwillbeimplementedinthecomingyears.


First steps toexperience thebiosphereasadestinationhavebeenmade.With theevent“DayofopenDoor”andthekick-offevent,firststepsweremade.WiththesummerandwinterbrochureforthePreberarea,visitorswereprovidedwithall the interesting informationabout thearea.Currently,a3Dmap isin preparation for the Preber area and the entire Biosphere Reserve, aswell as an interactivemap tocommunicate theBiosphereReservewith all its variety to guests and locals, thus increasing awarenessandknowledge.Furthermore,thebasicsarebeingsurveyedinordertomaketheBiosphereReservearealdestinationandtoconveytheideaandphilosophytolocalsandtouriststhroughappropriateoffers.


Publicawarenesswasincreased,bydisseminationoftheinformationabouttheLungaubiosphereandtheregion, localproducersandagriculture,andsustainabletourism.Thesefirststepsmustnowbepursuedfurtherinordertofurtherexpandthesocio-economicbenefits.

Fig.11: Prebersee area. Archive: Biosphere Reserve Salzburger Lungau.


6.6. UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Southeast-Rügen


Followingmonitoringactivitieswereimplementedinthesummerof2018andlasteduntiltheendofthepilotactionperiodinmid-October2019:

1. Installationofelectronicpeoplecounters(light-barriersensors)atthetwomainentrancesoftheZickerBerge,tobeabletomonitorthevisitorflowsintoandoutofthearea

2. Manualvisitorcountingandflashinterviews

à Todistinguishdifferenttypesofvisitors(hikers,excursionist,mountainbiker,joggers),andtomonitorthebehaviourthatviolatesthepropercodeofconduct;

3. Manualin-depthvisitorinterview

à Thefollowinginformationisrecorded:thegeneralvisitorprofiles,touristbehaviour,thereasonsforthevisit,awarenessofthenaturalisticspecificityoftheBiosphereReserveand,inparticular,oftheZickerBerge;thecurrentprotectionregimeandtheexistenceofacodeofconductforits protection; the frequency of visits and the particular interest for the Biosphere Reserve;knowledgeof the reference terminology for thedefinition of ProtectedAreas; thedegreeofsatisfaction,withparticularattentiontotouristpressure

Duringthewinter(theoff-tourismseason)onlytheelectronicmonitoringsystemcountedvisitors.Themanual counting and interviews only took placefrom July to October 2018 and from April untilOctober2019.Originally, threemanualmonitoringpointswerechosen.However,afteratestingphaseit becameclear that themanualmonitoringpointIIwas redundantas tourist,whopassed thispointhadalreadybeenrecordedateitherpointIorpointIII.Thus,manualcountingonlycontinuedatpointI and III. The questionnaire used for the in-depthinterviews was revised for the second monitoringperiod to include questions in relation to theimplementedpilotactionactivities.

Achieved Results


Basedonthefirstevaluationin2018aswellasonthecontinuousdatafromtheelectroniccountersin2019itispossibletosaythatacriticalpointofvisitornumbershasnotbeenreachedyetintheZickerBerge.Basedonthequestionnaires,manyvisitorsdonotfeelthattheareaistooorovercrowded.Thus,currentlynomeasuresneedtobetakentoreducetourismflows.However,theflowsshouldbeevaluatedagaininthreetofiveyeartoseeifanythingchangedandtobeabletoreacttopossiblenegativeimpactsorpressuresinatimelymanner.


BasedonthequestionnairesconductedintheZickerBerge,97percentofthevisitorsin2018wereveryorfullysatisfiedwiththeirstayinthearea.In2019,98percentofvisitorswereveryorfullysatisfiedwiththeirstayintheZickerBerge.Whetherthisisanimprovementbasedontheimplementedpilotactionsishardtosay.Thequestionnairesshouldbeconductedinthreetofiveyears’timetoseeifanythingchangesintermsofvisitorsatisfaction.

Whethertheaudioguide-implementedaspilotactionin2019-canimprovethetouristexperiencehastobeseen.Basedonthequestionnairesconductedapproximately21percentoftheintervieweessaidthattheyweregenerallynotinterestedintheaudioguidedtour.Sofar,onlytwoevaluationsoftheaudioguidedtourtookplaceintheeasytravelapp;thepeopleareverysatisfiedwiththecontent.Itwillbeinterestingtosee

Fig.12: Audio Guide. Archive: Biosphere Reserve Southeast-Rügen.


howthiswilllooklikeinthecomingseason.


No indicators for socio-economicbenefitswere setas it is verydifficult tomeasure.Basedon thedatahowever, it seems possible that socio-economic benefits could be generated by further promoting theseason-prolongingmeasures.Thiscouldpossiblyattractadditionaltourists.

6.7. Public Institution Nature Park Medvednica


TheCEETOproject’sMonitoringWorkPlanforeseesimplementationofthefollowingactivities,intheperiodbetweenOctober2018andSeptember2019:

Visitorssurvey–carryoutaquantitativeandqualitativesurveyofvisitors’profile,habitsandviews;

involvement of relevant stakeholders – actively involve relevant stakeholders in elaboration andimplementation of the Monitoring Work Plan, particularly through contribution to certain datacollection,suchasdataonovernightstaysandnumberofvisitors–skiers;

installingcarcountersandcameras–install2carcountersand3camerasforreal-timesurveillance;

monitoring of selected indicators of environment and nature –monitor selected indicators linkedto impacts of visitation on nature and environment. Based on LAC (Limits ofAcceptableChange)methodologyandinconsultationswithexperts,asetofrelevantindicatorswasdefined,asfollows:

à environmentindicators:hydrological,soilandedaphicindicators,climatologicalindicators;

à nature indicators:vegetationrecords;streamandwells fauna- stonecrayfish,yellow-belliedtoadandItaliancrestednewt;meadowsbiodiversity;(other)invertebrates’indicators-Rosalialongicornandlong-hornedbeetle;

theselectedindicatorspeciesaretargetedbyNatura2000speciesofMedvednicaNatureParkandNatura2000siteHR2000583Medvednica.

Achieved Results


TheresearchresultsrepresentguidelinesinvisitormanagementplanningandtourismdevelopmentinthePark,whichwillcontributetosustainabletourisminthelongrun.Apartfromthereconstructionofthecablecar,ActionPlanalsostimulatesactivitiesaimedatimprovingandupgradingoftrafficsolutionsforaccessingthepeakzone,aswellastrafficatstandstill.

Furthermore, the results ofmonitoring of certain indicators pointed out the necessity to implement aspecificmeasuretomitigaterecordednegativeimpactsoftourism.Suchexampleispollutionofsurfacefreshwaterwithanthropogenicrelatedbacteria(faecalcoliform),comingmostprobablyfromgastronomicandaccommodationfacilitiesthatdonothaveanadequatesystemofwastewatertreatmentinplace.Thenecessarymeasures requireanalysisofcurrenttreatmentofwastewaterand implementationof remedyactionsandsolutionsbeneficialtotheenvironment.

PossiblemeasurestomitigatetheTouristpressurereduction:

reconstructionofSljemecablecar;

creatingaTrafficstudyforanalysingthepossibilityofre-categorizationoftheSljemeroadfromthedirectionofZagrebfollowingtheopeningofthecablecar;

developingandinstallingtrafficandtouristsigns;

installingadditionalcounters(peopleandbicyclecounters);

cooperationwithallthestakeholders(throughmeetings,fieldworketc.).



SomeactivitiesfromtheSustainableTourismActionPlanaimedat improving tourist experience were already implementedincluding regularmaintenance and improvement of visitors’infrastructure, improvement of touristic offer and otheractivitiesforreducingtourismpressure.

After the project, the monitoring of profiles, habitats,opinions and satisfaction of visitors will continue in theParkperiodically.Possiblemeasures for the improvementoftouristicexperienceare:

creatingaVisitormanagementstudy;

creatingamarketingplanforonlinecommunication;

producingeducationalandpromotionalmaterials;

improvingvisitors’infrastructure;

organizingdifferentworkshops.

PublicInstitution“NatureParkMedvednica”hasforthefirsttimeorganizedanOpenDaysevent.Themaintopicwas accessibility and inclusion for all visitors.Therefore, visitorswere invited to come by publictransportation,onfootorbybicycle.Attheeventwereseveral institutionsthatworkwithpeoplewithdisabilities(blind,mentalproblems,physicaldisabilities…)whopresentedtheirworkandtheirprojects.ApartoftheeventwasalsoanorganizededucationalguidedtourofForesttrailBliznec(trailadoptedforpeoplewithdisabilities).

Medvednica Nature Park as a part of the ecological network HR2000583 Medvednica on that day alsopromotedandeducatedvisitorsaboutnaturalvalues.ThescientistswhohavebeenresearchingMedvednicaforalongtimeheldlectures.


ActivitiesimplementedwithinthescopeoftheCEETOprojectrepresentanimportantsteptowardsfuturebenefitsofallParkusers.TheimplementationoftheactivitieswithinCEETOprojectandtheActionPlanwillcontributetotheprotectionandconservationoftheprotectedarea.AninnovativesustainabletourismplanningmodelandreductionofthepressuresofParkareausagewillcreatesocialandterritorialcohesionandwillcontributetothequalityof lifeofthelocalcommunityandencouragethedevelopmentofthetourismsectorinasustainableway.

6.8. Landscape Park Strunjan


Monitoringactivityaimstomonitortheeffectivenessofeducation/informingthetouristsabouttheprotectedareaanditsprotectionregimes(LandscapeParkStrunjan)intheareaofBelvedereterraces.

Raisingawarenessactionconsistsof:

1. Leaflets (leaflets were distributed to visitors and tourists in the Pilot Area alongside with thequestionnairesinsummerseasons,JulyandAugust2018and2019).

2. Educationalvideo(withtheprotectionregimesinthepark,whichwasproducedanddisseminatedin2019).

Themonitoringactivitywasconductedusingquestionnaires.Monitoringandraisingawarenessactionwere2in1(aleaflet/questionnaire).Aquestionnairewasdistributedinthepilotactionareainthesummerseasonin2018(100pieces)and2019(160pieces).Touristsusedtodeliveransweredquestionnairestothebaratthebeachortotheparkemployeeandcouldtaketheleafletswiththem.

Fig.13: Involvement of Stakeholders. Archive: Nature Park Medvednica.


Achieved Results


Themainreasontostartthepilotaction–regulationofthe Belvedere terraces -were environmental problems,especiallythepossibledeteriorationofthecostal(cliff)areabytheconstructionoflarge-scalehotelcapacities.Theobjectiveoftheregulationwastocontrolmovementsofvisitors,theestablishmentofsustainablevisitsoftheparkandentrypointtothePAwhereitwillbepossibletoinformvisitorsabouttheparkandofferthemseveralsustainableactivitiesoutsidetheparkandrelievesomeofthepressureonthePA.

TheMunicipalityofIzolaalsowantedtolimitconstructioninthisareaandtomovetheparkingareafromtheexistingbeachfrontlocationtoanother,inordertoreducetrafficinthearea.Theyalsowanttoestablishrules thatwill allowa sustainablebusiness activity andenvironmentally friendly tourism in theareaofBelvedereterraces.Thiskindoftourismalsoencouragessustainableformsofmobility,inparticularelectricpublictransport,whichincludesalsomaritimetransport.

AstudyonlandscapeandspatialplanningsolutionswithanadditionalstudyofutilityequipmentandtrafficregulationforthesamearearepresenttheprojectdocumentationthatwillbethebasisforthemunicipalitytoimplementthechangesinplanneduseinaMunicipalSpatialPlandocument.

The secondpart of thepilotprojectwasanofferof anelectricminibus,whichhas contributed to thereductionofcarusewithinthepark,long-termfreeparkingservicesandprohibitedparkinginthenaturalenvironment.Themaingoalwithhotelsandcampownerswastoencouragetheirgueststoleavetheircarsintheparkinglotsinfrontofthehotelsandusepublictransportfortransportationthroughoutthepark.Thisactivityalsoreducedexhaustgasesinecologicallysensitiveareaswheretherearetwonaturereservesintheimmediatevicinity.

Somedataontheactivityofelectricminibus:

Totalnumberofpassengers:itwasestimatedthatin2monthstheminibuswasusedfrom12000to15’000passengers,whatisapproximately6’000cars;

Lengthofthebustrailjourneywas2.7km/oneway;

Durationofabusjourneywasaround15minuteswithallstops;

Averagetraveltimebythecarwas7minutes.


TheMunicipalityofIzolainthefurtherimplementationofthepilotproject(regulationoftheBelvedereterraces),wasplanningtoestablisha“transitionzone”withgreenpublic infrastructureandthroughaninfopoint,todirectlyinformandraiseawarenessofStrunjanParkanditsrulesofconductandabettercooperationwithtouristoperatorsandlocalgrowersandproducers.Themainobjectiveoftheseactivitiesistocontrolthemovementofvisitors,andawiderdistributionoftouristsinthearea.In2019,twoadditionalelectricminibusesweredeployed,whichwereusedtotransportthevisitorsandlocals.Theywerefreeofcharge.Anaudioinformationwasproducedforthebusinthreelanguageswhichwasplayingonduringtheride.Furthermore,leafletswereprintedwiththebusrouteandstops.Thepilotprojectwasaimedattestingthesemeasures.For2020,itisplannedtoincreasethenumberofhoursofdrivingperday.


Severalsustainableandtraditionalactivitiesoutsidetheparklikerentingelectricbicycles,sustainablewateractivities,harvestingolives,installationofdidacticplaygrounds,connectingtheareawiththehinterlandorotherpartsoftheparkbyelectricbusesandmanyotheractivities,willcontributetosocio-economicbenefits.Withmaritimetransportseasidetowns,resortsandthreelandscapeparkswillbeconnected.Thiswillbeestablishedincollaborationwithproviderstocreatepackages/arrangementsofoffersforvariousgroups(internationalguests,includingguestswithcruiseships,domesticguests).Aboveall,thedevelopmentofglampingandnewcateringservicewouldoffernewjobopportunities.

Fig.14: Study on landscaping and spatial planning solutions – glamping in pilot area of Belvedere terraces. Archive: Strunjan Landscape Park.


7. ASSESMENT STUDIES OF CEETO PILOT ACTIONS

7.1. Internal evaluation

TheinternalevaluationwasconductedbyprotectedareasinvolvedintheCEETOprojectbasedonstructuredquestionnairesandinterviews.Theaimwastogatherinformationaboutpilotactionsresults,providedbyeight protected areas participating in CEETO project.The data for the structure of questionnaires andinterviewsweresourcedfromtheActionPlanStrategiesandtheExternalEvaluationReport.Theanalysisofthequestionnairesandinterviewsfocusedonmanagementandplanning,decisionmakingprocess,research,andmonitoring.

7.1.1. Methodology

Followingmethodologywasapplied:

1. Questionnaires for PA internal evaluation

Aquestionnairewithtwosetsofquestionswasprepared:onecommontoallpilotswithbaseprinciplesandonefocusedoneachspecificpilot.Eachprojectpartnerinvolvedinpilotssubmittedfourquestionnairestotherelevantstakeholders.Questionnairesconsistedofthe:Generaldataabouttheinterviewee;GeneralPart–Part1(Management&planning,DecisionmakingprocessandResearchandmonitoring)andSpecificPart–Part2(Evaluationofthepressuresandthreats).

2. Structured interviews for PA internal evaluation

Onthesamebasisasforthequestionnaires,questionsfortheinterviewswereprepared.Thereweresomecommonquestions toallpilotswithbaseprinciplesandother focusedoneachpilot specificpilot.Maintopics includedManagement and planning, Decisionmaking process and Research andmonitoring. Eachprojectpartnercarriedoutthreeinterviews(protectedareasmanagers,localactors).

7.1.2. Key findings of the internal evaluation of pilot actions

Therewere35stakeholdersfrompublic,privateandtheNGOsectorwhoparticipatedinthesurvey.Theresultsshowedgoodgenderandagerangewiththeinterviewees,goodsectorialcoverage(public,private&NGO),andinvolvementofdifferentorganizations(MountainRescueServices,RegionalAssociations,privatecompanies and tourism actors, protected areas representatives, guides, municipalities representatives,environmentalNGO‘s,farmersassociations,tourismorganizers,localcommunityrepresentatives,businesssupportinstitutions,etc.).Therewasrelativelygoodknowledgeofeacharea.

Management and planning

TheanalysisofreceivedanswersshowedapositivepropensityofinterviewersregardingCEETOpilotactionsandwillingnessoftheresidentswithinthepilotareatoparticipatemoreactivelyinprojectssuchasCEETOproject.Furtherdiscoveredfindings:

governmentssupportprotectedareastoacertainextent;

managementandachievedresultsintheprotectedareainthelasttwo-yearswerepositivelyevaluated;

most stakeholders included in the survey accept and actively participate in activities/initiativesproposedbyprotectedareas;

resistanceoflocalpopulationsandlandownersisstillnoticeable;

insomecases,thelackofbudgetandtimeisseenasathreattomoreefficientimplementationofthevarioustasksinthepilotareas.

Risk and pressures factors

Importantpressuresfactormentionedbyintervieweesareasfollows:


tourism, recreation and transport,incomparisonwithtraditionallanduse,createpressureontheenvironment;

tourismand recreational activities are gaining in popularity, so someof thenegative aspects arealreadypresent,particularlyover-tourismincertainpartsoftheseason;

conflicts between hunters and farmers on the one hand and tourism(localsandguests)ontheotherarepresent;

trafficisconsideredthemostdangerouselement;

Climate change and the abandonment of traditional land usearethreatstoforestsandagriculture;

externalfactorsthatinsomecasesthreatenedthefeasibility,sustainabilityandtangibleresultsoftheCEETOpilotactionsarechanges in political attitudetowardssustainability,liquidityproblemsandproblemswithpermissions,lackoffundsandlackemployees,administrativeproblemsandalsooverambitiousobjectives.

Communication, training and education

stakeholderssupportprotectedareaparticipationinmediaandeducationontheprotectionofnaturalandculturalheritage;

implementedmeasuresareseenasveryeffectiveinenhancingandinfurtherpromotingsustainableandresponsibletourismandshouldbeplannedinthefutureasapermanentandcontinuousprocess;

aparticipativeapproachisoneofthemostimportantelementsforthesuccessofsustainableandresponsibledevelopment.Participatoryplanning,however, requiresmore localcontent, ideasandsupport;

inadditiontonatureprotection,protectedareasalsohavedifferentprioritiesandthat iswhyaninterdisciplinaryandmanagementapproachisrequired;

evenwhenplanningisappropriate,delayscancauseunforeseenproblemsandnegativeimpactsonprojectimplementation.

At theCEETOParticipatoryplanningprocess, involved stakeholders received relevant informationaboutthe pilot area, proposed activities and future development plans. Stakeholders need to be involved ineverystepoftheprocess.Themanagingbodyoftheprotectedareashouldberesponsibleformonitoringof the implementedactivitiesandevaluationof theperformance.Respondentsemphasizedthat regularinvolvementof localstakeholders iscrucialtoreachconsensus.Aspecial importanceshouldbegiventothecapacitybuildingthroughthestakeholders’training,forlocalactors/stakeholdersandtheschoolsforsustainabletourism.

Involvement of stakeholders and monitoring

respondentsagreedwithtoolsandmeasureschosenbytheprotectedareamanagementbodyandtorepeatthemeasuresinthesamepilotareasinthefuture;

through long-running dynamicworkflows, new and unforeseen problems can arise that cannot beeliminatedduetoarigidsystemplanandproject-basedrigidgoalsthatmakeimplementationdifficult;

resultsareoftennotinlinewithexpectationsandbecauseofthatitisgoodtomeasureandalsotochangeactionplans;

variousstakeholders,prioritiesandpoliticalcircumstancesandchanges,aswellasthelimitedperiod,lackofhumanandfinancialresourcesarecriticalpointsinplanningandimplementing.Supervisionshouldbeplannedanddirectedwithaclearvisionofwhatdataisintendedtobeachieved;

monitoringoftouristsfortheexampletothepeaks(viasummitbooks)andcreationofaninformationbrochurestocommunicatewinterski itinerariesandrefugeezonesforwildlifeareseenasagoodexampleofthemostimportantactivitiesinthemonitoringprocess.Theseallsuggeststhatregular,wellmanagedaswellastransparentmonitoringsystemshouldbeappliedasatoolintheprotectedarea.


Resources

Thefollowingsuggestionsweregiventoimprovethemanagementprocessandresourcesasasocialcapitalinprotectedareas:

morefinancialsupportbyprojectstakeholdersisnecessary;

internalcommunication/knowledgetransfershouldbeimproved;

betterinformationforguestsandmoremodernformsofcommunicationarenecessary.

Key Lessons learned:

Ilike

pilotactionswereevaluatedaspositivefromallstakeholdersinvolvedinthesurvey;

allrespondentspositivelyassesstheresultsachievedbytheprotectedarea;

toacertainextentgovernmentatalllevelssupportstheirprotectedareas;

protectedareasshouldcontinuewiththeinitiativesalreadyimplementedwithanactiveparticipationofthestakeholders;

participationofthemediaineducationandinformationontheprotectionofnaturalandculturalheritagewasveryencouragingandpositive.

Idislike

resistanceofthelocalpopulationandlandowners isstillnoticeable insomeprotectedareas;

lackofbudgetandtimecouldbeathreattoamoreefficientimplementationoftheactivities;

tourism, recreation and transport, in comparison with traditional land use,makepressureontheenvironment;

conflictsbetweenhuntersandfarmersontheonehandandtourism(localsandguests)arepresent;

trafficisconsideredoneofthemostdangerouselements;

climatechangesandtheabandonmentoftraditional landusearethreatstoforestsandagriculture;

understaffing(peoplewithrelevantexpertise)couldbeoneofthethreatsforpoorperformanceofactivities.

7.2. Independent evaluation of pilot actions

TheindependentevaluationreportofthePilotactions,implementedbyeightprotectedareas,wasmadebyanexternalexpert.Thisreportissummarizingsomeimportantfindingsfromtheevaluationofthesinglepilotaction.Thefollowingchaptersillustrates:

thetypesofPilotActionsstructuredbytheManagementBodiesoftheProtectedAreasinvolvedintheCEETOproject,indicatingtheirthematicscope,criticalissuesandinterventionobjectives;

accordingtoanapproachthatintendstofocusonthestrengthsandopportunities,thebestpracticesimplementedbytheProtectedAreasinthetestingphase;

recommendationstopolicymakersforasustainabletourismdevelopmentoftheProtectedAreas.


7.2.1. The Pilot Actions in the Protected Areas

ThePilotActionsidentifiedbytheProtectedAreas,focusonsevencentralthemesandwerebuiltwiththeaimofsolvingtheelementsofinternalweakness.Inlightofthisdefinitionprocess,itwaspossibletoseethecompliancebetweenPilotActionsanddevelopmentpurposesof theParks.The intervention themesidentifiedbytheProtectedAreaswere,indetail,thefollowing:

Accessibility;

Portraitofthevisitors;

Behaviourofthevisitorsandawarenessofthelocalspecificities;

Touristfruitionoftheterritory;

Touristoffer;

Impactofthetouristpressureonnatureandenvironment;

Networkofcollaborationamongthelocalactors.

Moreprecisely,thestructureofthethematicareasofintervention,thecriticalitiesidentified,theactivityaimsandthePilotActionsdefinedwithintheCEETOprojectisasfollows.

Accessibility

Critical points Purposes of the Pilot Actions Pilot Actions

Unsustainableaccessibility,withconsequentnegativeexternalities(congestionoftheroadandparkingareas,environmentalandacousticpollution,impactonclimate,violationsoftherulesoftheroad,obstacletothepassage

ofemergencyvehicles)

Topromotesustainableaccessibility,insteadofthe

privatecar

Shuttleservice

Publictransport(bus)service

E-bikes

Restorationandsecuringofpaths

Newparkingrules

InfoPoint

Opendays

Communicationofthealternativemobilityservicesby:

- press

- posters

- brochures/ leaflets

- web

- social network

Lowaccessibilityandinclusionforvisitorswithdisabilities

Toenhancethepossibilitiesoffruitionoftheterritoryby

visitorswithdisabilitiesOpendays


Portrait of the visitors


Limitedknowledgeofthevisitorprofileintermsofnumber,origin,behaviour,

mobilitypreferences,awarenessofbeingina

ProtectedAreaandknowledgeofthespecificcodeofconduct

Toacquireabetterknowledgeofthecharacteristics,choices

andlevelofawarenessofvisitorsregardingthenaturalisticspecificities

Survey

Manualcountingofvisitors

Electronicpeoplecounters

Electroniccarcounters

Analysisofsummitbooksandcountingofsignatures

Videocameras

VideoContentAnalysis(VCA)system

Behaviour of the visitors and awareness of the local specificities


Inappropriatebehaviourofvisitors,duetoalackofknowledgeofthe

particularitiesoftheProtectedAreaoraninsufficientrespect

ofitsnaturalvalue

ToincreasetheknowledgeofthevisitorsaboutthespecificityandthenaturedelicacyoftheProtected

Areaandtoempowervisitorsabouttheirbehaviour,byanadequateinformationonthe

correctrulesofconduct

Opendays

InfoPoint

Communicationthrough:

-press

-brochure/leaflets

-thewebsiteofthePark

-socialnetworks

-audioguide

-educationalvideo

-placemats

Interactivemap

Waste bins

TrainingandcoordinationoftheParkVisitorCentresandTouristInformation

Offices

Tourist fruition of the territory


RelevantconcentrationoftheParkvisitorsinfewsites

Topromotethevisittolessknownandlessfrequented

siteswithinthePark

Opendays

InfoPoint


-brochure

-socialnetworks


Offices

Panellingandinformationtools



Partialknowledgebyvisitorsoftheoveralltouristofferof

theProtectedArea

Toimprovethetouristpromotionbyinformingonthewideroffer(sportsandrecreationalactivities,accommodation,restaurant,

paths)

InfoPoint


-brochure

-3Dmap

Tourist offer


PerfectibilityoftheoveralltouristofferoftheProtected

Area

ToenhancethepossibilitiesoffruitionoftheProtectedAreaaccordingtoenvironmental

sustainabilitycriteria

Planforthelocalterritorialdevelopmentandtechnicalstudyfor

theinfrastructuralservices

Newsignsfortrekking

Searchandrescueroutes

Impact of tourist pressure on nature and the environment


Limitedknowledgeoftheactualimpactofthetourist

pressureontheProtectedArea

Toinspectandanalysetheeffectsofthetouristicpresenceonthenaturalenvironmentandhabitat

Swarovskitelescope(Spektiv)andrescueequipment

Monitoringofthenaturalisticandenvironmentalconditionsbyspecific

indicators

Network of collaboration among the local actors


LowparticipationofthelocalstakeholdersindesigningthetouristofferoftheProtected

Areainconcertedterms

Tocreateopportunitiesforlocalpublicandprivatestakeholderstomeetand

discuss,inordertopromoteparticipatoryplanning

processes

SaintGallenmethod


Offices

Working groups between inhabitantsandstakeholders

7.2.2. The best practices in the testing phase

BasedontheexperiencesdevelopedbytheProtectedAreaswithinthePilotActions,thischaptersummarizesthestrengthsandopportunitiesthatmustbeconsideredintheimplementationofsustainabledevelopmentactivitiesbytheParkManagementBodies.

Theprojectareasexaminedconcern,indetail:

Accessibility;

Profilingofvisitors;

Visitorbehaviourandawarenessofthespecificitiesoftheterritory.


Accessibility

1. Shuttle service

autonomyoftheParkAuthorityinthedefinitionofthetransportserviceandinitsmanagement;

intheeventthattheserviceispromotedby:

à awider network of public and/or private actors, inwhich the Park participateswith a non-decisivedecision-makingrole;

à aPublicAdministrationotherthanthePark,inindependenttermsandasalocalpublictransportservicewithinitsterritory;

preliminarystipulationofagreementsthatbindthepartiesinvolvedtotheeffectivesupplyoftheconnections,inordertostemtheconsequencesofunfavourablepoliticaldynamics(forexample,thechangeofagreementregardingtheprojectfollowingelections);

schedulingoftheworkingtimetableaccordingtoaplanneddailyfrequency;

consistencyofthefrequencyoftheconnectionswiththeintensityofthetouristdemand,providingforadifferentmodulationoftheofferontheweekdaysandholidays,aswellasinthelowandhighseason;

flexibilityofthefleet,favouringsmallshuttles,inordertoreducetheriskofroadcongestion;

eco-sustainability(electricshuttles);

clear,widespreadandarticulatedcommunicationtovisitors,availabilityoftheshuttleconnections,thetimetablesandthestoppoints(press,posters,flyers,webandsocialnetworks);

diffusion on the shuttles, during the journey, of an audio dedicated to the introduction to thespecificitiesoftheParkandtotherespectofthelocalsites;

conclusionoffreeloanagreementswiththeownersofthelandsnexttotheshuttlestopsandnotused,inordertodesignatethemtoparkingspacesforcars;

tariffintegrationbetweentransportandparkingservices;

involvementofthelocalcommunityinthepromotionoftheshuttleservice;

organizationofacomputerdatabasededicatedtothecollectionofdataontheactualuseoftheshuttle.

2. E-bike and mountain bike

realizationofpathsexclusivelydedicatedtobicycles;

periodicmaintenanceofthetracks,inordertoguaranteetheirusabilityintermsofsafety;

provisionalongtherouteofstoppingpointsforthebicycleemergencymaintenance;

equipmentoftheroutes(directionalsignsofdistanceandproximitytothemostinterestingpoints;thematicposters,tableswithbehaviouralprovisions);

involvementoflocaloperatorsintherentalandmaintenanceofvehicles;

promotionoftrailswithinthewiderlocalnetworkofroutesfore-bikesandmountainbikes.

Portrait of the visitors

1. Survey

Definitionofasetofquestionsaimedatknowing:

à theidentityofthevisitors(age,gender,residence);

à thetouristbehaviour(localinhabitant,hiker,visitorstayingovernight);

à choiceofaccommodation(placeandtypeofaccommodation)andthelengthofstay;


à theactivitiescarriedoutinthepark;

à wishesandsuggestionsforabetteruseofthenaturalisticsites.

Inclusionofeducationalquestions,which,byasking:

à Informthevisitoroftheavailabilityofanewservice(forexample:"AreyouawareoftheexistenceofshuttlelinkstothePark?","DidyouusetheshuttleservicetoreachthePark?");

à sensitizetouriststoacorrectbehaviourintheProtectedArea(forexampletorespectwildlifeneeds).

Identificationofquestionsformonitoringtheeffectivenessoftheactionscarriedout,whichmustbeaskedintheperiodprecedingandfollowingtheimplementedactivity,

attentiontotheclarityofthequestionsandtheanswerscontainedinthesurvey,

internalconsistencyofthequestionnaire,

administrationofthequestionnaire,overtime,accordingtothesamecriteriarelatingto:

à thepercentagetargetofreference(numberofinterviewscomparedtothenumberofvisitors);

à interviewplaces;

à timeslotsanddaysoftheweekdedicatedtotheinterview.

administrationofthequestionnaireinpaperorwebmode,throughaCAWI(ComputerAssistedWebInterviewing)accessiblefromsmartphonesandtablets;

organizationofacomputerdatabasetocollectthesurveyanswers.

Behaviour of the visitors and awareness of the local specificities

definitionandimplementationofanorganizedandcoherentplantoraiseawarenessoftheprotectedareavisitors;

identificationofaplacededicated(InfoPoint)tothevisitortraining;

calendarofeventsspecificallydedicatedtothevisitoreducation(Opendays);

articulatedandwidespreadcommunicationoftherulesofbehaviour,considering,alongsidethemoretraditionalchannels,innovativedigitaltools;

motivatingandempoweringthecorrectbehaviourinaProtectedArea;

multilingualpromotionofthecodeofconduct;

creation of a collaboration networkwith themain tourism stakeholders in the area (Park VisitorCentres,IAToffices,accommodationandrestaurant,guidesandsportsoperators),orientedtowardsajointsensitizationtotherespectforthelocalenvironmentanditshabitat;

promotionofenvironmentaltrainingopportunities;

fruitionoftheplaces(InfoPoint),events(Opendays)andthenetworkstoraiseawarenessabouttheprotectedareaandasopportunitytopromotethewiderlocalheritage,materialandimmaterial,forasustainableredistributionofthetouristflowsintheterritoryandaseasonaladjustment.


8. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONSSustainableandResponsibleTourismDevelopmenthasbecomethemainchallenge,againstthebackgroundofthecontinuedgrowthoftourismindustry.Tofullyachieveitspotential,well-foundedprinciplesandclearguidelinesarenecessary.

Theseconclusionsareaddressedtofirstandforemost,local,andregionaladministrations,protectedareamanagers,decisionmakersintourismandnatureconservationministriesaswellastheassociationsoftheprivatesectorandNGOsatthelocal,nationalandinternationallevel–withoneword:policymakers.

Tourismas a sustainable development optionmust be planned andmanaged so that its socio-economicbenefitsarespreadaswidelyaspossiblethroughoutthelocalsociety.Community-basedtourismprojects27 areimportantmeansforspreadingbenefitstolocalresidents.

The sustainabledevelopmentapproach isparticularly important in tourismbecause this sectordependsmostly on tourism attractions and activities that are related to the natural environment and historicand cultural heritage. Environmental planning approaches and carrying capacity analysis are importanttechniques for preventing environmental and sociocultural problems resulting from tourism. In order toplan for tourismdevelopment thatmeets present and future expectations of tourists and accomplishessustainabilityofthetourismsector,localauthoritiesmustunderstandmajortourismtrendsinternationally.

8.1. Sustainable tourism development and implementation

Before“take-off”oftourismdevelopment inPA, ithastobedecidedby localplannersanddevelopers,whether or not to consider sustainable tourism as a viable development option.Aswith the objectivespursuedbysustainabletourism,thekeyissuesare:

Objectives and interests: what goals/interests the protagonists are pursuing? Is steering orpromotionoftourismtheprimaryissue?

Feasibility: Is thearea suited for tourism;are theconditions for sustainable implementationbeingmet(basicconditions,protagonistcapability)?

Compatibility:Will theecologicalandsocioculturalcircumstancespermitcompatibletourismdevelopment?Are the institutional conditions such that negative effects can be avoided byregulationmeans?

Benefits:Arethefundamentalpolitical,socialandinstitutionalconditionspresentfortourismtohelpmakeanoteworthycontributiontoconservationareasatalland/orhaveabroadimpactontheincomeoflocalcommunities?

Toanswertheseissuesafeasibilityevaluationofsustainabletourismdevelopmentshouldtakeplace(seetheFig.15):

27FormoredetailedinformationaboutEffectivecommunitybasedTourismsee:ThebestPracticeManual,Effectivecommunitybasedtourism:abestpracticemanual/SallyAsker...[etal.].

ISBNs:9781921785047(pbk.)9781921785542(pdf).


Goals/Interests Feasibility

possiblevariationonresult

Tourismdoesnotmakesense (result4)

Tourismmakessense

Tourismdevelopmentdoesnotmakesense/notaffordable

Possibletransfertomoresuitable

promoters

In-depthplanning

cf.Chapter4

Tourismisseensible (results1,2,3)

ResultoftheRapidappraisal(statusquo)

Developmentscenariosforaction

RE-A

PPRA

ISA

L

REFI

NIN

G

Developmentscenariosforaction

Scenario 1• Formsoftourism• Community

involvement• Roleofthe

protagonists• non-touristic

alternatives,etc.




alternatives,etc.




alternatives,etc.

Evaluation (in-deepth feasibility study)

• capacitiesoftheprotagonists• Steering/promotionalcosts• Development-policybenefits• Cost-benefitrelationship

Compatibility Benefits

Fig.15: Process of development sustainable tourism.


Conclusions from practice:

answeringthekeyquestions isan interactiveprocess.Theconclusionsdrawnfromtheanswersalwayscoincidewithcertainconditionsorassumptions,whichrefertootherquestionsorleadbacktopreviousquestions.

thus,aquestionthathasbeenansweredpositivelyonitsowndoesnotnecessarilymeanthatatourismdevelopmentislegitimate!Thegreaterpictureisthedecisivefactorinsofarastherearenocriteriaforexclusion.

rapidappraisalonlyallowslimitedjudgementofthefeasibilityandrationalityoftourism.Anin-depthfeasibilitystudyisnecessaryasafuturecourse.

theresultsofarapidappraisaldosuggest,however,whichandunderwhatconditions,atourismdevelopmentcanbepursued.Hence,italsohelpscreatingconsciousnessofthepotentialsandriskslinkedtotourism.

itisdesirabletoinviteatourismexpertstoparticipateattheearliestpossibledate,atthelatest,however,ifthein-depthfeasibility-studyandconcreteplanningisbeingcarriedout.

8.2. Decision making process

The proper direction and coordination of the strategic planning process in a protected area is the keyelementofsuccess.Alargepartoftheresponsibilitylieswiththeinstitution,whichinitiatesthestrategydevelopmentprocess.Itcantakefullcontrolandmanagementofthisprocess,oritcanentrustthisfunctiontoaspecialWorkingGroup,whichwouldinclude,forinstance,representativesofalltheimportantlocalactorsinthePA.TheGroupshouldhavefreedomtoestablishitsowninternalstructure,e.g.toselecttheleadersand/orcoordinatorsforspecificthemesorsectors,toorganizesecretariatandcontactpoints.

Fromthepointofviewoftheorganizationoftheprocessofstrategydevelopment,theGroupshouldfulfilthefollowingfunctions:

initiating-whichinvolvesbringingideastothetable;

organizing–managingtheprocessofstrategydevelopment,organizationofwork,divisionoftasksandallocatingresponsibilities,invitingexpertsormoderatorstohelpintheresearchorworkshops;

integrating – it should ensure good relationships between participants of the process of strategydevelopment;

mediating–helpingtoachieveconsensus,conflictresolution,ensuringthebalancebetweeninterestsofdifferentgroups;

deciding – defining priorities,making final decisions inmatters where othermethods to achieveconsensusfail.

ItisveryimportantthattheGroupcreateacultureofworkofalltheprocessparticipants,basedonsuchvaluesascooperation,partnership,priorityofcommoninterestovertheinterestsofindividualpartners.

8.3. Building consensus and co-operation with stakeholders in protected areas

What generally causesmore problems than the financing and promotion of conservation areas throughtourism,istheadequateinvolvementofthelocalpopulation.Typicalproblems,asakindofconclusionsfrompracticeindevelopingsustainableformsoftourismare(thisisthelistofthemostfrequentproblemsingeneral,notjustandsolelyfortheCEETOpilotareas):

conservationareas levyeithernofeesoronlyvery lowonesthatdonot –orhardly –exceedtheexpensesincurredbytourism;

earningsfromfeesmustbesenttoacentraltaxauthorityandthusarenolongeravailabletolocal


natureconservationalsotourismcompaniesareoftenopposedtofees;

thelocalruralpopulationlacksthenecessaryknow-how,experienceandfinancialresourcestoengageinthebusinessoftourism;

locallabourforcecannottakeonqualifiedjobsbecauseofalowleveloftraining;

itisextremelydifficulttoachievewidespreadbenefitsinsociallyandculturallyheterogeneouslocalcommunitieswithlowlevelorganization;

tourism potential is overestimated because no feasibility-studies or cost-benefit analysis wereconducted;

theabilitiesoflocalcommunitiesareoverestimated.Localownershipandparticipationarecertainlydesirableandnecessary,butonlyexhibitalimiteddegreeofprofessionalismnecessaryinthetourismindustry;

clarifyingrolesamongsttheprotagonistsinvolvedonlyoccursinsufficientlyornotatall;

oftenprivatesectorandotherrelevantprotagonistsareignoredinsteadofbeingdrawnuponfortheirprofessionalismandmarketcontacts.

8.3.1. Management and planning

The most promising initiatives are those that link resource conservation and local participation withprofessionalism in the tourismbusiness, entrepreneurial thinking andmarketorientation.Achieving thisbalanceisnoteasy.Intourism,theidealisticinitiativeswithamaximumoflocalownershipinparticular(“thepeopleshouldpreferablydoanddecideeverything”)onlyseldomproducehighdevelopment-policybenefits.Consequently,theprivatesector’srolewillbecomeevenmoresignificant.Protectedareamanagementandplanningteams,withhelpofNGOsandTechnicalCo-operationorganizationsshouldadopttheroleofexpertmediatorsbetweennatureconservation,localinterestsandtourismcompanies.Thisway,thedevelopment-policybenefitscanbestbemaximized,intheinterestofthelocalcommunitiesaswell.

Conclusions from practice – PA action plans should therefore keep the following in mind:

Whenconservationareamanagers,NGOsor localadministrations receivesupport indevelopingtourismproducts,theyhavetokeepinmindthemarketdemands.Whenmarketingmatchestherightproductorservicewiththerightcustomerattherightplaceandtherighttime,theresultsareaprofitablebusinessandasatisfiedcustomer.

Inordertomarketalocaltouristicproduct,theprivatesectormustbecomeinvolved,mainlytouroperatorsandwholesalers.Whendesigningofferingsandmanaging tourism, their interestsandoperationalprocessesmustbetakenintoconsideration.

In view of sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion should emphasizeenvironmentallysoundandsocioculturalequitablebehaviouronthepartofthetouristsandonthetourismindustryingeneral.

8.3.2. Developing Priorities, Goals and Objectives for Sustainable Tourism Development

Aswithotherenterprises,thetourismindustryisalsodependentoncertainframeworkconditionsinordertofunctioninasustainablemanner.ThenecessaryconditionsforimplementingsustainabletourisminPA(butalsoelsewhere)canbesubdividedasfollows.

Fundamental framework conditions:

Presenceofbasictransportation infrastructure (roadnetwork,runways);


simple immigration and currency regulations (veryimportantfortoursthatincludeseveralborder-crossings);

personal safety forthetourist(protectionfromcrime,robbery,naturaldisastersandcatastrophes);

relatively low health risks (existenceofbasicmedicalservices,noepidemics);

protection of environmentalattractionsagainsttouristimpactsordegradation(legalregulationsandtheirstrictimplementation).

Economic policy framework conditions:

existence of an economic order and financial policies that promote tourism and other privatecompanies;

access to financing or promotional options (e.g. special credit lines for SME or investments ingeneral);

accesstoinformationandadviceregardingentrepreneurialcompetence(e.g.forbusinessstart-ups);

access to information/consultation forproduct development and marketing (especiallywithregardtonewtypesoftouristicdemand);

support for marketing abroad(e.g.trade-fairassistance,accesstonewbookingsystems);

existenceofpossibilities for training specialized tourism personnel (tourismschoolsandvocationaltrainingcentres).

Ecological and socially sustainable tourism framework conditions:

governmentenvironmental legislation(highenvironmentalstandardsforthetourismindustry);

political and administrative structures that support, assist and provide grant (material and non-material) to local/indigenous communities;

governmenteconomicandfiscalpoliciesthatbasicallypermitincome from tourism to be directed into nature conservation or local communities;

funding tools/systems of incentives that make environmentally sound investments in peripheralregionsortechnicalqualificationofruralcommunitieseconomicallyattractive;

information/consultancy with regards to environmentally sound technologies and management methods;

ongoingmonitoringandifnecessary,adaptationofmanagementmeasurestonewchallenges.

Conclusionsfrompractice

Itisveryimportanttoclarifyaheadoftimewhetherornotthecoreconditionsforsustainableformsoftourismexist(seeabove).

Should considerable deficits exist (e.g. institutional weaknesses), and then development co-operationmustbestartedontheframeworkconditions.

Ingeneral,stateagenciesandNGOscannotprovidesufficientsupporttolocaltourisminitiatives(e.g.concerningconsulting,training);co-operationwiththeprivatesectorshouldbeincreased.

8.3.3. Networking the stakeholders: who, how, with whom?

Thefirststepleadingtomakingthestrategydevelopmentprocessacommononeistoidentifyentitiesandpersonswhoshouldbeofferedtheopportunitytobedirectlyinvolvedinthework.Suchaproposalshould


beaddressedtoallthestakeholderswhohaveaninfluenceonthepresentorfuturesituation.TheWorkingGroupthatissuessuchinvitationsshouldhaveagoodknowledgeofthelocalcommunity.Activitiesleadingtotheelaborationofsuchadocumentshouldstartwiththestakeholderanalysis.

Identificationofallpotentialstakeholderswilldefine:

entitieswhich–becauseoftheirroleandinfluence–willanywayhavetobeinvolvedincreatingthestrategy;

organizationsandinstitutionswhosefunctioningwilldependontheshapeofthestrategy;

organizationsandinstitutionswhichcanaffecttheimplementationprocessofthestrategy;

organizations,institutionsandotherentitieswhichcanhaveaninterestinparticipatinginthedevelopmentandimplementationofthestrategy;

organizations, institutionsandotherentitieswhichcanbecomeparty inaconflictorcanseestrategydevelopmentasadangertotheirowninterests;

usefulpersonsandinstitutions;

oftenitisnoteasytofindauthorizedspeakersforstakeholders,whoalsopassoninformationwithinthisgroupandwhosebehaviouriscopiedbythegroup.

Stakeholdersshouldbegroupedaccordingtotheircharacterand/orpotentialinvolvement,e.g.intothefollowinggroups:

Thedifferentvisionsandvaryingculturalbackgroundsofthefollowinggroupsofstakeholders(seeFig.16)mustbetakenintoaccount.Imaginationandpersonalinitiativeofparticipantsshouldknownolimitswhenitcomestotheirowninput(e.g.knowledge,financing,workforce,land,etc.).

Key stakeholders:theseareentitiesofhighimportancefortheprocessofstrategydevelopment.Activitiesandinterestsaredirectlyrelatedtothesituationinthegivenarea.ManyofthemshouldbemembersoftheWorkingGroup.

Secondary stakeholders: entities with less influence, buttheirexistenceandactivitieswillcertainlyhavetobetakenintoaccountduringelaborationofthestrategy.

Other stakeholders: these are all the entities potentiallyinterestedinthestrategy,whichcaninthefutureplayaroleinitsimplementation.

Private sector: Touroperators

TravelandincomingagenciesTransportationcompaniesHotels

B&BsRestaurants

EmployeesintourismAdvertisingandmarketingBusinessassociations

SupplierindustrySouvenirsAgricultureGuides

Public sector: Tourismofficials

CommunityandregionaladministrationsMinistriesofEconomicsandForegnAffairsMinistryforEnvironmental

AffairsandNatureConservation

Organisation of the multilateral and bilateral co-

operation

Tourism experts

Non-governmental and

self-help organisations: Internationalnature

conservationorganisationsNationalNGOsOrganisationsofindigenouspeopleLocalNGOsLocalSHOs/co-

operatives

Fig.16: The different visions and varying cultural backgrounds of the groups of stakeholders.


Follow up:

When co-operating with the private sector, it must be clarified in what areas the objectives ofsustainabletourismdevelopmentharmonizewiththeprimarilyeconomicinterestsofthecompaniesand where they tend to conflict. Beyond a general sense of responsibility, the tourism industryprincipallyexhibitsimmediateinterestinthesustainabilityoftourismdevelopmentwhen:

à appropriatemeasuresaretakentoloweroperationalexpensesoratleastnottoincreasecosts,itcanpreventdamagetothetouristicresources(e.g.destructionofthelandscape,waterpollution,drivingoutwildlifebynumbersofvisitors);

à therespectivemeasuresfitthecompany'scorporateidentityandappealtocustomers(imagecare).

Thefundamentalreadinesstoco-operatewiththelocalcommunitieshassimilartraits.Forcompaniesit first means delays and increased complications in operational processes, but it could becomeinterestingifitgiveswaytoanattractivetouristicproduct.

Iftheconditionsmentionedabovearenotmet,thetourismindustrycannotbereliedupontovoluntarilyactinenvironmentallyandsociallysoundfashion,especiallyifthiswouldgeneratehigherexpensesorlossofrevenue.Insuchcasesconservationareamanagement,localorganizationsandgovernmentalandnon-governmentalinstitutionswouldbewelladvisedtocreatespecialincentives(e.g.grantingexclusiverightsofuse,feediscounts,jointtrainingoflocalpersonnel)orimposecharges(e.g.forgrantingconcessions),sothattheactivitiesoftourismcompaniesmightproducethekindofeffectsconsideredrightfromthestandpointofnatureconservationorbenefitsforlocalcommunities.

Averysignificantbutonlyindirecteconomicadvantageofproject-relatedtourismistheimpactonthepublicrelationsworkofdevelopmentcooperationandnatureconservationorganizationsindonornations.Membersandotherinterestedpartiescanactuallyobservewheretheircontributionisbeingspentandthusmightdecidetoincreasetheirsupportforsuchprojects.

8.4. Monitoring and evaluation

Inviewofguaranteeingthesustainabilityoftourism,managingenvironmentalandsocio-economicimpacts,establishingindicatorsandmaintainingthequalityofthetourismproductisrequired.Negativeimpactscanbeminimizedbycontinuousmonitoringandactingifproblemsarise.Inordertoensurethattourismremainssustainable,theindicatorscanbeassignedasfollows:

ecological and sociocultural compatibility: landscape utilization (all infrastructural facilities);waterconsumption;trophycollecting,photohuntingandotheractivitiessuchasrafting,climbing,mountainbiking,trekking,birdwatching,etc.(protectedspecies,drivingoutofthereclusivefauna);study, renovationandprotectionofhistoric sites,ordegradation; revivalofhandicrafts:financialdependenceoncartelsorindependentmarketing?;

creation of benefits for conservation areas and/or for the host communities: amountoftouristiccurrency leakage: distribution of operators, increase in import for luxury and consumer items,energycarriers,etc.; verticalandhorizontaldistributionofgrowthinearnings:forwhom:women,men, youths; is the income generated by tourismalso being used locally for nature conservationin the broadest sense, or are they being rededicated locally/nationally: local conservation areaadministration,nationalconservationagency,centralfiscalauthority,localcommunities,NGOs?;isacollectionoffeesandtheirusetransparent?Isthetourist/companybeinginformedofhowfeesaretobeused;

raising consciousness for nature and resource conservation (isthelevelofacceptancefornatureandresourceconservationmeasuresgrowingalongwithtourismdevelopment;aretourists/companiesparticipatinginthepromotionofsustainabletourism:visitorpayback,sponsorships,etc.

Selectionof the indicatorsdependson thedestination’scharacteristicsand the specialemphasiswithinthedevelopmentoftheobjectives.Thekeyindicatorsmayalsodifferbecausetheimportantobjectiveistobringthebenefitsoftourismtoparticularcommunities.InthefollowingchapterCROSTOindicatorsarepresentedasgoodexample.


8.4.1. Example of CROSTO indicators

Themaingoalistopresentasystematicmeasurementandmonitoringoftourismsustainability,whichwasusedinCroatia.ThismethodologyisusedinscientificandprofessionalworkbasedontheWorldTourismOrganization(UNWTO)andtheEuropeanEnvironmentalAgency(EEA)methodologyandrelatedindicatorssystemsproposedbytheEUROSTATandTourismSustainabilityGroup.CroatianEnvironmentalProtectionAgency (EPA) produced a national list of indicators classified into thematic areas formonitoring of thesituationandchanges in theenvironment inCroatia (Ministarstvozaštiteprirode ienergetike;Zavodzazaštituokolišaiprirode;2016).Indicatorsproposedfortourismasthematicareaare:

1. The first step implies establishment of an observatory as a virtual organizational structure. InCroatia, itwasunder themanagementof theCroatian Institute forTourism.Theobservatory isincharge formeasurementandmonitoring tourismsustainability in themost tourismdevelopedregions.InCroatia,thisregionisunderthehighestimpactofthe‘sunandsea’tourism.ThemaingoalistoapplytheETISIndicatorSystemforasustainabledestinationmanagement,developedbytheEuropeanCommission.ItwasdecidedtousetheETISduetocountrycompliance,asEUmemberstate,withEUrecommendations.However,sincemanyofETISindicatorsarenotmeasurable,ortherearenodataavailabletobeappliedintheresearch,theCroatianInstitutefortourismintenttofullyadjustETISindicatorstothemandatorysustainabilityissuesselectedbytheUNWTO.

2. The second stepisaimedatpromotingtheapplicationofETISamonglocalcommunities(touristdestinations).ThemaingoalistosuccessfullyfostertheapplianceofETISatmunicipallevel.Ithastobenotedthatitalsodependsoncooperationofallrelevantstakeholders.

3. The third and the final step involve aspiration to transfer into a regional monitoring centrecoordinatingmany local observatories, all of them applying ETIS formeasuring andmonitoringtourismsustainabilityinitsownlocaljurisdictions.Inthatregard,theInstitutefortourism(CROSTOPreliminaryReport,2016)intendtoapplyasmanyaspossibleofthenineETISindicatorsthatfullycover8outof9mandatoryissuesselectedbytheUNWTO.ThelistoftheUNWTOmandatoryissuesandcorrespondingETISindicatorsareshowninTab.2.

ThiscouldalsobeapatterntofollowbyCEETOPAmanagementandstakeholdersintheirfuturemonitoringactivities.

Tourismarrivals

Touristnights

Shareoftouristsoncruiseships

NumberofvisitorstoNationslparks

Tourismidentity

Tourismandspace

Wateruseintourism

Productionofmunicipalwasteinstationarytourism


UNWTO mandatory issue

Corresponding ETIS issueCorresponding ETIS indicators

ETIS selection ETIS criterion

Localsatisfactionwithtourism

CSocialandculturalimpact

C.1Community/socialimpact

C.1.2Percentageofresidentwhoaresatisfiedwithtourisminthedestination(permonth/season)

Destinationeconomicbenefits

BEconomicvalue

B.1Tourismflow(volumeandvalue)atdestination

B.1.1Numberoftourist’snights

B.1.4Dailyspendingperover-nighttourist

Employment B.3Quantityandquali-tyemployment

B.3.1Directtourismemploy-mentaspercentageoftotalemploymentinthedestination

Tourismseasonality B.2Tourismenter-prise(s)performance

B.2.2Occupancyrateincom-mercialaccommodationpermonthandaveragefortheyear

Energymanagement

DEnvironmentalim-pact

D.6Energyusage

D.6.1Energyconsumptionpertouristnightcomparedtogeneralpopulationenergycon-sumptionperresidentnight

Watermanagement D.5Watermanage-ment

D.5.1Waterconsumptionpertouristnightcomparedtogeneralpopulationwatercon-sumptionperresidentnight

Sewagetreatment D.4Sewagetreatment

D.4.1Percentageofsewagefromthedestinationtreatedtoatleastsecondarylevelpriortodischarge

Solidwastemanage-ment

D.3Solidwasteman-agement

D.3.1Wasteproductionpertouristnightcomparedtogen-eralpopulationwasteproduc-tionperperson(kg)

Tab.2: List of UNWTO mandatory issues and corresponding ETIS indicators.

Institutefortourismalsosupplementtheindicatorlistwithfiveextraindicators.TwoofthemareassociatedwiththelastmandatoryissueselectedbyUNWTO,andthreeofthemareassociatedwiththefourthsectionofETIS.ThoseindicatorsareshowninTab.3.


UNWTO mandatory

issue

UNWTO baseline indicator

ETIS issueETIS indicatorsETIS

selectionETIS

criterion

Developmentcontrol

Existenceoflanduseordevelopmentplanningprocesses,includingtourism

- - -%ofadestinationareasubjecttocontrol(density,design,etc.)

- - A Destination management

A.1 Sustainabletourismpublicpolicy

A.1.1Percentageoftourismenterprises/establishmentinthedestinationduringavoluntarycertification/labellingforenvironmental/quality/sustainabilityand/orcorporatesocialresponsibility

A.2Customersatisfaction

A.1.2.Percentageoftouristandsame-dayvisitorsthataresatisfiedwiththeiroverallexperienceinthedestination

A.2.2.Percentageofrepeat/returnvisitors(within5years)

Tab.3: List of supplemental indicators covering the ninth UNWTO mandatory issue and the fourth ETIS section.

8.5. Final conclusions and recommendations

InlightoftheexperiencesoftheCEETOprojectactionandevaluation,inparticular,ofthestrengthandopportunitiesobservedintheevaluationofthePilotActionspromotedbytheProtectedAreas,thisfinalsub-chapterintendstooffersomeideasforpolicymakers,withtheaimofstrengtheningtheirabilityto:

define,developandimplementterritorialpolicies;

monitortheachievedresults;

revisethesamepoliciesinordertooptimizetheireffectiveness.

Sustainable Tourism Development RecommendationsAdoption of a holistic and inclusive approach in thedevelopmentof sustainable tourismpolicies inProtectedAreas,which:

considers thesetofpublicandprivatestakeholders involvedandtherelatedeconomic,social,culturalandterritorialinterdependencies;

encouragescollaborationbetweenthesamesubjectsandtheManagementBodyoftheProtectedArea,withaviewtostrengtheningsynergiesandminimizingformsofcompetitioninconsistentwiththeobjectivesofsharedandsustainablegrowth;


takesintoaccountthesystemeffectsgeneratedbytheactionofeachstakeholder,withparticularreferencetoeconomiesofscaleandlearning;

involvesthevarioussubjectsintheidentificationanddevelopmentoflocalpolicies,accordingtoaparticipatorylogic.

Adoption of a long-term development perspective,whichintegratesatwo-year(short-term)andfive-year(medium-term)visionwithinterventionhorizonsofmorethantenyears.

Clear identification of the elements of local criticalities,ofthegrowthobjectivesandoftheresultsachievedwiththedevelopmentactivitiespromotedintheProtectedArea.

Commitment to a constant improvement of sustainable development policies and adoption of anadaptivemanagementapproachthrough:

theobservationoftheevidencesthatemergedinthepreliminarytestphases;

theevaluationoftheresultsobtainedintheshortandmediumterm;

theincentiveforformsoflifelonglearningbytheManagementBodiesoftheProtectedAreas.

Promotion of a learning culture fortheProtectedAreaspoliciesandthegovernancepracticesbasedonmechanisms, tools andpartnerships thatpromotea continuous collaborative training anda cross-fertilizationofexperience.

Integrationofmomentsofsystematic evaluation of the effectivenessofthedevelopmentpolicieswithinthedecision-makingprocess.

Taking a neutral and external view of the policies adopted and the possibilities of their effectiveimplementationintheProtectedArea,inlightofthebestpracticesobservedintheinternational,nationalandregionalfieldsandthespecificdirect,indirectandinducedimpacts.

Consideration and respect for the national and international strategic objectives within which thedevelopmentplanisplaced.

Encouragement of a flexible and creative approach to development, available to question themost widespread and consolidated forms of intervention in favour of innovative practices and theexperimentationofnewplanningideas.

Definition of the needs of financial and human resourcesfortheimplementationofthedevelopmentplan.

Guarantee that the financial and human resourcesassignedtothemanagementofProtectedAreasare adequatewithrespecttothestatedobjectivesandplans.

Promotion of the financial, economic, and social sustainability of the development actions of theProtectedAreas.

Cleardefinition of the levels and roles of responsibilityfortheimplementationofthedevelopmentplan.


Promotion of periodic reports on the performanceofProtectedAreasbyManagingBodiesandsharingwithstakeholders.

Evaluation of the performanceoftheProtectedAreas,oftherelativedecisionmakersandofthestaffworkinginandawardingofrewardsinlinewiththequalityoftheresultsachieved.

Definitionofacommunication plan of the local development linesaddressedtotheterritory,publicandprivatestakeholders,thepersonnelinvolvedinthemanagementofProtectedAreas,visitorsandtourists.

Incentiveforprojectsaimedatimproving the accessibilitytoProtectedAreasthroughthecreationofconditionsofautonomyfortheParkAuthorityinthedefinitionoftheinternaltransportserviceanditsmanagementor,alternatively,thatisiftheserviceispromotedby:

awider network of public and/or private subjects, inwhich the Park participateswith a non-decisivedecision-makingrole;

aPublicAdministrationotherthanthePark,inindependenttermsandasalocalpublictransportservicewithinitsterritory;

thelegislativeandfinancialsupportforthepreliminarystipulationofagreementsthatbindthepartiesinvolvedtotheeffectivecreationoftheconnections,inordertostemtheconsequencesofunfavourablepoliticaldynamics(forexample,thechangeinconsensusontheprojectfollowingelections);

thefacilitationoffreeloanagreementswiththeownersofthelandnexttotheshuttlestopsandnotused,forthepurposeoftheirdestinationatcarparks;

thefacilitationoftariffintegrationagreementsbetweenpublictransportandparkingservices;

publicgrantsortaxreliefonthepurchaseofeco-sustainableshuttles(inparticular,electric)ande-bikes;

thefinancialsupportforthebudgetof:

à fittingsattheshuttlestoppoints;

à directional signs, thematic signs and tableswith behavioural dispositions along the routesdedicatedtomountainbikesande-bikes;

à thecreationofpathsdedicatedtotrekkingandcyclepaths.

Supportforthedefinitionandtheimplementationofacommon and shared plan among the Protect-ed Areas of competence,inordertoraisethevisitors’awarenessontherespectforlocalnaturalisticexcellences.

From these recommendations it is evident that implementation of sustainable tourism in vulnerableecosystemsandhabitatshastobesupportedbypoliticalbackingandwiththeinvolvementofthediversestakeholders.TheGuidelinesaredesignedtofillaneedinprovidingplanningapproachesfortheintegratedandsustainabledevelopmentoftourisminprotectedareas.

Fromprinciplesandapproachesdescribedinthedocument,thekeyroleisgiventotheprocessofcreatingastrategywithtwokeyelements:participatoryplanningprocessandCEETOmonitoringtools.MonitoringToolsarepresentedthroughthepilotactionsimplementedbyeightprotectedareasinvolvedinCEETOprojectandareapplicabletoanytourismactivitiesanddevelopmentthatmayhaveanimpactonbiodiversityinprotectedareasandtheirsurroundings.

Anotherimportantissueswhiledesigningastrategyisthatitmustbedesignedasadynamictool,boththeCEETOinternalandindependentevaluationshowedthis.Itisimportantthatscenarioswithmonitoringtoolsandactionsbuiltat thebeginning,canbeadapted,adjustedor reinvented, in futureapplicationof thestrategy.Thedefinitionofdevelopmentscenariosmustbearesultofadialogueandcooperationbetweendifferentpartners,orstakeholders.


AnimportantpersonforSloveniangeographyMatjažJeršičwrotethatwiththeestablishmentofvariousprotectedareas,natureanditsvalueshavebeenpreservednotonlyforfuturegenerations,butalsofortourism28.Sustainabletourismasacceptedconceptualityisthewayofdevelopingsuccessfullybecauseattheonehand,itprotectsnatureandontheother,itpromotestheprosperityoflocalcommunities.Itcanbeagreatopportunitybutalsoagreatthreatifitisnotproperlymanagedandimplemented.Anincreaseintouristicandrecreationalactivitiescancontributetothedegradationofthearea29.Thatiswaypolicymakersareofgreatimportanceandwhyvariousstakeholders’viewmustbetakenintoaccount.

TheAuthorsofthisdocumenthopethattheGuidelineswillbeamechanismforachievingsustainabletourisminprotectedareasandforanactiveandcollaborativeroleofpolicymakersinprotectedareamanagement.

28Jeršič,198529Primožič,2014


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Publication:Published in May 2020 by Regional Development Centre Koper & CEETO Interreg CE Project partners.

Lead authors: �� Koščak Marko, Studio MKA ltd

�� Lapos Peter, NIMFEA

�� Primožič Tina, Regional Development centre Koper

We would like to thank to all those who contributed to this document and to other partners and organizations who were part of the CEETO project.

Front cover: Lago Baccio, Appennino Tosco Emiliano National Park Lago by Mauro Generali

Design/layout: Ben Rajnovič

How to obtain ceeto projet publications:

1. CEETO HANDBOOK - successful and innovative practices on sustainable tourism

2. CEETO GUIDELINES – HOW TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN PROTECTED AREAS

3. CEETO MANUAL – How to implement a sustainable governance of tourism in protected areas

All publications are available to download in different languages on the CEETO website and CEETO Network Platform.

https://www.interreg-central.eu/Content.Node/CEETO.html

https://ceeto-network.eu/home/

Emilia-Romagna Region - Protected Areas, Forestry and Mountains Development Department (IT)

Federparchi - The Italian Federation of Parks and Nature Reserves - EUROPARC Italy (IT)

EUROPARC Federation (DE)

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Salzburger Lungau (AT)

Soelktaeler Nature Park (AT)

NIMFEA Environment and Nature Conservation Association (HU)

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Southeast RLlgen (DE)

Public institution Nature Park Medvednica (HR)

WWF ADRIA - Association for Nature Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (HR)

Regional development center Koper (SI)

Public institute Landscape Park Strunjan (SI)

CENTRAL EUROPE ECO-TOURISM:TOOLS FOR NATURE PROTECTION

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