I couldn't resist not to share with you my latest travel experience under the DestiMED Plus programme. For those of you who are not aware of this, DestiMED Plus is an Interreg Med Programme for sustainable tourism, aiming to improve integration between regional tourism and conservation policies in Mediterranean protected areas. A susta...
By looking at ecotourism efforts around the world, there is continuous change: some best ecotourism practices fail to keep their status, or are even suspended after a period of time; other ecotourism practices appear, some of them reaching high standards. "Ecotourism in Protected Areas, A literature Review" on the ecoclub.com papers session is a conceptual paper based on our presentations in lectures, workshops and conferences for ecotourism and protected areas, in the last 10 years. The paper offers a better understanding of ecotourism, viewed as a continuously evolving process in the context of the particular environmental, social, cultural, economic, political and technological features of each area, which may change with time. Finding the right, dynamic balance, which can differ from case to case, is the key for proper ecotourism development in protected areas. Read the article here: https://ecoclub.com/library/epapers/38.pdf
Throughout Europe the 'Natura 2000' network of protected areas, created with the aim of conserving natural habitats, flora and fauna and in particular wild birds, is considered a blessing: Natura 2000 areas constitute an institutional, legal and funding framework which helps local communities and local governments attain a high standard of living through environmental and cultural conservation using democratic methods and without depending on the intentions and plans of central governments. Two other useful methodologies/tools are the White Paper on European Governance (2001) and Local Agenda 21, which when combined with a well-functioning Natura 2000 area which has a managing body and a management plan they can bring sustainability and success to local communities. The White Paper on European Governance proposes the following key principles: Openness, Participation, Accountability, Effectiveness and Coherence. Local Agenda 21, a horizontal management system, which is followed by 90% of western European municipalities, offers information, communication and networking of citizens with institutions and NGOs, enabling them to be masters of their lives. However, in Greece, even before the fiscal crisis, most of the above had proven to be a paper exercise (and not just in Natura areas) and thus the blessing of Natura 2000 turned into a...