Tourism and biodiversity in Central Eastern Europe: Project information

Project website: www.tourism4nature.org

Duration: April 2005 - May 2008

Project goals:

• Developing of tourism management plans

• Creating of strategies which combine sustainable tourism development and biodiversity conservation

• Supporting of trans-boundary cooperation between the protected areas in issues involving tourism and conservation

• Facilitating a consultative process with key stakeholders (in the public and private sectors) to ensure their active participation and influence in the development of public policies for sustainable tourism development

Brief project description:

The overall goal of this project was to promote the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity through the development and implementation of sustainable tourism practices in the Biosphere Reserves Aggtelek (Hungary), Babia Gora (Poland) and Sumava (Czech Republic). This has been achieved through the development of new and innovative management systems with a special focus on tourism-related uses of these sites. Following the development and implementation of awareness raising and capacity building systems, a great number of tourism initiatives and activities have ensured the distribution of returns for conservation purposes as well as to local stakeholders. These initiatives were consistent with the conservation and sustainable use of vulnerable mountain ecosystem biodiversity by using the UNEP/CBD International Guidelines for Biodiversity and Tourism Development.

Supported by:

and national, regional and local organisations and institutions.