Discussions | CEETO NETWORK

INVITATION to the EU Regions Week talk ˝Socioeconomic effects of the pandemic on central Europe & why transnational cooperation is central to become more resilient˝, 14 October, 14:30 - 15:00 CET

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life as we know it. The acute health crisis continues and negative socioeconomic consequences are fast beginning to show. More cooperation among central European regions and cities will be needed in the next years to become more resilient together.

You are invited to register before 27 September for the talk session at the fully virtual #EURegionsWeek 2020 to hear more and discuss:

> How the pandemic affected central Europe and why cooperation is central in a “new normal”

> Which key challenges need to be addressed and funded by the next Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme in view of the COVID-19 aftermath

The whole session will last no longer than 30 minutes.

Registration at: https://europa.eu/regions-and-cities/programme/sessions/1170_en   

CEETO Project end - Outputs and Dissemination Events

The month of May 2020, as final month of the CEETO Project, was particularly fruitful from both the production of outputs and the dissemination of their results.

In addition to the Final Conference (of which you can find all the material in the dedicated section of the Platform link), the 8th of May saw the presentation of a Webinar (addressed to policy makers and Protected Areas management bodies) organized by Europarc. During the Webinar, in addition to a quick escursus on the objectives and outputs of the CEETO project and some examples of the Pilot Actions on Sustainable Tourism, implemented by Ente Parchi Emilia Centrale - Regione Emilia Romagna (Italy) and Landscape Park of Struniano (Slovenia), two of the main outputs of the Project were presented:  The Guidelines for Policy Makers (produced by RRC Koper) and the Manual for PA Managers (produced by WWF Adria).

To review the event presentations and the video of the event (in English), this is the link.

To access the last project documents, you can go to the relevant pages of the official website:

• Guidelines for Policy Makers;
• Manual for PA Managers;
• Guidelines for PA Managers to work with Tour Operators;

or go to the "Documents" section of the platform - CEETO Documents => Sustainable Tourism => How To.

Further, after the Final Conference, several dissemination events were organised in each of the 5 local languages of the project partners. These events were also rich in content, with contributions from outside the CEETO Project and both technical and institutional interventions.

Some of these events were recorded and can be attended at any time:

- Webinar in ITALIAN;

Webinar on Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas: from design to implementation – the experience of CEETO project

The Central Europe Eco-Tourism: tools for nature protection (CEETO) Interreg project ran for three years, to test innovative governance models for tourism development in Protected Areas.  Integrating environmental, social and economic aspects, several solutions were implemented in protected areas in Austria, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy, with the aim to make tourism a real driver for nature protection and local economic and social well-being.

In this webinar, jointly organized between EUROPARC Federation and CEETO Interreg CE project, we will hear some of the best examples of the project implementation, and get access to relevant tools for Protected Area Managers and policy-makers to design and implement Sustainable Tourism Strategies in Protected Areas.

For the registration to the webinar follow this LINK.

More about the webinar is available HERE. 

CEETO Final Conference to be held on 14 May 2020 online via Zoom

Due to the current situation, the conference will be held online on 14 May 2020 (starting at 9:30 UTC/GMT+2), via Zoom (www.zoom.us).

The Conference will be organized by the Sölktäler Nature Park Managing Authority and moderated by Mr. Christian Baumgartner, Vice President of CIPRA International.

During the conference, CEETO main outcomes will be presented by CEETO project partners. Different perspectives on the development of sustainable tourism will be discussed during panel sessions with international speakers, Mrs. Carol Ritchie (Europarc Federation) and Mr. Marco Katzenberger (Federparchi).

Conference speakers are: Mr. Christian Baumgartner (CIPRA International/CIPRA Austria), Mr. Herbert Wölger (National Park Gesäuse), Mr. Maurizio Davolio (aitr.org), Marko Koscak (Studio MKA d.o.o), Mrs. Carol Ritchie (Europarc Federation).

CEETO Final Conference Programme and a Guide for using the Zoom for the online conference (virtual meeting) is available here for download. 

Follow the registration HERE. 

The European environment-state and outlook 2020

Early December this year, the European Environment Agency (EEA) issued the European environment - state and outlook 2020 (SOER 2020). It is stated that Europe will not achieve its 2030 goals without urgent action during the next 10 years to address the alarming rate of biodiversity loss, increasing impacts of climate change and the overconsumption of natural resources. ˝The focus now must be on scaling up, speeding up, streamlining and implementing the many solutions and innovations - both technological and social - which already exist, while stimulating additional research and development, catalysing behavioural shifts and, vitally, listening to and engaging with citizens.˝ 

Ente Parchi Emilia Centrale, ready for the ECST application

70 projects complete the dossier with which the Park Authority will present to Europe its application for the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in the Protected Areas of Central Emilia.

The final plenary forum (Rubiera - Modena - Italy - 04/12/2019) marked the end of the process started by Ente Parchi Emilia Centrale last April to obtain the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST), a certification recognised at continental level and supported by Europarc and Federparchi.

The idea of starting the application process started with the participation of the Management Authority in the European project CEETO, of which the Emilia-Romagna Region is the leading partner and within which the Park Authority has prepared, for some protected areas of its territory, a five-year Action Plan and implemented two Pilot Actions for the knowledge and a more sustainable management of tourism flows.

Central Emilia is the first "macro-area" of the Emilia-Romagna region to apply for certification for all its 8 protected areas located between the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia, which thus start, along with their territories, to obtain the important recognition and to be included among the destinations of excellence at European level.

In recent months, dozens of public and private stakeholders have taken part in the candidacy process, working in a vast territory that embraces very different environments and "kind of tourisms".

Municipal administrations, cultural and sports associations, entrepreneurs and tourism operators, promotion offices and destinations management organizations (DMOs), environmental and excursion guides, training and category bodies have been the protagonists of a proactive discussion both among themselves and with the Parks Authority. A step-by-step process that began with a shared analysis of the opportunities to be seized, useful for defining a common strategy and outlining concrete objectives to be achieved in the next five years, through an Action Plan (including those prepared within the framework of the CEETO Project), which includes no less than 70 initiatives and projects (for a total of about 12 million € of investment) carried out not only by the Managing Authority but also, and above all, by the subjects who participated in the process.

The final forum was the moment of approval (in the photo) and subscription of the actions that constitute the heart of the " application dossier ", already sent to the examination of the commission of Europarc.

The EC study ˝European tourism: recent developments and future challenges˝

Recently issued study ˝European tourism: recent developments and future challenges˝ provides an overview of the current state of affairs in European tourism, considering the latest developments, identifying future challenges and emerging opportunities. It draws a number of conclusions and makes recommendations at an EU policy level that will support the sustainable development of the sector.

Some recommendations extracted from the study: develop strategies for tourists to be more environmentally sustainable and socially respectful when traveling; invest in sustainable transport infrastructure; the EU to take the lead in promoting the development and use of new technologies; emphasis on providing the skills, both for the existing and future workforces; ensure that citizens groups have direct channels to the decision making process and are appropriately resourced so that they are enabled in this process.

˝The School Network in Protected Areas-Guidebook for Protected Areas and Schools˝-regional educational program in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia.

Within the project "Protected Areas for Nature and People˝, WWF Adria and Park Dinarides recently developed a Guidebook: ˝The School Network in Protected Areas-Guidebook for Protected Areas and Schools˝. The Guidebook is created for Protected Areas managers who want to work together with local teachers to develop educational programs or improve existing ones, and for schools that are interested in conducting their school curricula in the amazing environments of Protected Areas. In the chapters Learning about nature through play and Educational Activities and Critical Thinking is explained how to develop educational activities and in Annex 1 - Learning about nature through play - Description of activities are provided detailed explanations of examples of activities.

School Networks aims to create long-term and efficient partnerships between local schools and a Protected Area that is bound by the common goal of preserving local natural and cultural heritage in a way that contributes to the wellbeing of the local community.

The Guidebook is available in English.

CEETO project to establish an innovative governance system for sustainable tourism in protected and NATURA 2000 areas