Description
Three partner protected areas (Secovlje Salina Nature park and Landscape park Strunjan from Slovenia and Jotunheimen National Park from Norway) with various problems caused by motorized visit (road, sea and air) meet in the project. Secovlje Salina Nature park will become the first Slovenian nature park where no motorized access for visitors will be allowed. Experiences from visits to Norway are the use of off-road vehicles and helicopters, while the Slovenian partner has extensive problems with too many cars in the park. The project aims to conserve nature through offering sight-seeing in an environmentally acceptable manner. Goals will be achieved through construction of environmentally friendly visitor infrastructure, ''learning by doing'' activities, including exchange of experience and studying best practice models of sustainable visitation. Supportive activities include monitoring of the impact of visitors, preparation of alternative solutions for traffic and visitation of the parks, raising awareness activities and purchase of environmentally friendly vehicles.
Summary of project results
Project aimed at establishing system of environmentally friendly visitation of the Secovlje Salina Nature Park, Slovenia. It provided the necessary infrastructure and equipment and enabled effective promotion tools to make the concept of visitation of the area without using motorised access implemented in practice. The beneficiary of the project will, together with resources provided by the relevant Ministry, secure the implementation of the project results in the future. The objective of the project was to contribute to the conservation of nature and related cultural heritage by through reducing negative impacts of motorised access and enabling visitation which is friendly towards nature and people. After the conclusion of the project, Secovlje Salina Nature Park became the first Nature Park in Slovenia where visitation is only possible using environmentally friendly means of transport or by walking and cycling. Several outputs were delivered: - WEB SITE ESTABLISHED - TV VIDEO ABOUT THE PROJECT which displays examples of good practices of restricting motorized and promoting nature-friendly transportation and visitation of the project areas; - 3 PRESS CONFERENCES; - INTERACTIVE CONTENTS FOR RAISING AWARENESS at the main entrance point of the park - INFORMATION BOARDS at the entrances (and at the main infrastructure built) of the three protected areas; - 2 EXCHANGE STUDY VISITS; - MONITORING OF THE IMPACTS OF TRAFFIC AND VISITATION: analysis of visitation patterns, action plan; - STUDY ON ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE DESIGN OF TRAFFIC AND VISITATION IN STRUNJAN LANDSCAPE PARK; - LERA WALKING ROUTE: new walking path enabling safe visitation established; - PICCIA ACCESS ROAD: consolidated section of the road, anti-dust protection added; - FONTANIGGE ACCESS ROAD: consolidated upper layer of the existing road to enable electric train operation; - BICYCLES: 8 bicycles purchased and made available to visitors of Strunjan landscape park; - ELECTRIC TRAIN: electric train purchased and started operating in the Fontanigge area; - ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE VISITATION SECURED - NO VISITOR ENTERING THE PARK WITH MOTOR VEHICLE. The project was designed in a way that the lead partner, having all the needed projects and permissions achieved in advance, received the majority of funding in order to implement activities in practice. Capacity building, sharing of information, raising awareness and promotion were the activities that were undertaken by all the beneficiaries.
Summary of bilateral results
Exchange of information, especially study visits and join work on specific site management problems re the main achievements. In addition, solid partnership has been established between the partners involved which will enable future cooperation in similar and other projects. Bilateral funds were essential to be able to develop functional partnership relationship. Partnership was officially recognised within the project work but was upgraded with informal cooperation. The situation, reflecting the approaches in providing solution to specific management problems differ exceptionally between the two countries involved. But ways and proposed solutions in both countries enabled other partner to better understand the complexity of the problems encountered.