Asnāte Ziemele, president

LIFE07 ENV/LV/000981 Kick-off Meeting, 2.03.2009, Helsinki

Project title and/or acronym: «POLPROP-NATURA»

PROJECT LOCATION: Latvia (demo in the Slītere National park)

BUDGET INFO:

Total amount: EUR 501.535

50 % EC Co-funding: EUR 244.900

PROJECT’S IMPLEMENTORS:

Coordinating Beneficiary: LCTA “Lauku Ceļotājs”

Associated Beneficiary: ECEAT - projects

DURATION: Start: 01/02/09 - End: 31/01/12

Asnāte Ziemele, president

LIFE07 ENV/LV/000981 Kick-off Meeting, 2.03.2009, Helsinki

BACKGROUND and AIMS:Background:- protected nature sites suffer from intensive degradation and anthropogenous load - the need to specify, monitor and solve the negative environmental impact from tourism- lack of long-term approach to sustainable tourism development in protected nature areas- need for balance between tourism an nature protection needs

Aims:•To impact tourism development and nature protection policies at all stakeholder levels, directing towards implementation of sustainability principles in practice•To implement, test and demonstrate a sustainable tourism management model of a Natura 2000 site (the Slītere National Park)•To raise positive awareness of Natura 2000 in local stakeholders and general public in Europe

MAIN EU POLICY(IES) TARGETED:•The EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) of 21 May 1992•The Council Directive 79/409/EC of 2 April 1979

Asnāte Ziemele, president

LIFE07 ENV/LV/000981 Kick-off Meeting, 2.03.2009, Helsinki

MAIN ACTIVITIES: • Design 5 sustainable tourism products in the Slītere NP• Develop methodology for monitoring the dynamics of tourism environmental,

social and economical impacts in the Slītere NP establishing a model for sustainable tourism management

• Develop a guide to 14 national parks in the Baltic States of sustainable nature based tourism products

• Promote Natura 2000 products for European tour operators • Develop the manual on best practices on integration of tourism and nature

protection in Europe• Organize a communication and dissemination campagne on nature and

tourism in the Natura 2000 sites (Latvia – Baltics - Europe) • To draft recommendations for national policy documents to balance sustainable

tourism development and environmental protection needs enabling Natura 2000 as an opportunity and an advantage.

EXPECTED RESULTS:1. Environment and sustainable tourism policy proposal document for

LV2. Sustainable tourism management model of a Natura 2000 site3. Positive awareness of Natura 2000 among all target groups