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La Gomera – © Kerstin Sundseth foret de Soignes, Brussels – © Kerstin Sundseth visitor centre, Scotland – © Kerstin Sundseth chalk downs, Dorset, UK – © Kerstin Sundseth

About the Project

This project entitled "awareness raising Natura 2000: working with Europe's rural tourism sector" runs for 18 months from January 2007 to July 2008. Co-financed by the EU, the project brings together an innovative partnership of tourism providers and Natura 2000 specialists from 5 countries to raise awareness of Natura 2000 and its implications/potential benefits for rural tourism at the grass roots level.

The actions proposed have been piloted in three very different regions of Europe: Latvia, Andalucia, and 5 areas in Finland. Each region has important areas in Natura 2000 and an already established and expanding rural tourism market, largely based on its natural and cultural values.

The project objectives

The project has 4 main objectives:

  1. To promote a better understanding amongst a cross section of rural tourism providers in the three countries/regions of Europe of what Natura 2000 is and what its implications/benefits could be for them
  2. To raise awareness of Natura 2000 amongst tourists visiting the three project areas
  3. To develop practical tools for rural tourism providers interested in sustainable tourism in and around Natura 2000 sites
  4. To disseminate the results and experiences of the project to a wider audience of rural tourism providers across the EU