"A NETWORK OF EUROPEAN WETLANDS"

Leader

DELTA 2000

Role of DELTA 2000

Leader partner

Partner

Lag Oglio-Po Terre d'Acqua (I); Lag Aktiivinen Pohjois-Satakunta ry (FIN); LagDimossineteristiki Evros S.A (GB)

Period

2004-2006

Reference programme

PAL LEADER+ Section 2.1.2 Trans-national cooperation

Objectives

• promotion and marketing of wetland areas as tourist destination
• diversification of the offer of nature tourism through new, environment-friendly tourist offers (birdwatching, fishing tourism, cycling tours, etc.)
• awareness-raising of local tour operators towards the economic potential of the sustainable use of wetlands
• promotion of the natural heritage of partner regions, in order to improve knowledge and encourage respect for the environment and its peculiarities
• creation of a network for the exchange of experiences and the joint promotion and marketing of the regions involved. Exchange of views on protection and valorisation of resources. Development of new expertise and professional figures related to nature tourism. Transfer of know-how and good practices, in order to adopt common methods in solving possible issues and favour a regular exchange of information on current projects and their results, as well as to develop new cooperation projects
• introduction of wetland areas on the international market of tourism.

Activities

1. Project Committee
2. Publication of joint promotional material
3. Creation of a newsletter and a web site
4. Organisation of international events on nature tourism and birdwatching and implementation of actions related to nature tourism in the partner regions

Integration with other projects

Integration with the project INTERREG III B CADSES "Wetlands II: Integrated Management of Wetlands - follow up", led by the Board of the Po Delta Park of the Region Veneto, in cooperation with the Po Delta Park of the Region Emilia Romagna

Progress

Module 1:

• Appointment of the Technical Coordination Committee for the management of the project during the first coordination meeting held in Comacchio on April 29th 2004 at the Offices of the Po Delta Park in the framework of the first "International Po Delta Birdwatching Fair"
• Supervision and coordination of the project. We set the deadlines for the implementation of the project with reference to the financing terms and the deadlines of the partner LAGs
• Drawing up of an operational plan for the implementation of the actions envisaged by the project – analytical operational plan, deadlines and investments

• we defined a joint logo for the network
• we drew up an information form and distributed it to the partners, in order to collect all the material needed for joint promotion, newsletter and web site.

• in 2004 the LAG DELTA 2000 organised the first "International Po Delta Birdwatching Fair" with the participation of the partners
• participation of the project partners in the first "International Po Delta Birdwatching Fair"
• participation of the LAG AKTIIVINEN POHJOIS – SATAKUNTA RY in the organisation of an international contest of nature painting entitled "LUONTO". The aim is to work together at raising young people’s awareness about nature and the environment. The contest is also a way to help people discover different cultures, peoples, countries and traditions, who have a common goal, i.e. the protection of nature. The LAG DELTA 2000 participated in the initiative collecting 94 paintings
• drawing up of the project sheet for the enlargement of the network and the cooperation agreement for new members. The project proposal has been sent to the mailing list of the LAGs at European level and to the national leading networks by the leader LAG. A call for expression of interest is currently under way.
• with reference to the pilot project for a single route system, in September 2005 the LAG Oglio-Po Terre d’Acqua completed the itineraries for wetland areas with preferential access and boards describing the landscape
• the LAG Oglio-Po Terre d’Acqua took a bird census

Results

a) The first International Po Delta Birdwatching Fair registered the following figures:

• 124 exhibitors
• 2500 visitors
• 90 journalists
• 8 TO from UK, CH, D, NL, DK participated in an educational tour and visited the facilities of the region
• 4 congresses on wetland management, tourism, trans-national cooperation, waterfowl
• 3 presentations of nature tourism guides (birdwatching guide for the Po Delta in Emilia Romagna and cycling tour map of the Po Delta in Emilia Romagna) and a study on the Great Delta

b) The LAG DELTA 2000 collected 94 paintings for the international contest on nature painting "LUONTO" (we are awaiting the data of the LAG AKTIIVINEN POHJOIS – SATAKUNTA RY)

Publications

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