DestiMED PLUS project and MEET Network at the IUCN World Conservation Congress Marseille 2021
From left to right: Arnau Texidor, Natalie Beckett (IUCN Mediterranean and MEET Network Secretariat) and Nizar Hani (MEET Network President and Manager at Al Shouf Biosphere Reserve, Lebanon) at IUCN World Conservation Congress Marseille 2021.
Last week MEET Network secretariat and Interreg Med Programme DestiMED PLUS project partner IUCN Med were at the World Conservation Congress in Marseille 2021 sharing their experiences of developing ecotourism that benefits conservation and local communities in Mediterranean protected areas. And the value of measuring and monitoring impacts to ensure tourism product quality and sustainability.
¨“We had a massive increase in visitation, not only in summer. We need to develop a tourist offer, to ensure the quality of the visitor experience - finding strategies for managing overcrowding and using demarketing actions” - François Bland, Director of Parc national des Calanques (MEET Member Park)
The Congress brought together governments, NGOs indigenous peoples, businesses, experts and advocates from across the globe, providing an excellent opportunity for DestiMED PLUS and MEET Network to present, share and discuss its work towards shaping the Mediterranean into a leading ecotourism destination.
Below are short summaries of each event MEET and DestiMED PLUS featured in, along with links to additional information and resources!
Networks and Partnerships in the Mediterranean Region: Building and strengthening Networks & Partnerships
Arnau Teixidor, IUCN Mediterranean and MEET Secretariat presenting at Mediterranean Solutions Stand
In a panel discussion called Networks and Partnerships in the Mediterranean Region on September 6 at the Mediterranean Solutions Stand, Arnau Teixidor, from IUCN Med and MEET Network Secretariat, talked about MEET’s role in shaping the Mediterranean into a leading ecotourism destination and the value of public-private collaboration between the conservation and tourism sectors, giving the example of MEET´s new commercial partnership with Intrepid Travel which was launched earlier this year.
“MEET is finding alliances between conservation and the private tourism sector to drive best practices for sustainable tourism development and management in Med protected areas and inspire wider change,” - Arnau Texidor, Ecosystems Officer, IUCN Mediterranean
Ms Purificacio Canals from MedPAN who moderated and presented at the panel spoke about MedPANs experience of growing a strong network of protected areas and the importance of innovation.
“Innovation is very important when we talk about (protected area) management because the world is changing…and we need to be adapting to this change.” - Purificacio Canals, MedPAN
Other panelists at the event included Ms Asma Kheriji from SPA/RAC and Mr Raphael Billé – Tour du Valat. More information here.
COVID-19 response for community livelihoods, tourism, and protected areas
Fabrizio Santini, Colline Metallifere Tuscan Mining Park presenting at Green List virtual event
¨Showing transparency to our visitors was really important, we did this by measuring the ecological footprint of our ecotourism packages, something which was really appreciated by our tourists¨ - Fabrizio Santini, Colline Metallifere Tuscan Mining Park
On September 5, Arnau Teixidor from IUCN Med and MEET Secretariat and and Fabrizio Santini from MEET member park, Colline Metallifere Tuscan Mining Park, spoke about developing ecotourism in protected areas as a vehicle for covid-19 tourism recovery. The event was organised by the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas.
Watch the Event through this LINK: Recording
Innovative tools and practices to ensure healthy Mediterranean biodiversity and sustainable tourism
On September 6 DestiMED PLUS project was invited to contribute to a virtual workshop organised by the Interreg Med Sustainable Tourism and Biodiversity Protection thematic communities. The workshop focused on sharing tested ecosystem-based tools developed by EU co-funded project projects to support an environmentally aware community of economic actors in the Mediterranean. IUCN Med presented the work achieved by MEET, DestiMED and DestiMED PLUS projects in creating a practical model for sustainable tourism development that ensures protected areas are in the driving seat for ecotourism development in their communities.
Information about event speakers
Capacity Development: Ecotourism in the Mediterranean
On September 4, MEET and IUCN Med, with support from Global Footprint Network, was invited by IUCN’s Program on Africa Protected Areas & Conservation (PAPACO), to participate in the Capacity Development Programme taking place at the Congress.
From left to right, Arnau Teixidor, IUCN Mediterranean and MEET Secretariat and Alessandro Galli, Global Footprint Network (MEET Member organisation) at Capacity Development Stand
The training involved showcasing practical methods for ecotourism product development and tools, including the DestiMED / MEET Ecological Footprint Calculator developed through ENI CBC MEET and DestiMED/DestiMED Plus Interreg Med projects. The event was also an opportunity for discussion and reflection on developing capacities amongst ecotourism stakeholders in protected area destinations and MEET´s experience developing an online training which was launched last year, funded by MAVA Foundation.
Register NOW: MEET Online Training
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