Nature Guardians: Active Citizens for Sustainable Management and Preservation of Protected Areas
The proposed project corresponds to a constant need, that of citizens’ participation in environmental preservation, especially in territories that have been designated as protected areas due to their significant ecological value.
The management of these areas is the key of their preservation and consequently the participation of citizens in management decisions that concern protected areas constitute an undoubted right and obligation, not only of the inhabitants of these territories, but also of the visiting ecotourists and of environmental NGO that are active in them.
In this context, Greek Ecotourism Society (EL.ET.OIK.), aims to offer a free and easily accessible “forum” to encourage the activation of citizens’ participation in decisions for the management and the preservation of protected areas. The activities of the project include:
- Set up of an online platform for citizens and NGOs (directly linked to the website of ELETOIK) to bring together all interested parties, to register their observations and proposals for the improvement of the protection of an area, so that the local Management Unit of the Protected Area will shape their decisions accordingly. The platform will allow space for online discussions with the local Management Unit. The effectiveness of the platform will be evaluated in a pilot application in a protected area.
- Organise a day conference, inviting environmental NGOs, and public authorities with responsibilities for the protected areas, to discuss public participation in decisions that concern protected areas and improvement of the methods used.
- Create a brief Guide for the participation of citizens in decisions concerning the management and protection of protected areas. The Guide will be uploaded in the platform, and will be freely available as training material for public participation and the use of the platform.
The above activities ae expected to help the start of a wider effort to involve citizens in the management and preservation of protected areas, including those who live and work in the areas or visit the areas as ecotourists.
