The webinar "Active Tourism and Protected Areas: Driving Change Together" brought together representatives from various protected natural areas to exchange knowledge on tourism management and the conservation of natural heritage. In addition to Alta Garrotxa, the Medes Islands Marine Reserve also participated.
Alta Garrotxa presented the paper "Working Together to Protect Alta Garrotxa Canyons: When Partnership Becomes Conservation", focusing on collaboration with the Catalan Caving Federation to protect canyons and regulate leisure activities. The role of the ECST as a multi-level governance instrument facilitating cooperation between administrations, entities, and the private sector, transforming strategic objectives into concrete actions, was emphasized.
It was explained how coordination spaces linked to the ECST have enabled the development of proposals for leisure management, some of which have been incorporated into the Alta Garrotxa Protection Plan, promoted by the Generalitat de Catalunya. The Medes Islands Marine Reserve, represented by Carme Vélez Casellas, presented its collaboration with ECST-accredited companies and guides to advance towards more sustainable tourism.
During the debate, future challenges were addressed, such as the effects of climate change, drought, emergency management, and the need to reconcile tourism uses with the needs of local communities. The exchange of experiences was considered enriching for rethinking strategies in the face of increasingly complex challenges.
Participation in this international meeting served to showcase the work of Alta Garrotxa and underscore the importance of governance, coordination between administrations, and collaboration with territorial stakeholders for nature conservation.
The webinar can be viewed via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yAcGfkmnyE. The Consortium thanks EUROPARC Federation for the invitation and the opportunity for exchange.
