Protected areas and cultural landscapes
The preservation and sustainable development of our national natural landscapes is the goal of protected areas such as national parks, UNESCO biosphere reserves or nature parks. In addition to the protection and development of nature and cultural landscapes, the stakeholders in these areas are also active in the fields of ecologically friendly tourism/local recreation, environmental education/Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and regional development. In 2015, UNESCO created the ‘Global Geoparks’ category, which has similar goals and activities – but with a stronger focus on geological foundations.
We have been supporting protected areas for many years by researching, developing and evaluating their model approaches. In addition, we are involved in the participatory elaboration of development strategies and framework concepts, and provide consultancy services to protected areas.
To conserve our natural and cultural landscapes, one focus of our work is on developing and implementing ‘protection-through-use strategies’ and on the valorisation of historical and cultural landscape features. This goes hand in hand with the promotion of regional value added chains, particularly in the area of environmentally and nature-friendly products and services, as well as the development of tourism, local recreation and educational opportunities. Research, development, implementation and evaluation of appropriate approaches is a central part of our work.
Contact person at IfLS: Dr. Ulrich Gehrlein (gehrlein[at]ifls.de)
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