permaculture

["Michael Miller & Ute Bohnsack" <burrenag@iol.ie>]

Dear April, this might be of interest:
I also have more stuff in German but no time right now to dig it up and
translate. (I've been planting willows today and have neglected my other
work. If the willows grew as fast as deadlines are approaching I'd be
sitting in a jungle...).
Some other time...
UteB


                        THE BULLETIN
The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe
                Volume 4, Number1, Spring 1994
 
ECEAT PROMOTES SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
The European Center for Ecological Agriculture and Tourism
(ECEAT) is encouraging sustainable tourism by organizing
holidays on organic farms in Central and Eastern Europe. This
summer European tourists will have the opportunity to camp or
lodge on an ecological farm in nearly every country of the
Region. This project was initiated by farmers themselves, and
ECEAT is supporting it because it is a good opportunity to
financially support ecological farms and to raise public
awareness. Not only is ECEAT organizing relaxing holidays for
tourists, but it is also making farmers aware of opportunities
for ecological agriculture, rural development, and nature
conservation.
ECEAT guarantees tourists that tourism and agriculture on
the farms are sustainable. It cooperates closely with local
governments and with local farmers, making sure they reinvest
any profit into the development of their farms.
In many countries of the Region, these "organic farm
holidays" are setting standards for the development of rural
tourism because they are the first initiative of this kind. And
they are quite successful. Based on last year's program ECEAT
reports, "Responses from the tourists showed that in particular,
the quiet, clean environment and the personal contact with East
Europeans was highly appreciated. The farmers particularly
appreciated the cultural exchange and the substantial increases
in their incomes." ECEAT provides guides of the 40 to 70 farms
per country.
CONTACT: ECEAT, Postbox 10899, 1001 EW Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, tel: (31-20) 668-1030, fax: (31-20) 665-0166

Info: 
eceat.de@ipn-b.comlink.apc.org (their email address)
from December 1997 (hopefully): www.eceat.org
now: www.grueneliga.de
----------------

ECOTOURISM GROWING IN ALBANIA
About 40 people took part in the "Ecotourism in Albania"
seminar held in Durres, Albania from 17 to 20 February. The
seminar focused on three topics relating to ecotourism in
Albania: classifying the criteria for the development of future
ecological tourism, discussing the German Okologischer Tourismus
Europa's (OTE) strategy for a sustainable tourism policy, and
evaluating the ecological and tourist potential of some priority
regions for ecotourism, such as the Dajti Mountain and Divjaka-
Karavasta Lagoon. The emphasis of the discussion was on
practical activities, such as how to set up pilot projects, how
to reduce the number of tourists in sensitive areas, and how
NGOs can contribute to these activities.
About 40 people participated in the seminar. They included
members of the Society for the Protection and Preservation of
the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) and other Albanian
environmental organizations, and others from Germany, the
Netherlands, Hungary, England, and Bulgaria. The seminar was
supported by ÖTE-DNR (Deutscher Naturschutzring).
The events over the three days included watching a film
about the tourist potential of different parts of Albania, a
presentation by the foreign participants where they spoke about
their experiences in developing ecotourism in Central and
Eastern Europe, and an excursion to the Karavasta Lagoon and
Divjaka National Park which are important ecotourism zones.
The seminar ended with the participants deciding to set up
a resolution about all the questions discussed during the three
days. It will be submitted to the Albanian government and other
international institutions and NGOs.
CONTACT: Irena Sherameti, Protection and Preservation of
Natural Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Tirana
University, Tirana, Albania, tel: (355-42) 25454, fax: (355-42)
26961