ECST Network Meeting 2024 - EUROPARC Federation

Field trip in Wild Nephin National Park. Picture by Esther Bossink for EUROPARC.

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The 13th edition of the ECST Network Meeting brought together over 100 people from 19 countries in Westport, Mayo County, Ireland from 29 – 31 October, 2024.

Networking in the Wild West of Ireland

Discover the event in pictures:

One year after the last network meeting, European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST) network members, as well as other participants interested in Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas, had the chance to enjoy a 3-day exchange in the ‘Wild West of Ireland’. The event focussed on visitor management in Protected Areas and provided participants with the chance to discover the West Coast of Ireland, with visits to the beautiful Connemara and Wild Nephin National Parks.

There was a numerous Irish delegation, issued from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, co-organisers of the event, and other Irish nature conservation entities, interested in learning more about sustainble tourism management in Protected Areas. Ireland is new to the ECST in Protected Areas. The Burren NP is the first Irish Park already registered to become part of the programme in 2025.

The event was formally opened on Tue 29th November by Catriona Ryan, director of National Parks and Nature Reserves, Robert Coyne, representative of the Mayo County Council and Carol Ritchie, EUROPARC Executive Director, who introduced the five principles of the ECST:

Giving priority to protection
Contributing to sustainable development
Engaging all stakeholders
Planning sustainable tourism effectively
Pursuing continuous improvement

Charter principles, key topics and key actions

Keynote speakers

Irish and Spanish keynote speakers set the stage for discussions on how Sustainable Tourism can be created, and how visitors can be managed. Moderated by William Cormacan from the National Parks & Wildlife Service, participants enjoyed presentations from:

Mary Mulvey. Picture by Esther Bossink for EUROPARC.

Mary Mulvey, from the Board of Directors, Tourism Ireland, who asked the questions if Ireland is finally moving into the fast lane of sustainability. Mary detailed Ireland’s journey from following a strictly ‘growth model’ approach, to a more sustainable path. Download her presentation here.

Beth Cobo, founder of Trescàlia travel agency awarded ECST part 3 presented what Trescàlia is doing to enrich the experience of visitors to the La Garrotxa Nature Park. Here, they created a year-round programme of activities that discover the natural heritage of the area. The promotion and conservation working groups want to promote ecotourism in Garrotxa through understanding, interpretation, and awareness of the region’s nature, culture, history, and landscape. This is especially done in the Protected Areas through guided activities. You can find her presentation here.

Michèle O’Dea. Picture by Esther Bossink for EUROPARC.

Fiona Monaghan, Head of Product Development for Outdoor Activities & Infrastructure, Fáilte Ireland presented how Ireland wants to enhance itself through tourism, both to benefit the development of the country, and the visitor experience. Fiona presented the strategic framework that has been set up to realise this goal, as well as the partnerships that go alongside it. You can download her presentation here.

Michèle O’Dea, Senior Conservation Architect, Irish Office of Public Works, provided an overview of the rich cultural heritage that is scattered across Ireland’s natural heritage:

Places of cultural significance enrich people’s lives, often providing a deep and inspirational sense of connection: to the community; the landscape; to the past and to lived experiences.

Michèle’s talk detailed different restoration projects, and how this work can restore ‘forgotten spaces’ and have them become new places of interest for visitors. The presentation cannot be stored on our website, but can beshared upon request (email at the bottom of this page).

The knowledge is in the room

Apart from our expert keynote speakers, we also had presenters from across the ECST network. We know at EUROPARC that the ‘knowledge is in the room’. Through three open mic sessions, participants could share their experiences:

Open Mic Session #1

Malin & Petter Sandström (SW)- Collaboration among us to share our fantastic Europarc places in Europe – a suggestion
Tit Potočnik (SL) – Quiet zones in Triglav National Park
Jukka Kalervo Siltanen (IS) – Making the visitor flows count locally – current issues in Iceland
Filippo Belisario (IT) – The Sasseto Wood Natural Monument. A balance of interests case study between conservation and sustainable fruition

Open Mic Session #2

Agnese Balandiņa (LV) – Involvement of tourism stakeholders – experiences from the Nordic-Baltic Charter Areas
Andreas Aschaber during his open mic presentation, picture by Esther Bossink for EUROPARC
Mateusz Rogowski (POL)- A method for overtourism optimisation for protected areas
Carol Gleeson & Fiona McKenna (IRL) – The Clare Green Team for Sustainable Tourism Destinations; what it is and how it works.
Cristina Del Favero (IT) IamaGoodTraveller – Awarded Most Innovative Sustainable Tourism Start-Up 2024
John O’Callaghan (IRL) – Croagh Patrick – Ireland’s Holy Mountain – Located close to Westport on the southern shore of Clew Bay: Sustainable Tourism in this much-visited place.

Open Mic Session #3

Mike McLure (N. IRL) – Developing collective thinking in N. Ireland
Lorna Kelly (IRL) – Addressing Challenges in the Wicklow Uplands: Visioning a Future for Recreational Management”.
Andreas Aschaber (AUT)- European Mountaineering Association
Clare Masterson (IRL) – Leave No Trace- Croagh Patrick Ambassador Program
Richard Denman (UK) – Reflections on the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas

Presentations are available upon request (email at the bottom of this page).

Connemara National Park.

Field workshops

To ensure participants could experience Ireland to the fullest, workshops were taking place out in the field! During two days, participants had the opportunity to join three innovative field workshops, in which participants could discuss with their peers challenges the managers of the Wild Nephin and Connemara National Parks are confronted with. These range from issues with infrastructure, overtourism and undertourism, youth engagement and Dark Sky Tourism, to trail management and visitor experience challenges.

To prepare for the field workshops, Eugene Finnerty, Regional Manager at National Parks & Wildlife Service, introduced the Connemara National Park in his presentation. Likewise, Sam Birch, Regional Manager at National Parks & Wildlife Service, presented the Wild Nephin National Park.

Front gate is too late!

Said participant Clare Bromley. This statement underlines just how important it is to ensure visitors arrive at a Protected Area well-informed. There is a lot that can be done, BEFORE visitors arrive at your doorstep.

In reality, it is not at your physical front gate, that people first ‘enter’ your Park. Park websites and social media channels are important in preparing them for their visit. Furthermore, by working together with your “Sustainable Tourism Community” you can ensure that a coherent message is shared that benefits nature and people.

Participants gather at Connemara National Park. Picture by Esther Bossink for EUROPARC.

EUROPARC’s ECST programme helps Protected Areas create the ideal space for that, as it requires Parks to set up a forum with all stakeholders. Ensuring that the Park, nearby accommodation, businesses and tour operators are unified in their messaging can help avoid unpleasant situations that negatively impact visitor experience.

Furthermore, creating appropriate facilities to guide your visitors once they are in the Park is essential for good visitor management. This includes a visitor centre, areas to relax, trail management and signage. When people visit your Park, you are already presented with have a captive audience, so make the most of this! Park entities should have clear strategies of what they want people to take away from their visits, but also how they want people to behave. Facilities should then be geared towards stimulating this desired behaviour.

World Café

The final day of the Conference was dedicated to harvesting the main points of discussion from the field workshops and to further discuss the main topic of the event: Sustainable Tourism & Nature Conservation – the Opportunity and Challenge for Parks. Finding creative solutions to visitor flow. This was done in the form of a World Café. Whilst participants were discussing, local artist Rae Goddard drew the outcomes live on site.

In groups, participants tried to answer if it is time to limit visitor numbers, and if yes, how this could be implemented. Many participants agreed that in high pressure areas, limiting visitors can be a way to create ‘quick wins’ for nature. However, the consensus was that this is easier said than done. Some ideas include:

Often cars and parking is a challenge for Parks. An idea could be to make cars pay, but not visitors: if you come by foot, there is no fee. However, it is important to also think about providing an alternative: cooperating with local transport providers is essential.
Think about seasonality: visitation is not equally strong all year round. Is there a way to spread visitors? Collaborating with local businesses is essential for this to be effective. A collaborative approach can ensure that there are attractive offers in the area in the off-season, and that accommodation and restaurants are open. Furthermore, visitor numbers could only be limited in the high season, but not in the low season, making the latter potentially more attractive for visitors.
The question of fees is ongoing for strongly visited Protected Areas, however, participants noted that this is not necessarily a solution to visitor flow. Highly popular places will not lose their popularity due to a fee. Furthermore, regulations in many Protected Areas prohibit the intake of fees.
If limitations are put in place, communication needs to be excellent. It is essential for the Park’s perception and acceptance within the community that alternative offers, like trails, are provided. Furthermore, reasons for restrictions need to be clearly communicated, especially to the local community.
More green spaces are needed. This is an appeal to policymakers and planners to invest in nature. Especially, an increase in urban green spaces is important as these can serve as buffer zones. This will help take pressure off larger Protected Areas.
Understand who your visitors are. What are their reasons for visiting? Can they be spread out better to meet their needs? Analysing visitor behaviour is the first step to ensure visitor flow is better managed.

Local artist Rae Goddart with her posters drawn live on site.

EUROPARC wants to thank the Irish National Park and Wildlife Service for the great management of this event. This was another step in Ireland’s journey towards sustainable tourism, and we look forward to accompanying the Irish Parks along the way.