The EU initiative ADAPT

Proposes in the ADAPT comunities initiatives

Introduction
the integrated tourist offer in the area of municipalities of Oliena and Orgosolo (Gennargentu National Park)
Aromatic and medicinal plants (Gennargentu National Park)
Innovative and sustainable olive-growing (National park of the Cilento and Vallo di Diano)
Green tourism operator (National park of the Cilento and Vallo di Diano)
The historical centers in the park : a tourist resource (Pollino National Park ,Calabrian side)
Green tourism operator (Pollino National Park, Lucanian side)
Tourist operator in the widespread hospitality project (Aspromonte National Park)
The WWF-CRAS training proposal


n 1996, in the framework of the EU initiative ADAPT, the WWF Italy, in collaboration with the European Union, the Italian Ministry of Labour and the ISFOL, started the project "Protected Areas: the Environment, from a Restriction to an Opportunity for Development".
This initiative was implemented in four Italian national parks: Cilento–Vallo di Diano (region of Campania), Pollino (the side in the regions of Basilicata and Calabria), Aspromonte (region of Calabria) and the Gennargentu National Park (region of Sardinia) in collaboration with two transnational partners: Eures (Germany) and Cre Entreprendre (France). The CRAS (Centro Ricerche Affari Sociali – social affairs research center) was the WWF’s technical partner.

The purpose of the project is to show how the bigger restrictions in the protected areas can in reality become new opportunities for development and creation of new jobs and to show that the participation of the local communities, the involvement of young people and the agreement with some local institutions can play a fundamental role for the success of the initiative.
The intervention was implemented with a bottom-up approach and involved a group of different subjects working for public and private bodies (Regions, Provinces, Municipalities, Mountain Communities, Environmental Associations, Private Companies, Labour Agencies, etc.). It foresaw the integration of the action methods, according to a horizontal scheme. Therefore, the economical, social and environmental operators interact between them in a system where they are, at the same time, promoters and users of the process.

 








The WWF-CRAS Adapt project was structured in two general stages and the bottom-up approach was applied through:

  • Identification of sustainable development opportunities in the park areas;
  • Implementation of these ideas through training and help for companies.

In every area involved in the process, a socio-economical analysis was carried out to highlight the emergent economical sectors at a local level, an analysis of the training needs within the sectors highlighted and the organization of 7 job training courses of 200 hours, addressed to local operators – 5 of them working in the tourist sector – for the creation of networks with the operators working in the area and for the improvement of the economical capabilities of the local companies and agricultural activities (sustainable olive-growing and cultivation of medicinal plants).
In the following pages, the results achieved in the National Parks involved in this initiative are presented.

 

The EU initiative ADAPT - Introduction tourist offer