Conference "The safety of visitors and the role of protected areas" in Rome, Italy
March 20th, Rome – A conference was held on the safety of visitors in protected area with the participation of Federarchi, partner of CEETO project.
In nature, there is no such thing as zero risk. In order to enjoy the parks in complete safety, it is necessary to develop responsible and sustainable tourism with the protection of biodiversity and respect for habitats.
On March 20th in Rome, this topic was discussed at the conference "The safety of visitors and the role of protected areas" sponsored by Federparchi - Europarc Italy. The meeting was an exchange of information, experiences and good practices between experts in the field, managing bodies of protected areas and environmental and trade associations.
During the debate, particular attention was paid to the issue of the responsibility of Protected Areas with respect to third parties and how to ensure the safety of visitors considering that many competences are not attributed to parks.
Giampiero Sammuri, 2nd from the left, during the Conference - Photo by Federparchi
"In nature there is no zero risk - said the president of Federparchi Giampiero Sammuri - the primary task of protected areas is to protect biodiversity. Having said this, it is a priority to raise awareness among visitors on the fact that nature has rules to respect and that in nature there are dangers for which it is necessary to be equipped. We need awareness and respect for the places we visit because Italian protected areas are exceptional places and should be used responsibly.
“Protected areas managing bodies, even though they do not have competences on the safety of its visitors - continues Sammuri - can however make a contribution. And for it, information and guides are the best mean to achieve it. A guide can educate, inform the visitor about potential risks existing in the park and explain that there are some measures to be taken when you go on an excursion, from equipping yourself with the right shoes, carrying water and using walking sticks when possible.”
Federpachi, during the conference, has disseminated the project Interreg CEETO and the Inventory of planning, management, monitoring tools and success stories for sustainable tourism in Protected Areas, such as innovative models for protected areas to better understand and manage tourism flows to acquire useful information for the development of sustainable tourism.
