The Partners of NEST


To better reach the project’s goal, the project is divided into four interrelated themes,with each partner being responsible for one of the themes including organizing and coordinating trans-national workshop on its theme.

The NEST themes are:


Theme 1 - Networking (Scotland responsible partner)

Aim: To develop and maintain networks: Firstly, local networks to foster collaborative working to realise innovative approaches towards tourism potential and management, as well as to encourage conflict resolution on land use and land management. Secondly, a trans-national network to transfer knowledge and experience between partners. This theme mainly concentrates on creating more holistic visibility and save costs in marketing.

The NEST’s first trans-national workshop aimed at networking. It was held in Ullapool in Scotland in April 2005, to view the presentations given click here .

Theme 2 - Business opportunities (Finland responsible partner)

Aim: To encourage local people to perceive new business opportunities in connection with protected areas. Hence, the benefits resulted from this theme will include new innovative ideas for higher business profile in connection with protected areas as well as visitors and cultural centers.

The NEST’s second trans-national workshop aimed at business opportunities. It was held in Koli National Park in Finland in October 2005, to view the presentations given at the conference click here. Or to get full details of the Scottish visit to the conference click here.

Theme 3 - Sustainable tourism management and quality marketing (Sweden responsible)

Aim: To reinforce the importance of sustainable tourism management and eco-tourism quality marketing (i.e. eco-labelling). The benefits will provide research results for better appraising, planning, and managing sustainable tourism.

Theme 4 - Nature school programmes (Iceland responsible partner).

Aim: To develop and promote educational nature programmes using protected areas as a study laboratory through:
a) developing and encouraging nature school programmes for local and international participants;
b) developing and constructing a transferable exhibition on the northern dynamic glaciations history and its implication on climatic change, as well as the geological heritage of the participating countries. Environmental education in connection with nature tourism resort development will increase the supply and demand of nature oriented contents for ecotourism.

The NEST project is aimed to support employment, enterprises and social welfare by local people and enterprises living or acting within the Northern rural periphery. Project results will impact several hundred thousands of tourists as well as locals in the four Northern countries. The NEST project will further strengthen the activities and networks of the potential new type rural developing centers, like visitor and education centers, in or nearby national parks and other protected areas. The partnership of the participating countries increases the potentiality of having the project product made into a useful transferable model. The increased knowledge will moreover stimulate new potential job opportunities and it would be of considerable value by focusing on how to increase the interest in the area by young people and new families. The cooperation of these sparse populated areas involves added social capital to each partner. The products of the NEST project furthermore raise the public awareness towards the Northern Periphery parks and protected areas as interesting and valuable destinations for nature and culture based tourism. The international marketing of partner sites will create better demands of the tourism products.
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