Project methodology

In the EKOCESKI Project, in order to reach the goals of the Project, the following application methods are used:

 

  Educative and informative studies oriented at the Ecotourism shareholders

  Increasing the sectoral information sharing in public and civilian public sectors

  Improvement of dialogue among sectors

  Building a communication network

  Establishment of an Advisory Board in order to make the Public-NGO cooperation consistent

  Assessment of mutual problems and solution providing meeting

  Status Evaluation

  Preparing an activity plan

The reason why the proposed methods were chosen are based on environment protection and the structure of the area especially in ecotourism area. In this Project which aims at improving the public-civilian cooperation, institutions working in the ecotourism area and the technical and cultural specifications of the geographical area of the environment/nature protection, have made the training program to be the main axis of the Project.

Ecotourism could be used as an important tool in protecting the ecosystems. And, in this tourism type, it is of critical importance that the visitors are informed about the ecosystem of the region, local cultures and sustainability. As the most effected section from the ecotourism will be the local public, it is planned that with the training program and informative studies the local shareholders are informed of the scope of the ecotourism, the situation on the world, risks and advantages. The training and informative studies will open the door for discussions to take place in an informed environment and provide the atmosphere in which the cooperative approaches apply more effectively.

The Project aims to create mutual studies and publicity atmospheres that would encourage the information and policy share in the sector. The reason why this method is used is that information sharing and informing problems are encountered in the civilian sector and public sector working on similar subjects, managing similar projects. The Project team will inform the non governmental information about the activities and training program, trying to improve the information sharing effectiveness. In the public sector Province Management of Associations will undertake to improve the information sharing effectiveness.

EKOCESKI Project, at the same time, implements joint participation in the training program, organizing mutual meetings, building communication networks to enhance the information sharing between the civilian public and public sector. The aim of all these methods is to implement a more democratic, clearer and more participating decision making policy and policy determining by enhancing the cooperation between the public and civilian public sectors. The shareholders having word on the decisions taken will provide that the decisions taken and policies determined are applied more productively and effectively.

In order to produce mutual solutions, development of more widely based and more participating policies are needed. To realize the value of the potential economic benefit of the ecotourism and protection of the natural and cultural riches of the region, cooperation of the public-civilian public sector is needed. New structures are needed to determine a sustainable and effective decision making and policy determination procedure, to improve mutual decision making and the habit of solution producing. The counseling committee with public and civilian attendance and the evaluation meeting to determine this counseling procedure was chosen as a method just to answer this need.

It will be encouraged in the Counseling Committee meetings that the Counseling Committee develops a situation evaluation and activity plan. The activity plan is chosen to prepare a mutual strategical plan and the first phase of co transition to the mutual strategical management approach and chosen as a method.

Because of the above stated reasons ecotourism and environment theme is selected. The previous projects of Black Sea Environment Association have provided the institution reach a certain experience level in this area.

In the studies carried out in the ecotourism area, it is seen that the conflicts on source use on the area could be removed; and it is thought that the unsustainable investments (especially public) could be changed and area management plans could be applied without any ecological losses.

It is thought that the Project will strengthen the existing protection areas of the Kaçkar Mountains National Park and the Firtina Valley, and will contribute to establish participating and mutual management arrangements in order to establish local ownership.

It is thought that the methods used will improve the consciousness of sustainable use of the ecological values in the Project area and provide that the representatives of the public bodies and institutions that are authorized on the area will be more sensitive to environmental problems. Another contribution of the Project is to make the tour guides, tourism establishments and tour operators who have economical benefits on the area, more conscious and sensitive on nature and environment subjects. All these benefits, by encouraging local ownership and cooperation among sectors, diminish and sustainably manage the threat of overcrowding, erosion, destruction of the forests, destruction caused by increasing transportation activities that are among the possible side effects of ecotourism.