Međimurska priroda – Javna ustanova za zaštitu prirode (Cro. Međimurje Nature - Public Institution for Nature Protection) is a partner in the Sustainable Water-Based Sport Solutions project. Its implementation started on November 1, 2023. The project focuses on leisure and sports activities on the rivers within the existing zones of conservation areas.

Study trip to nothern Germany

Canoeing and kayaking, and other similar water-based activities should be regulated and monitored by issuing concessions and permits to tour operators. Existing guidelines about canoeing and kayaking provided by the partners from Germany will be applied in the project. Therefore, a study trip to Germany with a two-day workshop named "Canoe tourism in the context of quality and sustainability" was organized. The participants were given the opportunity to find out about examples of best practice of canoeing and kayaking as a sustainable tourism product.

Gastgeber des Workshops war der Bundesverband Kanu d.V. im Kanu-Center Krebs (Wakenitzhaus & Camp) in der Nähe von Lübeck. Projektpartner aus Kroatien (Sara Srša, Mihaela Mesarić, Siniša Golub, Velimir Bašek und Roberta Radović), Slowenien (Urša Gajšek) und Deutschland (Michael Meyer) nahmen an dem Workshop teil.

Day 1: Around the Canoe Center

The workshops were hosted by Bundesverband Kanu d.V. i Kanu-Center Krebs (Wakenitzhaus & Camp), near the city of Lübeck. Project partners from Croatia (Sara Srša, Mihaela Mesarić, Siniša Golub, Velimir Bašek and Roberta Radović), Slovenia (Urša Gajšek) and Germany (Michael Meyer) participated in the workshop. The center is run by the Krebs family, so the son and the father, Eike Krebs and Lothar Krebs, introduced the program participants during the two-day professional work and practice to the history, concepts and guidelines for the work done by this popular German canoe center. We were informed about canoeing areas, certification methods, networking and cooperation among companies engaged in canoe tourism, which are also ambassadors of sustainable canoe tourism.

The role of associations, sports clubs and other stakeholders in canoe tourism was also discussed, as well as the statistical indicators of German water-based tourism, which has been showing a steady increase of visitors in recent years.

On the first working day, we also dealt with working with visitors, visitor infrastructure, technical equipment and other elements of infrastructure in the canoe center. The participants had the opportunity to try canoeing along a shorter route, getting to know part of the protected natural heritage of northern Germany.

Day 2: Workshops on canoe tourism and nature conservation

On the second day of the study trip, the workshops were attended by Frank Hadulla from the Nature Park and Günter Schmidt from Herzogtum Launeburg Marketing GmbH. They presented the management challenges, sustainable use and promotion of the Naturpark Lauenburgische Seen area. Examples of nature protection measures were presented, and management problems in other protected areas in Germany, Slovenia and Croatia were discussed as well.

The program rounded off with a circular canoe tour on the River Trave around the old historical core of the nearby city of Lübeck. The canoeists got to know the city from a special perspective, visiting the museum harbor, old salt warehouses, numerous historical buildings and churches and other sights in the city under excellent tourist guidance and canoeing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The project lasts until the end of April 2025. The project partners are DOPPS - BirdLife Slovenia (Society for the Observation and Study of Birds of Slovenia), Ökologischer Tourismus in Europa e.V. (Ö.T.E.) and Međimurje Nature.

 

Funding:

European Green Belt Initiative with funds from the European Union