Partner businesses of the biosphere park Rhön (Partnerbetriebe im Biosphärenreservat Rhön)

Best Practice

Topics

• Protected areas
• Regional value added

Short description

* Project updated on 25 April 2007 according to information from the project contact persons * This project is for the support of farming and forest enterprises as well as workman-ship within the region. Participants have to fulfil quality criteria to name themselves partner businesses of the biosphere park ("Partnerbetriebe des Biosphärenreservats"). Further plans to generate a genuine brand has not been developed successfully yet.

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Project executive

"Natur- und Lebensraum Rhön e.V.", A non-profit making organisation (Trägerverein) responsible for the UNESCO Biosphere park.

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Participants

Participants are the directors of the three administration posts (Verwaltungsstellen) as well as the three non-profit making organisations (Trägervereine)of the national park in Hessia, Thuringia and Bavaria.

Objectives

The target or this project is to strengthen farming and forest enterprises as well as workman-ship within the region. Participants have to fulfil quality criteria to name themselves partner businesses of the biosphere park ("Partnerbetriebe des Biosphärenreservats"). Further plans to generate a genuine brand has not been developed successfully yet. Moreover the preservation of cultural landscape by regional products is achieved. Protection by use not by restriction is focused.

Activities

During a citizen participation process a framework concept was developed in which a mission statement and the development targets are defined.

Process

The concept is comparable to a regional plan with judicial duties. It was passed in three federal states and is the first overall concept for a biosphere park in Europe. None of the previous projects had such a wide citizen participation. After the development of the mission statement the process was continued first by the non-profit making organisation (Tärgerverein) "Natur- und Lebensraum Rhön" and later by three different non-profit organisations of the three different federal states. Coordination of the activities is now liable to a special purpose association ("Zweckverband") consiting of all participating rural districts ("Landkreise") and the three non-profit organisations ("Trägervereinen") including expert forum

Results

Out of 217 european LEADER-projects this project came on third place. More than 300 single projects were initiated which made the biosphere park to become an european model project.

Evaluation

All bisophere parks get evaluated by the UNESCO once in ten years. Last evaluation of the biosphere park Rhoen took place in 2003. In comparison to the bisophrer parks "Biosphärenreservat Rügen" and "Bisophärenreservat Pfälzer Wald" the biosphere park Rhoen had the best results.

Difficulties

Tourism in the biosphere park is nonprofessional. In six rural districts ("Landkreise") and three federal states there are more than 50 organisations and institutes (chambers of commerce and industry ("IHKs"), chambers of crafts, business development associations ("Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaften"), tourism associations, foundation centres ("Gründerzentren")etc. which deal more or less with regional development. There was no overall institution or cooperation covering the three federal states. The German expression "Biosphärenreservat" (English: biosphere reservation) has not been excepted by the population. People did not want to live in a "reservation" as the expression evokes parallels to "Indian reservations" in the United States. "Biosphärenpark" (biosphere park) would have been a better alternative as it is used in Austria.

Financial backer

Between 1991 and 2005 around 100 Mio € of federal funds were spend in the region, money which would not have been received without having the biosphere park. Currently Hessia pays 400.000 € per year plus money of several EU-programmes.

Source of information

Competition

Participant at the 2005 Future in the Alps competition

Homepage

http://www.biosphaerenreservat-rhoen.de

Comments

Impact on nature and environment

The impact of this project is not quantifiable exactly. Fact is, that currently 65% of agri-cultural land is cultivated extensively, 8% ecologically. One organic dairy was founded. Local products are more requested. Preser-vation of open space was reached by grazing projects.

Economic value added

Fact is, that after the foundation of the Bio-sphere reservation, 18 regional marketing companies, one regional-shop chain, and one Logistic and distribution centre settled in the region. The amount of regional products is 5% within private consumption and 15% within gastronomy. 150 new jobs were created, 45 are directly connected to the biosphere park.

Socio-cultural value added

Return on strenghts and opportunities of the region and thereby increasing self-confidence among the local people.

Innovative content

Particularly the high participation of citizens and the cross state approach were innovative factors in the early 1990ies.

Good governance

Citizen participation. "Verein Natur- und Lebensraum Rhön"

PR impact

High presence in media, especially at the beginning. In regard to the Rhoen sheep ("Rhönschaf") 2500 national and international articles were published during the first five years.

Multiplier effect / networking

By an increasing distribution of regional products in gastronomy the amount of regional products in private households has also risen. By excursions from inside and outside the country the name recognition has risen as well. Thereby multiplier effects in tourism occured. As experience shows after each excursion serveral participants came again to the biosphere park as leaders of other excursion groups.

Transferability

The development of a touristic mission statements is transferable to any protected area.

Remarks

In the biosphere park Rhoen the renaissance of the networking of farmers, craft businesses and gastronomy began.

Further information