“Gîtes Panda”

Best Practice

Topics

• Protected areas
• Regional value added

Short description

The “Gîtes Panda” are accommodations that are labelled by the WWF France. They relay on a adherence to the “Gîtes de France”, a big French holiday accommodation provider. They have to be located in a Regional Nature Park or in a National Park. The brand name “Gîte Panda” is reserved to accommodations corresponding to certain quality criteria (minimum quality criteria for the adhesion to the “Gîtes de France”, plus the environmental criteria of the “Gîtes Panda”). The accommodation are chosen because of the engagement of their managers in nature protection. The owner of the “Gîte Panda” plays a role as ambassador between his clients and nature. He has to carry out a special ecological action on his property (maintenance of natural sites, biological agriculture, renewable energies). In a convention between the owner, the WWF and the Protected Area, he engages himself to preserve nature on his own ground and to help protect the environment of his surroundings.

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Participants

Fédération des Gîtes de France La Maison des Gîtes de France et du Tourisme Vert 59 rue Saint-Lazare 75 439 PARIS Cedex 09 - France Tel. 01.49.70.75.75 Fax : 01.42.81.28.53 E-mail : info@gites-de-france.fr Fédération des Parcs naturels régionaux 9 rue Christiani 75018 Paris - France Tel : 0033 (0)1 44 90 86 20 Fax : 0033 (0)1 45 22 70 78 Mail : info@parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr all owners of a “Gîte Panda” (about 300)

Objectives

The aim of this label is to encourage the owners of the “Gîte Panda” to promote a sustainable tourism in protected areas and to raise the awareness on nature and environment protection of their guests.

Activities

Each owner of a “Gîte Panda” has to carry out at least one action for the environment. They are the contact persons for their guests during their stay and should help to raise the awareness of the guests on the nature site they are visiting and on environmental problems in general. The scientific staff of the protected area the accommodation is located in is in charge of an inventory and monitoring of the flora and fauna of the surroundings of the “Gîte panda”. They should also plan and manage the environmental actions with each of the owners.

Process

The candidates for the “Gîtes Panda” are chosen by the “Gîtes de France” office of the French departments because of their motivation to protect and preserve the environment. The protected area concerned organizes a meeting for the candidates in their area. Then the protected area works out a dossier for each of the candidates pre selected during these meetings. Finally the WWF takes a control to verify that the criteria required to become a “Gîte Panda” are respected. The whole process is carried out as team work. The further role of the Parks is to insure the sustainable relation with the owners of the “Gîtes Panda”.

Results

There are about 300 “Gîtes Panda” in France, 54 of them in alpine protected areas (data from 2004).

Difficulties

Even though the “Gîte Panda” network is very dynamic an has close connections to the WWF and the “Gîtes de France” network there is a certain lack of promotion of the concept.

Budget

The obtaining of the “Gîtes de France” label can be supported financially by the Conseil Général (departement) or by the Conseil Régional (region). The owners contribute with an annual contribution (from 20,5 to 150 € depending on the region) to “Gîtes de (Euro)

Financial backer

The owners, the WWF, the protected areas, Conseil Général et Conseil Régional

Source of information

Competition

Participant at the 2005 Future in the Alps competition

Homepage

http://www.gites-de-france.fr/ www.wwf.fr/nature/panda_1.php www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/

Publication

Publication: Alpine Network of Protected Areas (2004): Vertragsnaturschutz und Gütesiegel: Beispiele aus Ländern und Schutzgebieten der Alpen. Die Dossiers des Alpinen Netzwerks Nr. 11, in DE,FR,IT. Alpine Network of Protected Areas, Gap (F). 140 p.

Contact person as above

Comments

Impact on nature and environment

Every manager of a “Gîte panda” brings his own contribution to nature preservation and insures the environmental education and awareness raising of his guests.

Innovative content

The label promotes the creativity of the owner of the “Gîte Panda”, they have to create their own environmental actions, in accordance to the general objectives of the partners WWF and the protected area. Through the direct contact between the guests and the Gîte manager the possibility of awareness raising on the surrounding nature and the special environment aspects are very good.

Good governance

Each manager of a “Gîte Panda” decides by himself on the environmental action he is going to carry out. There is a strong teamwork between all partners for the distribution of the label. There is a more or less strong collaboration between the Park responsible and the Gîte owner in the park area depending on the park.

PR impact

“Gîtes de France” an the WWF are international known networks that facilitate the promotion of this alternative tourism in protected areas.

Multiplier effect / networking

The “Gîtes Panda” exist actually in France and Belgium (In Belgium the Gîtes don’t have to be obligatory located in a protected area) . The concept should be introduced to Italy soon. The “Gîtes Panda” network is growing and becoming a dynamic network.

Transferability

By adapting the criteria for the selection of the accommodations to the special requirements of the region, country or protected area category this concept can be transferred to everywhere. The existing network of the WWF and the “Gîtes de France” helps the promotion of the accommodations and of the whole concept. The attachment to existing networks is therefore important.