STEP projectbrochure

, EP for man T S ll a m s le tourism. b a One in a t s u s ap for one giant le gecontroleerd overstromingsgebied Kruibeke - Bazel - Rupelmonde

AREAS AND PARTNERS aim Tourism in Estuary Parks. The STEP stands for Sustainable as are the in rism sustainable tou of this project is to develop together five organisations from gs brin involved. The project United therlands, Belgium and the three nature areas in The Ne ich wh of , 000 00. get of € 6.0 Kingdom. STEP has a total bud s Sea o Tw g rre European Inte € 2.500.000 is funded by the 2.

201 of end the l be finished by Programme. The project wil The nature areas involved

are:

Park • The Biesbosch National tidal area, mysterious and er wat h fres Over 9.000 ha of rbed wilderness. Shaped by adventurous, a rough and undistu willow. Home of the beaver and man harvesting rush, reed and sbosch.nl thousands of birds. www.np-debie • Polders of Kruibeke n. of 600 ha is under constructio In Flanders a flood control area of in bas r rive flooding in the As well as reducing the risk of al the treasures of precious reve also will a the Scheldt, this are tidal nature with mud flats and woodlands, open wetlands and enjoying a typical riverside marshes. A wonderful place for landscape. www.gogkbr.be

the UK’s family • The Broads, a member of of national parks ue and internaBritain’s magical waterland, a uniq h is home to tionally important wetland area whic in. some of the rarest wildlife in Brita over 60 reed190 km of navigable rivers linking shes, fens, mar fringed lakes, or broads, grazing . ges wet woodlands and waterside villa www.enjoythebroads.com

STEP. 5 organisations cooperate in Natuur- en Recreatieschap De ds Hollandse Biesbosch, Netherlan (Lead Partner) www.hollandsebiesbosch.nl k De Stichting Beheer Nationaal Par ds lan Biesbosch, Nether www.np-debiesbosch.nl Waterwegen en Zeekanaal, Flanders www.wenz.be Agentschap Natuur en Bos, Flanders www.natuurenbos.be

Broads Authority, England www.broads-authority.gov.uk Bro ads Bie sbo sch Pol der s of Kru ibe ke

Each partner will focus on certain ut activities – you can read all abo top On es. pag t nex those on the of that, there will be a number of joint initiatives.

THEMES THEMES The co-operation revolves around the following themes: • Sustainable tourism • Detailing the European Charter of Sustainable Tourism in wetlands • Manual for infrastructure, accommodation and transport • Building of sustainable hiking and cycling paths, camp sites, hiking shelters, birdwatching hides, mooring places for electric vessels and sustainable ferry links • Implemented plan of action for branding and promoting sustainable tourism • Visitor management • A plan of action for visitor management in wetlands • Achieving ICT pilots (GPS routes, digital information on location) • Study of and design for the most sustainable visitor centre in Europe • Public-private cooperation • Detailed lists of sustainability criteria for tourist companies • Performing sustainability checks • Support for companies in the implementation of measures • Development and marketing of sustainable products in collaboration with business community

De Biesbosch The Biesbosch National Park will focus on...

• Obtaining the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism • Sustainable ferry links • Charging stations for electrically-driven boats • Low impact accommodation for hikers and canoers • Improving boating zoning • Most sustainable visitors centre in Europe • ICT routes for pedestrians, cyclists and canoers • Monitoring visitors • Sustainable entrepreneurship • New sustainable products and services • New programme for nature experience activities

Kruibeke-Bazel-Rupelmonde The Polders of Kruibeke will focus on...

• Sustainable tourist-recreational infrastructure in a recognisable house style • A vision on visitor management for the larger Sigmaplan and the translation towards an actual access plan for the Flood Control Area in Kruibeke • Sustainable reception facilities • Participation plan for hard-to-reach target groups • Communication concerning sustainable tourism emphasising safety, climate and water management • Communication about sustainable tourism and biodiversity • A feasibility study on investments and public-private co-operations to meet the diverse needs of visitors

The Broads The Broads will focus on...

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The development of a new Broads Tourism Strategy Re-application for the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism Promotion of the Green Tourism Business Scheme New green accreditation for boats The Broads Quality Charter for eating establishments The promotion of sustainable products Charter Partnerships with businesses under part 2 of the European Charter Developing a new tourism website Innovative interpretation techniques Seeking new audiences through Mosaic projects

If you are interested in STEP, you are welcome to join the workshops which are organised throughout the project.

A digital STEP newsletter appears every half year. You can subscribe to it on the website.

ation: More inform jects.eu pro www.step-

• m.denbraven@biesbosch.org +31 78 630 53 53 • stefaan.nollet@wenz.be +32 32 24 67 28 • laurent.vandenabeele@lne.vlaanderen.be +32 92 65 46 47 • bruce.hanson@broads-authority.gov.uk + 44 603 75 60 30

“Investing in your future”

Crossborder cooperation programme 2007-2013 Part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund)

Disclaimer This text reflexts the author’s views. The Programme Authorities of Intereg IV A 2 Seas are not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.

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