The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

10. Sustaining rural landscapes and building civil society
A number of other NGOs in the region are playing an important role in sustaining the special
landscape of the White Carpathian mountains. In Slavin the Piveka Foundation and SOP-
Slavin are active in nature conservation, education and renewal of local traditions (e.g.,
traditional local shoe production connected with revitalization of sheep-keeping). Not far from
Valaské Klobouky, in the Kopanice area along the Slovak border, the Information Center for
the Development of Kopanice is working to promote and develop small-scale tourism as a
means of supplementing local incomes as well as organic agriculture among farmers in the
White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area. Organic agriculture is becoming an important
driving force in managing protected landscapes in Central Europe. Toward the south, SOP
Blé Karpaty has been working with the state administration of the White Carpathian Protected
Landscape Area to preserve the valuable meadow ecosystems of the southern White
Carpathians and has collaborated with local landowners to manage the ertoryje reserve. This
organization also initiated care of traditional varieties of fruit trees in the White Carpathians.
These efforts by Czech NGOs are paralleled on the other side of the border by the work of
Slovak NGOs, such as the Society for Sustainable Living-Biele Karpaty, Koza, and others.
Recognising the need for economic tools for underwriting nature conservation efforts and
sustainable management of protected landscapes, the above-mentioned NGOs, producers and
processors of fruit, and communities have established a joint association called “Traditions of
the White Carpathians,” (Tradice Bílych Karpat) to facilitate the renewal of small-scale
processing and marketing of products as a means of preserving the natural and cultural heritage
of the White Carpathians. The juice and other local products, including mutton, dried fruit and
traditional crafts, are sold under the “Traditions of the White Carpathians” marketing label. The
label is intended to help market high-quality products by associating them with the region and,
at the same time, promote the region as a whole. In 2003 the non-profit association was
transformed into a business operation with the same mission and label.
The role of nature conservation NGOs in the Czech Republic has shifted significantly from
one of classical nature protection and serving a “watch dog” function during the 1980s and
early 1990s to one serving as initiators and incubators of innovative approaches to regional
development, respecting the principles of sustainability and local traditions. NGOs in the White
Carpathians Biosphere Reserve have pioneered many new ideas in the Czech Republic and
have become models for others (e.g., programmes to preserve local varieties of fruit trees by
introducing fruit processing and marketing tools, reintroducing sheep and cattle to manage
protected meadows, practising land stewardship and land trust concepts, and including biomass
energy in the concept of sustainable landscape management). Several of these pilot projects are
concentrated in the small village of Hosttn.
The village of Hostetín – a model for rural sustainability
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The small village of Hosttín (population 227), located in eastern Moravia near the Czech-
Slovak border, has over the last decade been transformed into a remarkable experiment in
sustainable rural development. Its location within the boundaries of the CHKO Blé Karpaty, or
the White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area (PLA), was one of the impetuses for this
special development initiative. Here, the Brno-based NGO Veronica, SOP-Hosttn, together
with the local government and the PLA administration, are cooperating to transform the village
of Hosttn into a model for sustainable rural development.
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