Exchange programmes - IUCN

Implementation of an Exchange Programme for Protected Areas in East Asia
Box 2.7 Abruzzo/Adirondack Partnership Brief
Community involvement and economic rejuvenation: Park Centres in Adirondack
hamlets are viewed as strategic points in the economic revitalisation and improvement
effort of the region. They have strong state support and a tradition of
“bottom-up problem solving”. The development of Park Centres in hamlets is a step
towards “smart growth” in the Adirondack Park. This idea is to focus development
in established settlements and away from other land. Havingseen the success of the
increasingly nature-based economy in the Abruzzo National Park, delegates from
the Adirondacks wish to see more park centres set up in their park, so as to help
rejuvenate the local economies of towns in the area. It is felt that this will assist in
educatingthe next generation of local people to be stewards of the park’s environment.
Ecotourism project: The APA and I Love NY Tourism have organised an ecotourism
initiative for the Adirondack Park inspired by the Abruzzo Park. Abruzzo is
one of ten ecotourism demonstration projects in Europe. This project could greatly
benefit some of the poorer Adirondack communities.
Cultural links: The twinninghas also had an influence on the links between artists
and protected areas. The arts and art centres have flourished in the Adirondack Park
in recent decades, and the presence of artists on the first delegation heightened the
awareness of their value to the parks for policy-makers.
Two significant factors concerning the delegations were highlighted. First, it was
critical that high-level State officials were in attendance and that people from the
community were involved. Second, the delegations also included educators, artists and
representatives from NGOs, such as the Wildlife Conservation Society, to interact to a
shared commitment. All expressed the desire to apply what they had learned.
Workshops
Workshops and fora have been held periodically in Italy and the US. For example, in
1997 Abruzzo Director Franco Tassi participated in a Forum on Wilderness Education in
the Adirondack Park and discussed conservation issues in Abruzzo National Park. The
forum was sponsored by the Association for the Protection of the Adirondack Park
(APA).
Externships/academic consortia
To complement the Abruzzo/Adirondack partnership, externships 3 were established for
Landscape Architecture students from the State University of New York, College of
Environmental Science and Forestry in the Piedmont section of Po Park, Italy. The
twinninghas also been a positive force for expandingthe role of Paul Smiths College as
the “College of the Adirondacks”, providing educational resources to support the
objectives of the park. Paul Smiths College sponsored a training programme for 12
Abruzzo park staff in the summer of 1999.
3 Defined as a trainingprogramme that is part of a course of study of an educational institution and
taken in private/public business.
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