Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitors in Recreation and Protected Areas, Serbia

The ever-increasing use of protected areas for a variety of activities has led to a growing concern about the limits of their ecological carrying capacities. Areas of high ecological value, such as national parks and nature reserves, experience ever-increasing pressures, from tourism at first place. In order to manage visitor activities and behaviour, one needs to monitor them and therefore deepen the understanding of their expectations, motivations and overall satisfaction.

The 8th Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitors in Recreation and Protected Areas (MMV) will be held in Novi Sad, Serbia, September 26-30, 2016.

The MMV conference provides a forum for presentations and other exchanges of ideas and experiences related to the monitoring and management of visitors in recreation and protected areas. The 8th MMV will focus on the sub-theme “Cooperation across borders and scales” with the emphasis on policies, problems, practices and innovative solutions that connect different areas and regions in order to collaborate on the same focus.

The conference welcome researchers, faculty members, public sector and industry managers, consultants, planners and members of NGO’s dealing with visitor management in recreational and protected areas. The conference is organised around themes of regional cooperation, cross border projects, with keynote speakers coming from Australia, Netherlands, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia.

The Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory will do a presentation on “Monitoring recreational and educational services provided by Mediterranean Wetlands: how natural capital impact human and social capital?” by L. Chazée on Monday 26 September, during the Session Stakeholders` approach in management of protected areas (Room 2; 15.45-18.00).

Monitoring recreational and educational services provided by Mediterranean Wetlands: how natural capital impact human and social capital?

Laurent Chazée, Tour du Valat, French, chazee@tourduvalat.org

Mélanie Réquier Desjardins, French

Wided Khechimi, Tunisian

Since 2011, the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory (MWO) is a wetlands management tool of the MedWet regional Initiative (1991) working under the umbrella of the Ramsar convention (1971) and managed by the Tour du Valat Research Institute for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands (TdV). MWO is developing its first indicator on cultural ecosystem services as an “impact” indicator to be integrated in the DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) conceptual model adopted by MWO. The overarching objective of this indicator is to develop additional advocacy based on sound scientific work among local and national decision-makers as well as planners involved in development options achievement and territorial management. This indicator also intends to help site managers to adapt their services to recreational and educational visitors. It aims concretely at measuring how ecosystem services biophysical value and function of wetlands provide human and social advantages to societies.