Leave No Trace Ireland are pleased to announce the launch webinar for the “Sustainability and Education in Outdoor Sports’, hosted by Europarc, will take place on April 27th at 11am (CET).
The SEE project is a newly awarded Erasmus project by the European Commission which aims to tackle the un-coordinated approach to the teaching and communication of environmental ethics in the spheres of outdoor sport and recreation. The increased appreciation for the benefits associated with outdoor recreation and sport has been highlighted in a previously funded Erasmus+ project on the “Benefits of Outdoor Sports for Society”.
The SEE Project will promote education in and through sport with special focus on skills development for outdoor sports professionals such as outdoor sports trainers, guides, or instructors. The SEE Project will also help to promote increased voluntary activities in sport, together with social inclusion, equal opportunities, and awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity all in a frame of sustainable development and in line with the new Green Deal for Europe.
You can find out more about the project on our website here.
WEBINAR – Outdoor Sports – Engaging with or Using Nature?
Tuesday, 27th April 2021
11:00 – 12:30 CET
The connection between outdoor sports and nature seems to be an obvious one, and indeed, through the pandemic more than ever people are drawn to the outdoors. However, just because activities are practiced outside, does not mean that they are done in harmony with nature.
The way some outdoor sports practitioners practice their activity can cause severe damages on fragile habitats and sensitive species.
Protected Areas managers are therefore confronted with the difficult task of minimising the impact of outdoor sports on local fauna and flora and at the same time welcoming sport practitioners and other visitors.
In this webinar, we will have the opportunity to hear the voice of Lissa Breugelmans, an avid cyclist and mountain biker, who will share her dilemmas as an outdoor enthusiast, well aware of the impacts outdoor activities have on nature.
We will also learn from Daniele Piazza, director of the Dell’Ossola Protected Area about an integrated strategy – involving many different local stakeholders, to minimise and mitigate the effects of outdoor sports in this alpine nature park.
Myles Farnbank, from Wilderness Scotland, will present the Adventure Travel Guide Standard, a useful tool to institutions, sustainable destinations and training programs, in order to build the capacity of the Outdoor sport sector on the three core responsibilities all trainers should have: Sustainability, Safety, and Quality and Meaning.
This webinar will publicly launch the ERASMUS + SEE project. Led by Leave No Trace Ireland, ‘SEE’ stands for Sustainability and Environmental Education in Outdoor Sports.
Agenda:
Welcome and introduction to the webinar
Carol Ritchie, EUROPARC Federation
Dilemmas for an outdoor enthusiast
Lissa Breugelmans, Outdoor sports practitioner, and PhD student at University of Antwerp
The RESICETS project – Park and Outdoor Sports working together to minimise the impact of outdoor activities on wildlife
Daniele Piazza, director of the Aree Protette dell’Ossola
The Adventure Travel Guide Standard- Showing how the Outdoor Sports sectors values nature though sustainability standards
Myles Farnbank, Wilderness Scotland guide, fellow of The Royal Geographical Society and a Master Educator of Leave No Trace
The SEE project. Researching the issues and finding best practice
Mike McClure, Outdoor Recreation Development Officer, Sport Northern Ireland
Let’s talk about it
All participants have the opportunity to exchange on the topics discusses and/or to ask questions.
Final remarks and Close
Dr Noel Doyle, Leave No Trace Ireland
