NP Krka and Castelli Romani sign agreement on cooperation and exchange of good practices

Krka National Park i Castelli Romani Regional Park from the Italian region of Lazio have established a long-term collaboration that will encompass nature protection, biodiversity conservation, education, local community involvement, and sustainable tourism.

The bilateral cooperation agreement was signed at the premises of the Šibenik-Knin County, and was signed by the Director of the Krka National Park Public Institution, Nella Slavica, and the President of the Castelli Romani Regional Park, Ivan Boccali. From a tourism perspective, the announced exchange of experiences in visitor management and seeking a balance between space protection, tourist use and the quality of life of the local population is particularly interesting.

The agreement opens up space for long-term cooperation between the two protected areas, exchange of knowledge and experience in management, and joint activities related to natural and cultural heritage.

The delegation of the Castelli Romani Regional Park was welcomed by the Prefect of the Šibenik-Knin County, Paško Rakić, who pointed out that the county has a large number of protected natural and cultural sites and that international cooperation can be one way of exchanging experiences in their management.

"Šibenik-Knin County is one of the smaller counties in the Republic of Croatia, but it is rich in natural beauty and valuable cultural and historical heritage. In our area there are two national parks, three nature parks, two buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage List and numerous other protected natural and cultural assets. The county continuously invests efforts in the preservation and protection of the environment and nature, but also in raising public awareness, especially among young people, about the importance of a responsible attitude towards the space in which we live and which we leave as a legacy for future generations.", said Rakić, emphasizing the potential for long-term cooperation between the two parks. "I believe that this cooperation will open up new opportunities for the exchange of experiences, knowledge and good practices and even stronger international promotion of our cultural and natural heritage."

Visitor management as a common challenge

The cooperation was launched at the initiative of the Castelli Romani Regional Park, with the mediation of the Croatian Tourist Board in Italy, and will include nature protection, biodiversity conservation, education, sustainable tourism and local community involvement.

The issue is particularly important for the tourism sector. management of visits to protected areas.

National parks and other naturally attractive areas today face two simultaneous demands. On the one hand, it is necessary to provide visitors with a quality experience of the space, while on the other hand, the number and concentration of visitors must remain within limits that do not endanger the ecosystem, local infrastructure and the quality of life of residents.

Director of Krka National Park Nella Slavica He sees one of the greatest values ​​of the agreement precisely in the exchange of such experiences.

"For the Krka National Park, this cooperation represents an important opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences with the Castelli Romani Regional Park. In addition to the fact that they both preserve extremely valuable natural and cultural features, both parks, Krka and Castelli Romani, care for areas that are visited by a large number of people, which is why it is important to find a balance between nature protection, the quality of life of the local population and sustainable tourism development. It is in this exchange of experiences that we see the greatest value of this agreement. We are particularly pleased that the Krka National Park has been chosen as the first partner of the Castelli Romani Regional Park for this form of cooperation, which we see as a great recognition and compliment to our work", Slavica pointed out.

Castelli Romani: a protected area near Rome

The Castelli Romani Regional Park was established on 13 January 1984 to protect the natural and cultural features of the volcanic area of ​​the Alban Hills in the Lazio region. Among its recognizable natural features are the volcanic lakes of Albano and Nemi, while on the shores of Lake Albano is Castel Gandolfo, famous for its papal summer residence and gardens.

The park also manages the Regional Nature Reserves of Tor Caldara and Sughereta di Pomezia, the Regional Natural Monument of Madonna della Neve, and a number of special conservation areas within the Natura 2000 ecological network.

In addition to protecting natural values, the Park's activities are also focused on the sustainable socio-economic development of the local area, which opens up a number of topics in common with the Krka National Park - from visitor management to the relationship between the protected area and the local community.

President of the Castelli Romani Regional Park Ivan Boccali he emphasized that the agreement should not remain only at the institutional level.

"We have chosen your area for cooperation because we feel that we are close, both in history and in heart, and that is why we thank the Krka National Park for recognizing our initiative 'Park outside the Park'. This is not just a signature, but the beginning of concrete cooperation, which we believe will be fruitful for both our areas. In today's time, it is important to show that good things can and should be done at the international level and successful projects can be implemented, especially when it comes to education and youth. Let's do beautiful things for our two countries", said Boccali.

From agreements to concrete governance models

One of the most interesting elements of future cooperation should be the exchange of experiences related to visitor management and sustainable tourism.

Such an exchange could potentially encompass different models of tourism flow management, protection of the most sensitive parts of the area, visitor education, involvement of local populations, and distribution of visits across the wider park and destination area.

The value of international agreements is therefore not only in their promotional dimension. For destinations and protected areas, the much more important question is whether solutions that can be applied in practice can emerge from comparing different management models.

The director of the Castelli Romani Regional Park, Francesco Ciferri, pointed out that the two areas already recognize a number of common challenges.

"We were guided by the idea that this agreement should mark the beginning of a beautiful cooperation between our peoples and to create a network of friendly parks. We face similar problems in protected areas, with the issue of how to protect ecosystems, and therefore we should try to find common solutions. What we see the greatest potential in is the education of children and youth, and we hope that this cooperation will result in the exchange of our students through study visits.", said Ciferri.

The Italian delegation will learn about the broader context of the destination

As part of a visit to the Krka National Park, on September 15th and 16th, representatives of the two protected areas will discuss concrete possibilities for future cooperation.

In addition to the Krka National Park itself, the Italian delegation will also get acquainted with the wider area of ​​Šibenik and the Šibenik-Knin County. In cooperation with the Tourist Board of the City of Šibenik, tours and presentations have been organized that include the Krka National Park, Skradin, Šibenik, Prvić, Zlarin and the protected landscape of Kanal - Luka, including the fortress of St. Nicholas.

In this way, the representatives of Castelli Romani will not only be presented with the management of one national park, but also broader relationship between natural and cultural heritage, local communities and tourist destinationsIn future activities, in addition to the Krka National Park Public Institution, the Šibenik-Knin County and the Šibenik City Tourist Board should also be included.

However, the real result of the agreement will only be able to be assessed through the activities that will result from it.

If the collaboration results in a concrete exchange of data, visitor management models, experiences in ecosystem protection and ways of involving the local community, then its value will be much greater than another international agreement and joint promotion. This is precisely where the broader tourism value of this story lies: how to not only promote a space that already attracts a large number of people even more, but also better management.

Photo: NP Krka