Poor levels of stakeholder involvement and community engagement in the management of the local natural and cultural heritage have had an adverse impact on public awareness of the economic and social value of these resources and reduced their value to local economies in peripheral rural areas In addition, low levels of awareness of recreational pro... More...

Poor levels of stakeholder involvement and community engagement in the management of the local natural and cultural heritage have had an adverse impact on public awareness of the economic and social value of these resources and reduced their value to local economies in peripheral rural areas

In addition, low levels of awareness of recreational provision often leads to low levels of usage, which in turn contributes to declining standards of health and provision of inadequate infrastructure for local recreation and tourism based industries. At present many rural areas have large numbers of visitors travelling through while visiting major attractions in other areas. Yet these areas often have the potential to attract and retain visitors if marketing was co-ordinated and if there was an adequate recreational infra structure to support them.

This project will develop Regional Woodland Parks to re-establish stakeholder involvement and community engagement in the management and understanding of their natural and cultural heritage, improve local recreational facilities and create the basis for sustainable, competitive local SMEs to provide goods and services to local and distant markets.

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