"Sustainable Tourism and Biodiversity Conservation" - enhancement of capacities of the CEEweb network

The primary aim of the project was to build the capacity of the CEEweb network through a twinning program between Ecological Tourism in Europe and CEEweb. For fulfilling this aim a field trip to Nature Park Nettersheim was organised.

The Eiffel

The Eiffel region is part of the German low mountain range (Mittelgebirge), more exactly of the “Rheinisches Schiefergebirge”, altitude: 350 – 600 m. There are four main regions: Northen Eifel, Southern Eifel, Eastern Eifel and the Volcanic Eifel

Nature Park „Hohes Venn-Eifel“

• Founded in 1960
• Surface today ranges about 2.500 km2
• six regions are distinguished in the nature park: Vennvorland, Hohes Venn, Rureifel, Hocheifel, Kalkeifel (lime) and Ourtal

Regions of the Nature Park

• The park offers very diverse landscapes which are characterized by: forest, peat bog areas, water surfaces, brooks and rivers, rock formations, hunan created river dams and storage reservoirs.
• Different visitor’s centers have been built up as service points and in addition some associations and companies offer organized information days/trips, e.g.:
  • - Center of the nature parc in Botrange (Belgium)
  • - Information point in Ternell (Belgium)
  • - Information point “men and nature” near Prüm
  • - “A village to live nature” of Nettersheim
  • - Federal forestry office Eifel

Nettersheim - “a village to live nature”

Nettersheim is situated in the Kalkeifel, in the eastern part of the nature park, within the district of Euskirchen. The community of Nettersheim includes 11 villages with 7.440 inhabitants. About one third of the area is covered by forest and over 80 % of the territory is part of the landscape protection area.

Since the 1970s the value of the area of Nettersheim has been already appreciated. The land consolidation in the 1980s made land exchanges possible. Archaeologically or geologically (etc.) important areas (land, houses) could be exchanged and given back to the community.

In 1991 and 1993 Nettersheim won the title: “capital for protection of nature and environment”. All together, Nettersheim has won about other 18 certifications because of the efforts for nature in the last ten years; e.g.:

• 2002: „prize for supporting renewable ressources“ from the Ministry of Nature and Environmental protection NRW for supporting the use of wood.
• 1997: best ranking for the community of Nettersheim in the competition „To make our village more beautiful“ for the village of Zingsheim.

Nature protection center Eifel

The center opened in 1989, generously supported by the Nordrhein-Westfalen-Stiftung für Naturschutz, Heimat- und Kulturpflege (foundation for nature protection, cultivation of the native and culture), and expanded in 1995. Around 50.000 people visit the center each year.
The center is divided into several parts; they are all located near each other and are connected to each other for example by the educational trail.

Visitor´s Center in Nettersheim

Besides information on the area and a museum and playground, the Visitor’s Center in Nettersheim has got an exhibition about typical habitats of the region and recalls the history of settling down in this area from the Stone Age up to the francs.

Rheinland exhibition center about woods – Holzkompetenzzentrum

The original center opened in 1998, supported by the European Commission and in cooperation with Finnish partners. In 2002 the new exhibition center opened. This multifunctional building is mainly built of wood and has a service area, an exhibition area and a multi-purpose area. Target groups include enterprises, craftsmen, architects, associations, institutions, communities, citizens.

Supported by PHARE Multi-Country Programme "Environment and Enlargement"

This program is implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of CEEweb, and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.