PROMAS
You could watch this for at least some minutes, couldn’t you?
PAN project was carried out at a time when the attractiveness of nature and its phenomena grew particularly fast in tourism. The project partners maybe saw it coming, when they planned the project, but the COVID-10 related restrictions in e.g. gatherings enhanced the development.
Phenomena of Arctic Nature is a project who has improved the experience and the knowledge of the tourist visiting the Arctic.
Arctic nature and its species are vulnerable because of many reasons. Traffic, trails, paths, and other structures can easily wear out the vegatation. This is he reason why well planned observations sites are a good solution.
Attention to observation sites
The spring, the summer with its polar day, autumn and its colors, and the polar night, stars and aurora borealis are all fascinating sights. PAN-project has planned and constructed observation sites in nature. An ideal observation site is one which allows the visitors to see a wide landscape, where they can sit down and have a rest, preferably under a shelter, and where light pollution is minimized – this allows observing the starry sky and the northern lights. See some photos of the construction of Kaunisharju observation point:
Expertise in nature tourism has increased
Tourism business is growing fast north from the Arctic circle. The reasons behind the increasing demand of nature-based tourism services are megatrends of societies: e.g. the longing of people to be out in clean, safe and calm natural surroundings, and an interest on their own well-being.
The organisations and other participants of PAN have been given knowledge in workshops about how to respond to the demands. The first in a series of events organised by the project was a timber architecture workshop held in Norway’s Pasvik Valley in October 2019. The participants brainstormed ideas for using local timber in construction for tourism and outdoor recreation infrastructure. The next events have been more or less about what kind of services are the best to be offered to these tourists interested in nature, and how can we improve service provision – especially in summer. The attitude of the project seems to be that no matter how fascinating services we already have, and will have, there is no limit for how good they could be, and how great an experience the tourist could have.
Observation site by lake Keselmäjärvi
Visitor centres and exhibitions are developed
The project has produced and updated exhibitions and audio-visual presentations for visitors in the visitor centres of the national parks. The educational institutions involved have produced multilingual education materials, which will be at the disposal of youth and nature centres, visitor centres and schools. This serves the important purpose of providing the audiences knowledge about our nature, its vulnerability, and how it should be treated.
Mobile game of the Youth Visitor Centre awakes your curiosity
Youth Visitor Centre Vasatokka participated in the project in an innovative way. Who could resist this mobile game where you are given tasks to find spots and solve riddles in the nature surrounding the centre?
Webpage of the project in the Lead Partner’s website
Project: Phenomena of Arctic Nature
Lead Partner: Metsähallitus, Finland
Other partners:
- Salla municipality
- Lapland University of Applied Sciences
- Youth Center Vasatokka
- Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)
- Øvre Pasvik National Park
- Biotope AS
- Institute of Industrial Ecology problems of the North (INEP)
- State Nature Reserve Pasvik