Aims

• The overarching aim of this project was to increase access and enjoyment of the countryside for all, while enhancing and preserving the biodiversity of the region. The project will encourage new user groups to the countryside including tourists, whilst improving traffic free-access for local communities.

• The partnership encouraged local ownership and participation, and promoted best practises in the field of countryside management to ensure environmental sustainable development of our countryside, including the fragile coastal zone.

• The partners ensured effective management and protection of countryside sites and path networks to encourage green tourism and use by new user groups

• The partnership actively contributed to achieving the EU Sustainable Development Strategy, relating to sustainable consumption and production, conservation and management of natural resources, improved public health and increased social inclusion.



The partnership's key objectives:

1. Creation of a cross border partnership tot deliver a variety of cross-border activities to a range of target groups

2. Organising exchange visits, technical seminars and engagement with stakeholders, events, ...

3. Public consultation and meetings with stakeholder groups, volunteer work groups and the

development of local action plans

4. Audits and biodiversity surveys and implementation of management systems

5. Access works (paths) and biodiversity improvement works (wildlife protection and habitat creation)

6. Implementation of best practices, production of technical guidance and comparative studies

7. Promote and implement a programme of guided walks, environmental education events, volunteering opportunities, the development of cycling and walking networks, aimed at local communities and tourists.

8. Implementation of a communications strategy including a bilingual website, leaflets, press releases, local radio interviews...

Activity 1

LP:

1 plan presenting the classification of rural roads Oudland Polder

1 detailed plan for Strooroute



PP2:

Open Source GIS database (including data recreational infrastructure (mostly signposting), publishing map locations of the complaints, generation GPS steered task list).

Database for management of complaints.

GPS steered task list

GIS application and GIS solution on rugged handhelds

Development of web module (html5)

180 volunteers trained



PP3:

Assessment of slow roads network in 10 municipalities: Kortemark, Zonnebeke, Koekelare, Poperinge, Wervik, Vleteren, Houthulst, Mesen, Lo-Reninge and Diksmuide. Digital + analog maps made and available (see also activity 2).



PP4:

42 easy access audits undertaken, 28 staff and volunteers trained

1 East Sussex walks App

1 online path network map

1 sites management database

1 coastal zone management plan

5 biodiversity surveys undertaken



Activity 2:

PP3:

9 action plan agreements with municipalites signed and 9 local stakeholder groups created (Municipallities: See Act.1 - Exept Mesen)



PP4:

35 unemployed people completing the trainee scheme (target 24)

9 volunteer groups created (target 6)

950 participants in environmental education events programme



Activity 3

PP2:

Sign posting along the ‘green and bleu network’, West-Flanders recreational superstructure within the 3000 km recreational bicycle network.



PP4:

26 public access routes improved

3 sites with improved interpretation

5 sites with wildlife conservation improvements

5 Technical Seminars held in the UK with partners and invited organisations

Yes, all partners and territories benefited from the results, from which the beneficiaries are:

- Target Groups

- Disabled users of sites - increased easy access on path network and sites

- Disadvantaged communities

- The elderly - increased easy access on path network and sites leading to an increased healthy exercise

- Families with young children

- Local stakeholder groups

- Walkers, cyclists and horseriders

- Tourists (national and international) - paths reopend

- Tourism and Green managment professionals

- Children - increased easy access on path network and sites allowing healthy and safe exercise

- Wildlife – Improved habitat for a range of species

- Inhabitants of the province/County in general

Activity 1:
With the realisation of up-to-date database systems, the partnership succeeded in building a very performant system for the inventory and the maintenance of the path network. Next to the legal information the partnership was able to collect updated information on the actual situation on the ground of a significant area in each province/county. This way we can optimize our efforts and the quality of the network which results in more happy and satisfied users and tourists in our region.

Activity 2:
Working with volunteers results in maintaining a high level of quality on the path networks. It is very important to keep volunteers motivated and to encourage ownership. Through enthusing meetings, the correct usage of IT tools, concrete results in their own environment, partners were able to further engage volunteers or even to upscale the skills of (future) professionals.

Activity 3:
East Sussex and West-Flanders now have an improved path network and wildlife sites, which not only benefit the local community but also the tourists. Access to information has been improved along with users as they have a greater understanding of the countryside. Communities have been able to become actively involved in the decision making in their local environment and undertake improvements to enhance the landscape.

The project has allowed partners to respond effectively to the current environmental issues facing the region by drawing on the complimentary expertise and knowledge available. Two of the main areas that have benefited from cross-border work has been the development and implementation of database systems in ESCC, and the development of engagement with stakeholders and volunteers in Flanders. The Flemish members of the partnership had already begun to develop IT database systems to improve countryside management of their sites and route networks; through the project, these partners assisted and advised ESCC with the implementation of our new database system. Encouraging local ownership and community participation were key objectives. In East Sussex there is a long established culture of volunteer working parties in the field of countryside management. This was less common in Flanders. Cross border learning allowed the Flemish partners to develop new methods for public engagement and managing volunteers.

PP2 and PP3 cooperated with France in the MIRA project. The information collected from the slow road networks by PP3 in Accessing The Countryside, was used to establish walking networks by PP2 in the MIRA project (France-Flanders).
The know-how of making Biodiversity Action Plans for habitats learned by PP2 was used in the BIPS project (France, Walloon Region, Flanders).
For the Biodiversity Technical Seminars LP cooperated with INAGRO for an information exchange with the SOLABIO project (Interreg Flanders-Netherlands).

Make sure you have a good Project Manager to oversee the implementation of the project and ensure the correct procedures are followed. Record keeping with regards to both finance and outputs is key to ensuring the project achieves its aims and objectives. Most importantly is getting to know your partners during the early development stage of the project and understand what common ground there is to take the project forward and develop the partnership.
It was important to agree on a Communication Strategy at the very beginning of the project which is followed by all partners. This helps ensure continuity in presentation across the partners and gives a more professional approach. To support this, it is also invaluable that a record is kept of all promotional communication to support each claim and to monitor promotion across the project. To accurately record the projects achievements on communications, the partnership used a frequently updated output tracker spreadsheet.

Results from the project will be shared with external partners and were relevant be used to steer future management of sites. For example, visitor survey figures collected by volunteers at Seven Sisters Country Park will continue to be collected to inform how successful future proposed changes to the visitor centre will be. Biodiversity survey results have also been passed to the Sussex Biological Records Centre to be made available to everyone and have been beneficial in informing us in relation to site management plans. Access improvements and volunteer groups created by the project will continue to be maintained and supported by the Council as feedback and results show that they have had a beneficial affect for the local community and user groups.
Most of the investments and improvements on path networks were build not only on increasing the local and specific capacity of habitats for species, but also to be user friendly and long lasting.

Good relationships have been formed across the partnership and over the lifespan of the project a greater understanding has been achieved of the work each partner undertakes. The work undertaken by the partner organisations is very similar and partners have benefited from sharing experiences and knowledge in their particular area of expertise. The partnership will continue sharing best practices now the project has come to an end.

We plan to continue to follow up on several of the outputs achieved by the project. This includes continuing to develop the interpretation at Seven Sisters Country Park visitor centre and continued support of the volunteers who have joined us as part of the project. Some of this follow up work will be self financed from the central site budgets while the option of volunteer groups becoming self financing through community grants will a be explored. The databases systems developed by the project have been successful and we plan to continue to develop these and self finance them.

For Westtoer the accessing the countryside project was a very good experience. Not only did we realise all of our project, we also succeeded in building up a network of interesting contacts in East Sussex. If there are opportunities in the future we are interested in working together again.
The project and all partners did new steps forward in the development of recreational networks for different kinds of user groups. in West-Flanders this must lead to an evaluation (started already) with all departments in the Province and to a further internalisation of the lessons learned during the project.
Regarding databases, the partnership was able to collect and use data to manage infrastructure and path networks. The setup and the use was possible thanks to the EU funding. The partnership will continue to make these data accessible for other local partners. The project enlarged the partnerships network. New contacts were made which can be useful in other projects.