PROGRESS (PROmotion and Guidance for Recreation on Ecologically Sensitive Sites) is a €3.7 million initiative co-funded by the E.U. Interreg IIIB Programme, the UK’s Department for Communities and Local Government and the project’s five partner organisations. It’s a four-year international project, which started in October 2003, and is aiming to reduce the impacts arising from the increasing demands of recreation on protected conservation areas in the New Forest in the UK and the Forêt de Fontainebleau in France.
Fontainebleau Forest and the New Forest have been linked as they share much in common. Both forests are nature conservation sites protected under E.U. Directives, and support a huge variety of wildlife, including some internationally rare species, and both are situated within reach of large centres of population and attract millions of visitors each year. Due to their popularity, some parts of the forests are coming under increasing pressure from countless feet, horses’ hooves and bicycle tyres, and action is needed to help protect the habitats and wildlife.
Whilst quiet recreation is increasingly important for people leading busy lives, it is essential to conserve the forests so that future generations can continue to enjoy the tranquillity and spiritual renewal that they provide. This is the main objective of the PROGRESS project – to help reconcile the needs of conservation with those of recreation.
The Project Team
There are five partners to the project: the Forestry Commission and the Countryside Agency in the UK; the Office National des Forêts and the Comité Départemental du Tourisme in France; and the Alterra Research Institute in The Netherlands. The Forestry Commission is the lead partner and manages the project via a small team based in the New Forest.
Local Stakeholders
The involvement of local stakeholders is also crucial to the project. In both Fontainebleau and the New Forest, conservationists, recreational users, interest groups, businesses and statutory agencies have been brought together in a project forum to provide a source of local knowledge and helpful advice. By involving local communities in the decision making process affecting the day-to-day management of the forest, the project can ensure that any actions have broad support and can be sustained into the future.
Steering Group
A range of specialists from across Europe sharing skills and links into wider European networks form an independent project Steering Group. Meeting every six months, the group advises and guides the project team, reviewing project progress and the implementation of any pilot actions.
What will PROGRESS achieve?
Ultimately PROGRESS will reduce the impact of recreational pressure in the New Forest and Fontainebleau Forest. Project actions will channel people to more robust sites and improve their understanding of the important conservation needs of both forests.
The project aims to succeed through a variety of different methods. To understand more about how the forests are being affected by recreation, huge visitor surveys were conducted in the first year to find out why people visit these forests and what they like to do when they get there. Computer models will analyse the results of these surveys to highlight likely impacts on sensitive sites. The project can then identify where pilot actions can be tested, and later, implemented to reduce or eliminate these adverse impacts.
Vital to the success of the project is a communications and education strategy. The way in which the teams in both forests communicate with the public will differ, but the main aim stays the same – to encourage more responsible use of the forests.
Communication will be accomplished via media articles, press releases, talks and leaflets. The first leaflets produced for the New Forest were codes of conduct for three of the most popular forest activities – horse riding, cycling and dog walking – plus a general guide on how to look after the forest. In Fontainebleau, codes for the same activities – are displayed on signs or "Charte des activités touristiques et sportives” in the forest car parks. All of these codes carry important messages to help tourists and locals alike do their bit to protect the two unique sites.
The project team keeps all involved and all interested in PROGRESS updated through a four-monthly newsletter. All the project news is included along with specific updates from the New Forest and Fontainebleau. Alterra also provide information on the scientific side of PROGRESS, and readers can find out more about the stakeholders on both side of the Channel. Visit the newsletter page of the website to download the latest issue.
The project will also aim to forge closer working relationships with schools, raise awareness of conservation issues through new website developments, work with local health authorities to help with health walks, and produce visitor information packs.
It is hoped that these actions combined will help the project team to better plan recreation in both the New Forest and Fontainebleau Forest, as well as protecting these beautiful areas for years to come.