Field Workshops on Wed 30th Oct 

Wild Nephin National Park

Delegates can choose two workshops.

 

1  Trails – How to manage them in a sustainable way? E- bikes – Should they be allowed inside the park? How to manage them

The workshop will take place at Letterkeen

 Wild Nephin National Park is in the process of developing new trails in order to increase visitor access to remote locations while maintaining pristine ecosystems. In this workshop, we will discuss how we can manage trails to preserve the natural beauty while fostering a balance between conservation and tourism.
2 Half the Park is After Dark & developing Overnight Accommodation in the National Park  – how can we facilitate dark sky tourism?   how can we facilitate responsible visitors to remote locations?

The workshop will take place at Letterkeen

 Dark Sky Tourism is increasing and is particularly suitable for an out of season offering.  We discuss how local communities have engaged with this concept in Mayo and offer transferable examples of how tourism can engage pro environmental behaviours and community initiatives. In conjunction, post COVID appetite for camping and overnight stays has increased. We will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of offering rustic accommodation for visitors throughout the National Park.
3 Risk management – Emergency planning for visitors in a fire, flooding, earthquake risk area

The workshop will take place at Letterkeen

 With a notable increase of visitor numbers and an increase of extreme climatic events, managers need to take risk management seriously. Wild Nephin National Park is more prone than ever to wildfires. In this workshop, we will discuss how to draw emergency planning for visitors.

 
4 Youth – How to better accommodate them in Sustainable Tourism programs?

The workshop will take place at the Visitor centre

 In this workshop, we will exchange ways of involving young people in Sustainable Tourism programs, including educational opportunities,  hands-on conservation projects and the provision of affordable, youth-friendly accommodations.
5 Engagement and Collaboration with Local Communities- How do we navigate collaboration, concerns and conflict resolution in a shared landscape?

The workshop will take place at the Visitor centre

 Communities are central to the successful implementation of Sustainable Tourism practices. This workshop will explore some key projects linking Wild Nephin National Park with the community, in the context of tourism initiatives, conservation measures and collaborations such as arts and culture projects.
6 Undertourism – How to attract people to new areas?

The workshop will take place at the Visitor centre

 First established as Ballycroy National Park in 1998 then expanded and re-named as Wild Nephin in 2018, this park has remote areas that could be promoted to get a better distribution of visitors. In this workshop, we will discuss how to promote particular areas of parks and ways to direct visitor flow to those areas.