Local | PANORAMA

Establishing minimum criteria for the location, design, and functions of the trail centres, and the information that they must provide to users

Architectural sketch of trail centre

Tegnestuen Mejeriet

Architectural sketch of trail centre

Matters

To ensure the success of trail centres, the project members developed a number of minimum criteria for the location and design of the trail centres. Criteria was also established regarding the minimum service functions that the trail centres need to accommodate as well as the information that centres need to present.

Minimum criteria:

located at the centre of a varied range of trails, routes, and tracks that are preferably marked
situated in an interesting park area, terrain, landscape or natural area
information about e.g. the routes’ terrain, length, degree of difficulty, changes in altitude
parking spaces
a common room that all sports associations can use
a covered area for e.g. gatherings, warm-up stretches, abdominal exercises
a good range of relevant service functions

Each of the centres that have been, or are being, developed adhere to these minimum criteria. They are all located in or near natural environments that provide access to different outdoor sporting activities. Core service functions are integral to the architectural designs of each centre.

Communication with local partners to understand user needs and determine core design functions.
Clear vision: Project members established core purposes of trail centres
- Increasing social coexistence and understanding across different user-groups
- Developing all-in-one facilities that meet different user-group needs
- Increasing participation in, and accessibility of, nature-based sports/exercise
- Increasing awareness of, and interest in, the nature that underpins their activities
- Inspiring others to establish high-quality trail centres based on the above goals

Cross-sectorial collaboration is crucial for determining what criteria is deemed necessary for successful centres, as well as to better understand user needs.
Establishing minimum criteria for trail centres ensures that these will accommodate and fulfil the service functions that are required and desired by users – critical for informing the architectural design of the centres.
Determining minimum criteria also ensures that trail centres are situated in natural areas that provide opportunities for diverse outdoor activities. This guarantees that trail centres are located in the most suitable natural environments and in areas where many activities can be practiced. In some cases, it also provides opportunities to bridge the gap between urban and natural environments and facilitates access to nature for urban populations.
Requiring trail centres to share information about their surrounding areas ensures that users have easy access to information relating to their outdoor activities as well as the best-practices and codes of conduct that one must adhere to whilst participating in outdoor nature-based activities.

North Europe

Trail Centres: Bringing together outdoor sports and nature conservation

Casper

Lindemann

Establishing minimum criteria for the location, design, and functions of the trail centres, and the information that they must provide to users

Cross-sectorial cooperation and participatory approach to planning and design

Increasing and improving access to natural spaces and outdoor sporting activities

Educating users about how to respect and behave responsibly in nature

North Europe

Trail Centres: Bringing together outdoor sports and nature conservation

Casper

Lindemann

Establishing minimum criteria for the location, design, and functions of the trail centres, and the information that they must provide to users

Cross-sectorial cooperation and participatory approach to planning and design

Increasing and improving access to natural spaces and outdoor sporting activities

Educating users about how to respect and behave responsibly in nature

4. Post-release monitoring and genetic monitoring

The purpose of this block was to assess how successful the reinforcement was. Field sign surveys of all water bodies and waterways in Knapdale were conducted every six months alongside camera trapping. Additionally, there was an intensive capture and sampling effort in 2019 to help establish breeding success and, in 2020, a survey to investigate any potential expansion by the beavers outside of Knapdale. The RZSS WildGenes team measured genetic diversity in the Knapdale population post-release, comparing it to the pre-release genetic diversity.

The expertise of RZSS, the cooperation of Forestry and Land Scotland and the assistance of the Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation.

It would have been beneficial to use drones to obtain footage of the release site before and after the translocation. This would have been an excellent way to monitor the transformation of the environment by the beavers.

Local

3. Translocation of additional beavers into Knapdale to reinforce populations

The purpose of this block was to ensure each beaver was released according to best practice, maximising welfare and survival chances. Beavers to be released were given individual identification numbers, received a full health screening by the RZSS vet team and had blood samples taken to genetically confirm they were Eurasian (Castor fiber) and not North American (C. canadensis). The beavers were released into lochs known to be vacant either alone, in pairs, or in family groups. After each release, the location was checked 24 hours later and then a field sign survey conducted six weeks post-release. Each release loch was also monitored for six weeks between release and field sign monitoring with camera traps.

The partnership of RZSS which, as a zoo-based conservation organisation, was able to contribute the cumulative skills and expertise of vets, keepers, geneticists and reintroduction scientists. SWT engaged with the government regarding licensing.

Translocations are dynamic situations to which adaptability and flexibility are key. Animals can arrive unexpectedly, requiring people on standby throughout and using a lot of resources.

Local

2. Identify the sources of additional beavers to be used to reinforce the population.

The purpose of this block was to ensure that the beavers selected for the reinforcement were appropriate to translocate to a new location and were of the correct origin (Bavarian) to ensure new genetic material was introduced through the reinforcement.

The cooperation of and good relationships with landowners in Tayside and private holders of beavers. RZSS WildGenes team to establish the origin of the beavers as Bavarian.

Some landowners remained negatively disposed towards beavers even following beaver removal for translocation and some translocation capture sites in conflict zones were recolonised by beavers. Thus removal via translocation is not always an effective solution for beaver human wildlife conflict and more investment into mitigation to allow landowners to live alongside beavers is required.

Local

1. Identification of the low genetic diversity and small population size of beavers in Knapdale.

The purpose of this block was to understand the likelihood of the population’s extirpation and the scale of the reinforcement needed. A survey was conducted in 2016 to establish the size of the Knapdale beaver population and each individual’s location. RZSS WildGenes measured the genetic diversity of the Knapdale population using a high density genetic marker panel.

The expertise of the RZSS WildGenes team and the resources and expertise needed to collect data.

Conservation translocations need genetic data prior to carrying out translocations where possible to avoid the problems addressed by this solution.

Local

West and South Europe

Beavers in Knapdale: Scottish Beavers Reinforcement Project

Helen

Senn

1. Identification of the low genetic diversity and small population size of beavers in Knapdale.

2. Identify the sources of additional beavers to be used to reinforce the population.

3. Translocation of additional beavers into Knapdale to reinforce populations

4. Post-release monitoring and genetic monitoring

Interpretation of the therapeutic cultural landscape of spa towns

Guided tour during the Spa Architecture Days - the Electric Plant

Studiogovora & Marius Vasile

Guided tour during the Spa Architecture Days - the Ferdinand Spring

Studiogovora & Marius Vasile

There is an increased emphasis put on linking natural and cultural heritage into the activities of visitors coming to spas, developing experiences that are both leisure and part of the cure programme, alongside existing medical practices. This is also a reminder of how spas were conceived in the 19th century as beautiful hospitals, where the built and natural environment contributed significantly to the cure, health, and well-being of people. Govora offers an ideal place to develop a unique tourist offer for Romania, where heritage makes a measurable contribution to the health and well-being of residents and visitors.

Within the Govora Heritage Lab, Studiogovora is currently working on an interpretation plan about the complexity of Govora’s heritage, aiming to raise awareness within the local community, decision-makers and visitors.The aim is to preserve the heritage values, while influencing development, and foster community’s stewardship. Alongside the interpretation plan, the team organises guided tours, exhibits, and promotes the spa town on social media and in the press.

Team members specialised in interpretation of cultural heritage through training with Interpret Europe
Extensive research into balneary heritage
Lack of heritage interpretation on a local level

The current state of local heritage plays an important role in shaping the story of the place. It is challenging to talk about how the resort functioned in the past and present the possibilities for an optimistic and feasible future when so many buildings are in disrepair.

Heritage interpretation is still very much linked to the authorised heritage discourse, heritage designation and recognition. It is still challenging to create a participatory and inclusive approach to heritage interpretation, when people expect others to “take care of heritage” and establish top-down approaches.

The team periodically conducts interviews to gather personal stories. Both visitors and residents are willing to share and become enthusiastic when these are included in the interpretation offered by Studiogovora in the guided tours, and this has also led to a rise in the number of locals attending.

Inception phase

Local

Policy tools to improve local heritage management

Presenting the guide to local decision-makers

Studiogovora & Marius Vasile

Best practices guide

Studiogovora

The numerous buildings in need of repair or conservation create the need for clear guidelines. Local authorities lack the capacity to guide owners or translate urban regulations into decisions and the town’s historic landscape is threatened by new buildings, extensions and restorations which conflict with its specific character and natural landscape.

Following the rise in requests for professional advice, Studiogovora published a best practice guide for preserving valuable characteristics. The guide builds on a detailed analysis of the buildings, historic spa complex and public spaces. It describes each type of architectural element: facades, ornamentation, balconies and terraces, roofing etc., extending to the courtyard and its relationship with the landscape. It outlines a set of rules, identifies valuable elements, and puts them in a larger context, suggesting solutions for repairing elements, and contemporary interventions.

The Guide was developed in cooperation with heritage professionals and it has been adopted by local authorities as a set of official recommendations that will be supported and monitored by a newly established local planning commission. The guide is available for free online and it is also available to be purchased in physical format.

Existing need for capacity building within the local administration to better understand heritage requirements and manage requests for renovations and new constructions.
Cooperation with the Town Hall on architecture and heritage issues.
Existing network of heritage practitioners with diverse backgrounds and knowledge.
Existing funding options for developing best practice guidelines - The National Chamber of Architects finances such projects.

Best practice guidelines are still uncommon in Romania, where administrative and professional practice generally pays attention only to official documents - norms or laws - ignoring political, civic and administrative accountability for local policies.
Having local decision makers accept and implement advice from civil society takes trust and time.
Advice from civil society needs to be accompanied by institutional measures and support: financial incentives, better enforcement of construction regulations.
There is a significant shortage in craftsmen and contractors that have the knowledge and skills to work on historic buildings (both locally and nationally, as many construction workers left to work abroad). Training new ones requires long term thinking at a national level.

Implementation

Local

Govora best practice guidelines (Romanian)