- Protected Areas as Spaces for Creative (Tourism) Development:    163 kb by    Beriatos, Elias | beriatos@otenet.gr    Short Outline The paper refers to the network of protected areas in Greece as spaces for creative sustainable tourism development. To this purpose, the paper, after examining the existing situation, investigates the role of the main institutional, organizational and socio-political components in the context of the European and national policy for spatial planning and development. Abstract Protected Areas as Spaces for Creative (Tourism) Development The case of Greece Tourism in Greece have played an important role for the national economy and socio-economic development. Although natural and cultural environment constitutes the main tourism resources of the country, in many cases tourist activities destroy the environment which nourish them. Therefore there is a great need of environmental protection and sustainable development in the light of recent European Community Policy in the field of environment and tourism. More particularly, regarding the areas of ecological and historical value (Protected Areas considered as tourism resources), there is a great possibility of promoting new kinds of environmentally friendly tourist activities. In this respect Protected Areas serve as an important planning tool for local economy and development. In view of this trend the paper focuses on the possible sustainable ways of making tourism (and related activities) compatible with environmental management in protected areas (sites of Natura Network) ie contributing to the integration of tourism in local environmental policy. Through land use control, building regulations and other measures an effort is attempted in achieving the goal of conservation of natural habitats and the encouragement of leisure and recreation activities. To this purpose a greater consideration is given to the examination of the existing situation and perspectives of the most important national parks of Greece in order to learn from concrete examples and experiences. It follows a brief evaluation of the on going projects concerning various kinds of protected areas. Finally the paper investigates the role of the newly established managing authorities (law 3044/2002) which could play a constructive role in the environmental management as well as in the economic viability of the protected areas, in the context of a national policy for spatial planning and tourism development in Greece. Keywords Protected areas, Tourism development,Managing authorities Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2005: Making Spaces for the Creative Economy   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper