Latvian Nature Common Code of Conduct

By project CIBioGo

Published on 14 December 2023

Latvia

About this good practice

The goal of Latvian Nature Common Code of Conduct (further - Code) is to protect and preserve the future the values of nature - habitats, landscapes - environment created by the interaction of man and nature. The context for development of the Code is based on a fact, that so far information has been scattered and difficult find for any target group, as different regulations and organization are in charge about the natural capital management in Latvia. The code has been developed by direct engagement of ~50 various stakeholders and organizations. The Code offers a collection of rules and recommendations for every visitor of nature areas of different types. It was developed by ecotourism researchers and practitioners as concise guidelines for outdoor camping, visiting nature trails and exploring recreation and nature protections areas. The Code is built on a list of simple principles such as “no not disturb”, “take away what you have brought”, etc. to promote nature friendly and socially acceptable visitor behavior in public and private nature areas. The Code will reach its target audience through communication and wider adoption by tourism sector and nature protection agencies. This is a common framework for organizations responsible for the design and maintenance of recreation areas. The main beneficiaries of the practice will be institutions responsible for maintenance of recreation areas and nature protection agencies as well as general public.

Resources needed

The funding of this project was 40 000 EUR (European green Belt, Best belt). Latvian Nature Common Code of Conduct is completed and published online (Latvian and English versions). The plan is to extend and elaborate it when needed.

Evidence of success

The success depends on the scale of adoption among the tourists and visitors. The first major result was stakeholder involvement – bringing together ~ 50 municipalities, agencies, forest owners and others to identify the scope of problems and agree on common rules for preferred actions. The process of developing the material has earned a lot of recognition, the material has been published in more than 20 organization's websites, as well social network platforms and translated to English.

Potential for learning or transfer

The learning and transfer potential will increase, as municipalities and other stakeholders will implement the Latvian Nature Common Code of Conduct in practice – what projects and communication techniques will work best to inform and guide the behavior of different users.
The main learning aspects to transfer are:
1) user friendly design - empathic translation of legal documents and regulations in user relevant language, simple explanations and illustrations, all necessary information and hyperlinks at the same document;
2) wide range stakeholder involvement and applicability level of material - more than 50 different stakeholders were involved - public organizations, NGO's, entrepreneurs and experts that represent nature protection and governance, territory management and tourism.