The SHAPE project
Sustainable Heritage Areas: Partnerships for Ecotourism (SHAPE) was a three years project (2017-2020) funded by the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme.
The aim of SHAPE was to enable authorities, businesses and communities to develop innovative approaches for ecotourism initiatives which preserve, manage and create economic value from local assets. The idea behind SHAPE is that, effectively implemented, ecotourism can preserve rather than destroy the natural and cultural heritage of SHAs while increasing visitors’ understanding, providing jobs, and strengthening community cohesion.
For achieving this, the SHAPE team worked on practical solutions applicable to the stakeholders involved in the different ‘Sustainable Heritage Areas’ in the project (SHAs) and then shared those experiences transnationally and make them available to communities struggling with similar challenges across the NPA region.
To achieve its goals, SHAPE will bring together stakeholders who rarely collaborate (e.g. from natural/cultural heritage, agriculture, fisheries, tourism) and have sometimes been in conflict, to identify common goals for developing ecotourism initiatives and working together to realise them.
Project activities and outcomes
The project has worked in the 7 different Sustainable Heritage Areas (see the map below) in which project partners and the associated partner from Canada were based engaging stakeholders and developing ecotourism initiatives.
- North Karelia Biosphere Reserve, Finland.
- Nordhordland Biosphere Reserve, Norway.
- Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve, Scotland.
- Wester Ross Biosphere Reserve, Scotland.
- Snaefellsnes Regional Park, Iceland.
- Kujataa World Heritage Site, Greenland.
- Manicouagan-Uapishka Biosphere Reserve, Canada
SHAPE developed activities in each of the partner regions mapping assets, solving local challenges, building on existing activities and helping those who are in the process of developing new visitor experiences. The stakeholders shared the result of those efforts with each other through learning journeys and during the final conference. And all the results were incorporated into this dynamic platform of knowledge, structured as an e-service, set up in such a way that it continues to develop even after the project period.
Methods for participatory stakeholder engagement Ecotourism initiatives Learning journeys
Study of governance structures Analysis of marketing trends and approaches Conference 2020
Project partners
SHAPE project partners were biosphere reserves and regional parks (Sustainable Heritage Areas, or SHAs) and universities from Finland, Norway, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland at it involved 33 associated partners from Canada, Faroes, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, and Sweden.
Project partners:
- University of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland (Lead Partner).
- University of Karelia Applied Sciences, Finland.
- Centre for Economic Development, Transport and Environment for North Karelia, Finland.
- Nordhordland Development, Norway.
- Kujalleq Municipality, Greenland.
- Snaefellsnes Regional Park, Iceland.
- Southern Uplands Partnership, Scotland.
- Wester Ross Biosphere, Scotland.
Contact us
- SHAPE Project Manager:
Dr. Rosalind Bryce
rosalind.bryce.perth@uhi.ac.uk