In 2007, the German government adopted the National Strategy on Biological Diversity (NBS). In the follow-up, the Federal Ministery for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) organised a number of national and regional panels, communicating the strategy to the general public and seeking the taregt groups’ assitance with the implementation of the stratgey. As the topic nature leisure activities and tourism hadn’t been incorporated in the strategy, ETE decided to implement a project addressing this matter.

The project aimed at drawing attention to the interrelation of nature conservation, natural landscapes and tourism. The importance of this interrelation has been promoted among stakeholders from the tourism sector and nature, environmental and leisure associations by facilitating communication and exchange, workshops, the establishment of new cooperations and networks as well as the provision of material for capacity building and the implementation of model projects.