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Report 3 (of 6): Up the Creek
- Sweden
Introduction
Vildmark i Värmland (translated as Wilderness in
Varmland) is a company located in Torsby, central
Sweden, that offers nature based activities and experiences.
Through timber rafting, canoeing and white water canoeing
the company allows people to access nature in an environmentally
friendly way. Since 1979, Vildmark i Värmland has
worked to minimise the burden on the environment by
restricting the number of guests on their activities,
and by repairing and maintaining equipment, using
local suppliers wherever possible, and providing valuable
information (in various languages) on how to move
around the countryside. All this has been aimed at
giving guests a pleasant experience while creating
long-term sustainable activities in the countryside.
Timber rafting
Timber rafting on the River Klarälven in Sweden is
one of the company's most popular activities. Rafting
helps to relieve stress as nature takes over and dictates
the pace of life. The rafts are both easy to build
and easy to dismantle after the trip. Rafting is particularly
popular with Germans, Dutch and Swedish families who
have a passion for being surrounded by nature.
The River Klarälven in Sweden
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Rafters travel through northern Värmland at a gentle
pace of 2 kilometres per hour down the Klarälven River,
from the mouth of the Vingüngssjön Lake in the north,
to Ekshärad in the south - a total distance of 110
km (68 miles). Each raft can hold between two and
five people.
Participants are expected to take a 'hands on' approach
by building the raft themselves, out of local timber
(which takes between four and six hours). Once completed,
participants set off down river with provisions and
camping equipment on board for six days, either sleeping
on the raft at night or pitching a tent on shore. The
area is considered a natural wilderness containing Sweden's
largest moose population and is a nature reserve for
many endangered species, including wolf, lynx, marten
and bear.
Constructing a Log Raft
Timber rafts used on the Klarälven are approximately
3 metres (10 feet) wide. Usually, two rafts are built
and then tied together with ropes to make a much larger
raft. They have a simple construction that is dismantled
after each trip.
Each raft is made up of three layers of logs. The
bottom layer is tied together using rope round each
end of the logs, 30 cm (one foot) in from the end.
As the raft is only held together with rope, it is
important to use the correct knots. A clove hitch
is used for the outer logs while the inner logs are
tied together using a half hitch.
When the first layer has been secured, two thinner
logs are bound across at right angles to the logs
approximately 30 cm from the end, and the next layer
of logs is laid in between these. The top layer is
completed in a similar manner but the logs in between
the outer ones do not need to be tied. Instead, the
top layer is locked in place by tying two thick logs
across the ends, which also double as benches for
the journey.
Ecotourism
Vildmark i Värmland shows how ecotourism can help
protect the environment while educating people about
how to look after it. Ecotourism is about responsible
travel that helps protect natural environments and
supports the local population's well-being. While
it is reliant on knowledgeable tour operators, it
gives threatened nature and cultural heritage an economic
value it would not otherwise have. It also brings
business to local economies and actively contributes
to conservation.
Ecotourism labels set the standard for all holiday
operators to aspire to. Many people choosing a holiday
will be put off or encouraged according to whether
an operator has been assessed for environmentally
sound practices. A label such as Nature's Best also
makes it easier for customers to find tours that offer
outdoor and cultural experiences with a guaranteed
high quality delivery of service, as well as contributing
to nature conservation and maintaining cultural values.
Nature's Best
In May 2002 Vildmark i Värmland became a Nature's
Best approved operator for their log rafting activities
and they are hoping to extend this to other activities.
Nature's Best (or Naturens Bästa in Swedish) is a
quality label for Swedish Ecotourism, launched during
the UN World Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa
in 2002, the UN International Year of Ecotourism.
Operated by the Ecotourism Association in collaboration
with the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation,
and the Swedish Travel and Tourism Council, it is
currently the first national quality label for ecotourism
in the northern hemisphere.
Nature's Best acts as a trademark for the best Swedish
nature tour operators and has been designed to guarantee
high quality tourism products, combined with contributions
to nature conservation, environmentally friendlier ways
of travelling and care for the cultural heritage of
a destination. Some of the tourism activities covered
by the label include hiking, skiing, dogsledging, canoeing
and birdwatching.
The six basic requirements for activities carrying
the Natures Best label are that they:
- respect the restrictions of the travel destination
so there is a minimum possible impact on nature
and culture;
- benefit the local economy;
- are adapted to fit the environment;
- actively contribute to nature protection and cultural
protection;
- invest in the joy of discovery, knowledge and
respect; and
- ensure quality and security.
Tour operators can apply for the label. After an
on-site visit their application is thoroughly studied
before an independent committee takes the final decision.
For further information, please contact:
Websites
http://www.sverigeflotten.se/
http://www.naturensbasta.com/
Nature's Best
http://www.ecotourism.org/
http://www.world-tourism.org/
The World Tourism Organisation is an inter-governmental
body entrusted by the United Nations to work towards
the promotion and development of tourism. It gives
general information on tourism. There is also a bookstore.
http://www.planeta.com/
A site on ecotourism, mainly in Latin America, offering
a wide range of information but also including numerous
links to ecotourism in other regions of the world.
www.eduweb.com/ecotourism/eco1.html
An interesting, informative way to get across issues
behind setting up an ecotourism project.
www.bigvolcano.com.au/ercentre/ercpage.htm
Resource information on ecotourism.
http://www.responsibletravel.com/
A tourist orientated website providing information
on how to be a responsible tourist and examples of
the types of eco-tourist holidays available worldwide.
www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/ecotourism
The UNEP's website contains information on the concept
of ecotourism and its use as a sustainable development
tool.
Further reading
Books with underlined titles can be downloaded for
free by clicking on them. Others can be ordered from
the relevant address.
United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) Books
Ecotourism:
Principles, Practices & Policies for Sustainability
(www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/library/ecotourism.htm)
US$15, UNEP, 2002, ISBN: 9280720643
The book can also be bought from UNEP or EarthPrint.
Sustainable Tourism in Protected
Areas: Guidelines for Planning and Management
US$26.25, A UNEP/IUCN/WTO publication, 2002, ISBN
2-8317-0648-3
ITDG Publishing Books
Ecotourism and Sustainable Development
Martha Honey
£18.95, Island Press, 1999, ISBN: 1559635827 Ecotourism:
An Introduction
David A. Fennel
£18.99, Routledge, 1999, ISBN: 0415201683
This document is an output from a
project funded by the UK Department for International
Development (DFID) and the European Commission (EC)
for the benefit of developing countries. The views
expressed are not necessarily those of DFID or the
EC.
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