EXCHANGE OF KNOW HOW
:
Expert missions were
organized among geoparks
aiming the exchange of
experience and know how
among partners.
Project partners along
with coordination meetings
organized in a different
project partner each time
had the opportunity to
visit the hosting
geopark's infrastructures
and services and discuss
the stage of development,
the organization of
geoparks
activities and any weak
points.
Exchange of Know how
between Geoparks
In the course of the first
semester of 2005, the
Natural history Museum of
the Lesvos Petrified
Forest (MPFL) and the
Reserve Geologique de
Haute Provence (RGHP) have
been working together to
exchange know-how in
various fields in
different forms.
- 1. A meeting of staff
in charge of management
the shops
2. A training session for
technical staff in the
area of making casts of
fossils (scientific
quality).
The RGHP greeted the
manager of the MFPL shop
to explain how the shops
function and exchange
information on the
practices and results of
each structure in their
local context.
The points discussed
concerned the following
areas: Knowledge of the
clientele, The products
sold and their prices,
Museographic presentation
of products, The local
context, Local craftsmen
and their products, The
search for new products,
The strong and weak points
of our operations.
This exchange led to:
better understanding
between partners,
raising awareness to
tourist’s buying behaviour,
identifying sources of
information for the
purchase of new products,
understanding the need to
raise awareness among
players to the creation of
products corresponding to
our clientele’s
expectations,
providing a valuable human
experience since the staff
involved in this exchange
is not usually able to
move or become involved in
European programmes,
considering the
possibility of shared
products in the future,
providing training for
technical staff on the
making of plaster casts of
fossils.
This is a skill the RGHP
has been developing over
the past 20 years, in
particular with the
scientifically accurate
replica of the ammonite
slab (250m2, 1,500
ammonites) for the Iron &
Steel Museum in Kamaishi
City, Japan.
Two RGHP technicians went
to Lesvos to train MFPL
technicians in these
skills that may have
various applications:
scientific, commercial,
protection...
This session led to:
raising awareness of the
team to other techniques
and providing them with
know-how, envisaging
commercial development of
this activity,
highlighting the activity
of technical trainers who
are not usually players in
European programmes,
providing a human
experience through the
exchange of cultures,
practices, mutual
understanding and
discovery leading to a
desire to pursue such
cooperation.
In conclusion, this type
of action organized in the
context of this programme,
Interreg IIIC provided
excellent conditions for
cooperation with
long-lasting results. When
it has been possible to
engage such a movement
between individuals and
structures it usually
persists well beyond a
particular programme.
Similar exchanges are
planned between Marble
Arch Caves geoaprk (N.
Ireland - UK) and
Psiloritis geopark
(Greece)
EXCHANGE OF
EXHIBITIONS
:
In 2004, the Natural
history Museum of the
Lesvos Petrified Forest (MPFL)
presented an exhibition
corresponding to the
Reserve Geologique de
Haute Provence (RGHP)
expectations on fossil
olive, bay and pine trees
with many fossil
specimens, photographs,
artefacts representing the
use of mythology with
respect to time,
documents, ceramics...That
same year, the RGHP
prepared an exhibition on
a dinosaur found in its
region comprising a
reconstruction of the
dinosaur, fossils,
explanatory panels,
photographs, etc. The RGHP
expanded the dinosaur
theme to the geological
period of its presence to
send the exhibition to
Lesvos and give it more
general appeal.Each
partner had the texts for
their exhibitions
translated from English
into their own languages
(Greek and French), to
make these exhibitions
available in three
languages: English, Greek
and French.
Through these exhibitions
it was possible to:
Undertake communication
actions (Mention in the
national and local printed
press as well as regional
and national television
(Greece),
- Official inaugurations
with strong presence of
personalities,
Welcome of the official
French and Greek
delegations, Creation of
communication materials:
posters, brochures)
Exchange local products
available for sale in the
museum shops
Raise awareness among all
our local partners to the
importance of our European
cooperation through a
concrete example.
Promote the partner
territory and the Interreg
IIIC programme in every
sector
Develop teamwork by
integrating cultural
differences and the
constraints of geographic
distance
ORGANISATION OF
OPEN CONFERENCES
ON GEOTOURISM
DEVELOPMENT :
2003 Conference
held on 2-5 October 2003
in Anogia - Crete – Greece
The open conference
examined specific topics
on geotourism, crucial for
the success of the
operation. The subjects of
the open meeting were:
Geoconservation in
Balkan Area
Geotourism and
Education
2004 Conference
held on 29-31 October 2004
in Madonie Geopark -
Sicily - Italy
This
open conference examined
specific topics on
geotourism, crucial for
the success of the
operation.
The main subject was
methodologies to attract
young people to visit
geoparks through several
activities.
2005: Conference held on 5-8 October
2005 in Lesvos island –
Greece
The open conference
concluded with
the results of the project
and in parallel
examined
the results of the
operation in
specific topics on
geotourism
development.
The subjects of the open
meeting
are:
Geological heritage
protection and management
European Geoparks Network
– actual situation and
future perspectives
Geoparks, geotourism and
sustainable development in
rural areas
Geoparks – attracting the
new generation
Geoparks as tools for
environmental education
European and International
initiatives on
geoconservation and local
development