Ruritage
Community-led regeneration of Zagori through the development of a sustainable transhumance tourism product
In 2019, the EcoΜuseum Zagori participated in the research project RURITAGE, of the HORIZON (H2020) programme, on the regeneration of mountain/rural areas in Europe and beyond. The aim of the project was to transform mountain areas into laboratories for sustainable development through the promotion of their cultural and natural heritage. The EcoΜuseum Zagori, through its participation in the RURITAGE project network, developed an action plan for the regeneration of the Zagori region, creating international partnerships while promoting the region worldwide.
The EcoΜuseum’s action plan aimed to raise awareness of the local community on environmental sustainability and the role of tourism in the use of local cultural and natural resources for local development. The project focused on adding value to the current practice of transhumance as a means of incentivizing local pastoralists to remain active while generating additional income through tourism. The actions carried out further contributed to addressing the problems of degradation and abandonment of the area, encouraging younger generations to get involved towards a locally perceived strategy for branding the place. According to the benefits analysis carried out with the local community, the project proposed transhumance as a new tourism product and a repository of intangible heritage, memory and know-how. Considering that the culture of Zagori has been shaped by transhumant livestock farmers, its rural landscape is interconnected by numerous networks of paths of considerable cultural value.
Funding source: European Union’s Horizon 2020
Duration: 2018-2022
Partners: Ruritage Network – Ruritage Network (ruritage-network.eu)
Links:
POSTER: Microsoft PowerPoint – AR Poster template_Paris_ RURITAGE_zagori (1) (1),
Cultural Routes and Heritage Education in Zagori Ecomuseum – Ruritage
