2nd International Workshop on Conservation Biology

Alternative approach to nature conservation with social entrepreneurship

Not scheduled

UP FAMNIT, Koper, Slovenia

Speaker

Mr Iztok Erjavec (Institute for Sustainable Development and Holistic Solutions – InTeRCeR)

Description

Is it possible to achieve restoration of traditional landscapes with their landscape and biodiversity through enabling new opportunities for employment of people living in these areas and sustainable development of these areas? We are working on the project Land sharing to achieve this goal. Aim of project is reintroduction of old farming practices which build traditional cultural landscapes. We will establish frame conditions for sustainable development in rural areas with intergenerational cooperation between elderly owners of small multipurpose farm in the countryside and unemployed people in towns for improvement of their economic and social situation. Cooperation will restore multipurpose organic farming which took place in the past and transfer this knowledge from older generations who actively participated in these farming practices to younger generations with work on the land. This is a new nature protection concept based on reintroduction of traditional multipurpose organic agriculture through cooperation between land users, people who are working on the land and nature conservation. Reintroduction of traditional multipurpose organic agriculture will restore and preserve traditional landscapes, their ecological and economic functions with ecosystem services and enable endangered flora and fauna species existence in these landscapes. This is new approach for solving more problems combined (economic, social, demographical, educational, environmental and nature conservational) with solutions that are not expensive. The aim is not to lead people but connect them together to cooperate and help them by their work. This will restore sustainability which was present in the past, but is getting lost, because we have a generational gap between people. We want to close this gap and provide opportunities for generations to work together for a common goal. In the time of crisis new opportunities arise, we just have to take different approach and change the thinking which brought us in this situation. In this process we will establish social cooperative for production and marketing of regional organic food products, promote sustainable development of landscapes with introduction of eco-innovations and old farming practices. With our model we will strengthen the local economy and rural development with community supported agriculture.