The document provides information about two protected areas in Italy and Switzerland - Gran Sasso-Laga National Park in Italy and UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch in Switzerland. It describes the general characteristics of each park, including location, size, population, and land use. It also discusses initiatives in each park aimed at promoting rural tourism and enhancing local agricultural productions, such as Slow Food presidia and a network of guardian farmers in Gran Sasso-Laga and a label for over 300 high quality regional products in Entlebuch.

1. Tourist indexes*
General information about the two ParksGRAN SASSO-LAGA NATIONAL PARK
Agricultural farms and surfaces
5th Symposium for Research
in Protected Areas,
10-12 June 2013, Mittersill
UNESCO BIOSPHÄRE ENTLEBUCH
* Only Abruzzo Region (in total 44 Municipalities and 150,000 ha Park surface)
* * excluded the city of L'Aquila, 72,696 inhabitants in 2010
Agricultural land uses (ha)
Park
Guardian
Restaurants
Guardian
Farmers
Tourists,
Inhabitants
Slow
FoodMinistry of
Agriculture
LAZIOLAZIO
ABRUZZOABRUZZO
MARCHEMARCHE
The role of protected areas for rural tourism:
a depiction of Swiss and Italian cases
Rita SALVATORE1, Emilio CHIODO2, Fabian KÜHNEL-WIDMANN3
1
University of Teramo, Faculty of Communication sciences (Italy), rsalvatore@unite.it
2
University of Teramo, Faculty of Bioscience and technology for food agriculture and environment (Italy) echiodo@unite.it
3
Fabian Kühnel-Widmann, Hochschule Luzern – ITW (Schweiz) fabian.kuehnel-widmann@hslu.ch
It has become more and more
evident that natural parks will
realize their conservation goal
as far as the use of territory
by human activities will happen
according to a deeper synergy
with an active maintenance of
biodiversity.
THEORETICAL APPROACH PURPOSE STATEMENT
The interaction between
environmental policies,
agriculture and destination
promotion generates a situation
that fosters quality in local
development of mountainous
regions and maintains
agricultural biodiversity.
How and at what extent protected
areas can contribute to protect and
enhance the production of high quality
regional products through the
promotion of particular niche tourisms?
The depiction of two protected areas
(in Italy and in Switzerland) helps in
understanding the relation between
these processes and the territorial
context.
ISSUE QUESTION
The parks’ role in enhancing local productions
Gran Sasso Laga park’s projects
- 4 Slow Food presidia (Canestrato di Castel del
Monte, Pecorino di Farindola – both sheep
milk cheese – Mortadella di Campotosto,
Lenticchie di S. Stefano)
- Network of Guardian Farmers (about 140
farmers who are safeguarding traditional
cultivation at risk)
- Network of Guardian Restaurants which are
available to use the protected and
autochthonous species in their recipes.
Echt Entlebuch
(real Entlebuch) label
It is now well known for its rural character and
distinctive historical grown and well
maintained sense of culture and origin.
- over 300 labeled products of comestibles
and natural products (dairy, meat, herbs, tea,
honey, jams, syrup, liquors, pastry and
wooden handcrafts)
- over 50 farms/enterprises with their
outstanding quality. .
Surface: about 150,000 ha
Located in the Apennines Mountains in Center
Italy
3 regions involved (Abruzzo, Lazio and
Marche)
44 municipalities (40 in the Abruzzo region)
229 minor historical settlements
Elevation: from 219 meters to the highest
peak of the Apennines, Corno Grande (2,912
meters)
Instituted by law in 1991, operative from
1995
Main characteristics:
 protection of natural and cultural
landscape; the landscape matrix, no longer
supported by the related traditional
economies, is slowly but progressively
disappearing
 high percentage of aged residents, daily or
weekly commuting to the cities and valleys,
low entrepreneurial vivacity
 big number of small and often
nonprofessional farms intensively imbedded in
the social context
 tourist establishments +81% (beds +42%),
overnights +38% in last 10 years
 the number of beds in non conventional
touristic establishments (agrotourism, B&B,
etc.) passed from 35% to 56% of total in 10
years
Surface: 39,451 ha
Located in Central Switzerland in the Major
valley of the river Emme, between the cities of
Berne and Lucerne
Inhabitants 17.000
Elevation: from 620 meters to the peak of the
Brienzer Rothorn (2,349 meters)
Land use: woods (43%), farmland (30%),
mountain pastures (18%), human settlement
(3%) , unproductive surface of moor and rocks
(7%).
More than 50% under special protection, mainly
to preserve moors.
In 2001 Entlebuch was registered as a
biosphere reserve by the UNESCO.
Main characteristics:
 model region for responsible economic
activity and sensible management. Even skis and
electric power are produced by ‘partners’ of the
UBE
 agriculture is the most important economical
activity and it heavily dominates the landscape
 the share of people working in the first
sector (agriculture and forest) is at 34.2% (a
national record)
 a big share of up to 40% derives from
additional income, like agro-tourism and other
multifunctional activities
General information
GRAN SASSO
LAGA
ECHT
ENTLEBUCH
Number of Municipalities * 40 7
Municipalities' Surface (ha) 227.800 39.600
Park Surface (ha) 125.284 39.600
Altitude of Municipalities mslm (min / max) 263 1.420 620 1.159
Population Year 2010** 62.615 16.638
Var. % population 2010/2000 -1,4 -1,2
Average population for municipality 1.606 2.377
Tourist indexes
GRAN SASSO
LAGA
ECHT
ENTLEBUCH
Average stay (days) 4,1 1,9
Occupancy rate (days) 62 77
Tourist function (%) 2,5 4
Tourist density 0,9 1,7
Tourist intensity 1,6 3,1
* Only hotels; excluded the city of L'Aquila
Agricultural farms and surfaces
GRAN SASSO
LAGA
ECHT
ENTLEBUCH
Number of farms 5.176 974
Organic 163 60
With direct selling 1.730 25
UAA (Utilized Agricultural Area) (ha) 61.554 18.568
Variation % UAA 2010/2000 2,8
UAA / Territorial surface (%) 27,0 46,9
GRAN SASSO LAGA ECHT ENTLEBUCH
Crops 19.204 Intensively used agricultural land 11.000
Permanent crops 3.154 Alpine farming 6.200
Grasslands 38.961 Extensively used agricultural land 3.000
Cows (number) 12.918 27.500
Sheep (number) 67.437 4.500