Local Development Pilot Project: Island of Cres

Tatjana Lolić, Ministry of Culture, Conservation Department in Zagreb

Project Coordinator

10th Annual Meeting of the South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage “Intangible Cultural Heritage and World Heritage: synergies and coordination between the UNESCO 2003 and 1972 Conventions” Brač, Croatia, 14-15 June 2016

BACKGROUND

• Within the Regional Programme for Cultural and Natural Heritage in South East Europe the Council of Europe, together with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia initiated the Local Development Pilot Project

• One of the key specific objectives of the Pilot Project was to create a long-term development plan for the medium sized coherent territory, identified on the basses of the shared geographic – cultural – traditional and economical profile of the territory rather than through the administrative borders.

• The application of LDPP principles implement the Framework Convention on value of the cultural heritage for society and the European Landscape Convention to align countries strategies with the principals and methods of the 2014 – 2020 EU cohesion policy.

• Approach promotes: democratic culture, specific development model, social and economic values of heritage and community in the centre of the process

THE TERRITORY • Island of Cres is the biggest Adriatic island (405,7

km2) • 2 municipalities (Cres and Mali Lošinj) • Only 3.055 inhabitants (depopulation trends) • The pilot territory covers the whole island of Cres,

which is characterised by very steep coastlines.

• Island is parcelled out by long stretches of dry-stone

walls which testify to the century-long cattle and

agricultural farms,forming a specific cultural

landscape.

• TOWN AND THE VILLAGES Urban features displays only the Town of Cres, while the other place are mostly of rural character, or historic towns which acquired a specific urban-rural character during time Typical settlements are positioned throughout the inland.

CHALLENGES ON NATIONAL LEVEL: • Difficulties to preserve

vernacular heritage;

depopulation of rural

area, abandonment of

traditional agriculture, property rights issues

• Typical rural

Mediterranean

architecture illustrates

villages and over 50

abandoned complexes

of the shepherd’s

facilities forming a

specific feature within

the social economic structure of the island.

CHALLENGES ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL:

• Development of a model to preserve the Mediterranean type of architecture without the need to register the single goods (type protection)

• More than hundreds of abandoned Romanesque and Gothic chapels are situated throughout these uninhabited expanses, places of historical gatherings, shelters and prayers far from the populated areas

CHALLENGES ON NATIONAL LEVEL • Protection of landscape is regulated by 2 different laws (culture and nature)

• Apart from the woody northern part the island’s landscape is mainly bare rocky countryside

• Vrana lake is huge natural water-reservoir

• Between 60 and 80 couples of griffon vultures nest within this area today.

CHALLENGES ON NATIONAL LEVEL:

• Job creation, to stop depopulation trends on Croatian islands

• The key island activities represent: tourism, agriculture, hunting and fishing.

• Traditional economy includes sheep-raising, olive growing and agriculture. Sheep-raising is an important additional activity of the population. There are 15000 sheep that are freely moving across the island.

• Easy profit from tourism is another reason for abandoning traditional types of activities, even if unlike many other Croatian islands, the island of Cres is relatively poorly developed in terms of mass tourism. Short seasonal tourism attracts visitors who settle almost exclusively in the town of Cres where all the accommodation capacities are located

OBJECTIVES • To capitalise on local assets, highlighting their very specific quality and

creating new top-quality local products of great additional value. • The characteristics of the pilot territory, which the local population interpret as

negative (isolation, underdevelopment, low population density, insufficient presence of modern types of economy), can become the basis for specific development by means of the future territorial development project, and grow into a kind of asset: prevention of mass tourism development; revitalisation of cultural and natural heritage as one of the bearers of economy development; promotion of traditional crafts and types of economy; the creation of high-quality, distinctive local products; employment and education of the local population; development based on taking advantage of the existing characteristics that are of great additional value.

• Mediation, resolution of the conflicts of interest, and the participation of all stakeholders will lead to appropriate decisions about the elaboration of long-term national and regional programmes.

APPROACH

• Participative approach carried out by LDPP team:

- 20 workshops on Heritage, Economy, Governance and Social environment

- Over 100 participants from local community, regional and national authorities and institutions

- 17 coordination meetings of countries and Council of Europe

- 10 inter-ministerial working group sessions

- 3 national round table on regional development

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE, THE DOCUMENTS SIGNED

• Political Statement

• Terms of Reference

• The Strategic Notes

• The Strategic Statement

• The Diagnosis of the Territory

• Strategy

• Territory Charter

• Interministerial Commission It is the body established at national level and consisting of representatives from partner ministries. Decision on adopting Diagnosis, Strategy, Operational Programme and Territory Charter.

• Steering Committee consists of local and regional politically elected and opposition representatives, institutions and civil organisations, as well as local development stakeholders. Steering Committee is comprised of 15-20 members, and is chaired by the mayor of the town of Cres.

• Project Implementation UnitThe PIU is managed by the Project Manager. Project Implementation Unit prepares annual programmes of activities, including the budget and communication plan, organises working groups, elaborates a one-year action plan (working programme, schedule, budget).

TERRITORIAL DIAGNOSIS

LANDSCAPE SURVEY

HERITAGE SURVEY

TERRITORIAL STRATEGY

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY AND MANAGEMENT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ISLAND

TERRITORY STRATEGY 2014 - 2025

PEOPLE AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE CENTRE OF THE DEVELOPMENT

TERRITORIAL STRATEGY

LONG TERM IMPACT, REPLICATION

• The alternative approach to sustainable development based on the wise management of local cultural resources, community-led projects, place-based strategies

• Acting on living standards and the quality of life, the community led decision making process, the co-management and consensus building;

• New relations between institutional stakeholders and the civil society, the integration of the local skills and competencies in the development process, the specificity of the local practices recognised and accepted to contribute to the development process, etc.

• Conference on regional and local development in the context of Faro Convention

• To be held on Island of Cres within Croatian presidency of SEECP

• Step forward, lesson learned, potential in the heritage led, community centred approach.

SEECP Conference 48-30 April 2017

20

Thank you!