Experts on Recreational Use of Nature Meet in an International Conference in Northern Finland

The second international conference "Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas" (MMV II ) brings about one hundred experts - scientists as well as managers and officers of protected and recreational areas - to Rovaniemi, Finland, in 16-20 June, 2004. The conference is organized jointly by the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla), University of Lapland, Arctic Centre, Metsähallitus and Rovaniemi Polytechnic, and the participants come from over 20 countries in Europe, Asia, North America and South America. The keynote speakers of the conference come from Canada, USA and Finland.

During the conference, the presentations, poster sessions and discussions will cover the main topics of current interest related to the management and monitoring of visitor flows in recreational and protected areas. These include, e.g., how to combine the recreational use and tourism with the aims of nature protection, and what kind of tools are there available for combining the needs of the various recreational use and user groups. Further essential themes cover the possibilities to prevent and solve contradictions and problems. Also the tools and methods for visitor flow monitoring will be discussed. The post-congress excursions will introduce the delegates to the Korouoma Protection Area in Posio, and to the Pyhätunturi National Park and Luosto Tourist Resort.

This conference succeeds the first international conference, held in Vienna, Austria, in 2002. Being selected to host this conference is an honour to Finland, celebrating the efforts and co-operation of the Finnish Forest Research Institute and Metsähallitus (Forest and Park Service) in development of the monitoring of visitor flows. Metsähallitus has carried out standardized visitor surveys in more than 40 state owned areas since 1998. Conference is organized by the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla), University of Lapland, Arctic Centre, Metsähallitus and Rovaniemi Polytechnic.