Day 2 - Thursday 14 May, 2009
Day 2 - Private Lands and Public / Private Partnerships
Registration for Day Delegates and Late Arrivals
Morning
Plenary Session
9:45 - 10:45
The View from the Private Estates : Realising Market Demand
This paper examines the history and development of mountain biking on the Queensberry Estate and its relationship with the development of the 7Stanes. It will examine the opportunities and constraints associated with developing mountain biking at Queensberry and of other private estates in Scotland. This will include issues such as: integration with other land uses, investment considerations, sustainability and profitability. The paper will also consider issues such as branding, positioning and marketing in the context of the Estate and the wider destination. Importantly, the paper will include a review of market trends within mountain biking and the opportunities for the private sector to develop products that the public sector would find difficult to fund. As a result, the paper aims to set a new agenda for private sector investment in mountain biking.
Research Collaboration: Professor Terry Stevens, Yvonne Crook and Gwern Evans (The Stevens View Partnership)
Mark Coombs,
Estate Manager, Drumlanrig, Buccleuch Estates
Professor Terry Stevens,
Stevens & Associates
Followed by Delegates' Questions
Coffee & Networking
10:45 - 11:15
Workshop Sessions
12:00 - 13:00
Delegates are required to select ONE Workshop (B1 - B6) per session - Sessions are repeated in the afternoon
B1: UNDP- MONTENEGRO: NATURE BASED TOURISM, LESSONS LEARNED
Regional development imbalances in Montenegro have not been significantly reduced with the recent economic growth in the country. The northern region lags behind the central and southern with unemployment rate double and poverty three times as high. UNDP, a global development network that connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life, works on reducing poverty in Montenegro through supporting ‘green’ business establishment in the areas of tourism and agriculture within protected area systems. Within the tourism sector, UNDP with the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Protection of Montenegro have worked on developing wilderness hiking and biking in the north and establishing the region as a centre for adventure tourism.
Milica Begovic,
UNDP, Montenegro
B2: REDUCING USER GROUP CONFLICTS
An Opportunities Approach to Reducing Conflict on Trails in British Columbia
It has long been recognised that trail use conflict is often rooted in one particular group's perceptions of another group's values as well as actual trail use encounters. Another important element of conflict, particularly present in British Columbia is the loss or the threat of loss of opportunities available to a particular user group. The collaboratively developed Trails Strategy for British Columbia applies a broad strategic approach that considers conflict from an opportunities perspective. The Strategy proposes to undertake regional trail planning that considers and evaluates appropriate opportunities available to various user groups that recognises and protects the range of values important to each group.
John Hawkings,
Recreation Sites & Trails Section
Ministry of Tourism, Culture & the Arts
British Columbia, Canada
Integrated Management and Avoiding Conflict in Protected Areas - A Case Study
The growth of mountain-biking in Scotland led to significant demand for new facilities. In some areas this has led some tensions between conflicting forest uses and between different user groups. This presentation describes, through a Case Study based in the Cairngorms National Park, the solutions being used to ensure that an integrated approach to management for recreation and conservation can be developed and conflicts minimised.
David Jardine,
Forest District Manager - Inverness, Ross & Skye
Forestry Commission Scotland
B3: ADVOCACY - NEEDS AND ROLES
Access to suitable terrain is fundamental to the successful and sustainable future of mountain biking. With issues of safety, environmental impact and user conflict to deal with, mountain bikers must work with land owners, managers and public bodies in partnership to maintain and expand the right to use trails and other areas. This presentation discusses how associations such as IMBA work with individuals, clubs and land management agencies not only to promote mountain biking but to use the sport to promote and improve public land use.
Woody Keen,
President- Trail Dynamics LLC
President- Professional Trailbuilders Association
Certified NC Clear Water Contractor
B4: PUBLIC / PRIVATE FUNDING
Highland Wildcat
The increase in community groups applying for funds, managing mountain bike construction projects, and running the day to day operations of a mountain bike centre has opened up an enormous amount of public/private investment and development opportunities. This presentation will look further into the framework for creating such opportunities and possibilities for the future.
Andrew MacLeod,
Highland Recreational Services, Scotland
Public Private Funding Model
Discussion of trail development and funding strategies for building and maintaining trails in a suburban wilderness area. Illustrations of how cautious engagement and building of trust between volunteer groups, retailers, local government and individuals can result in successful funding arrangements for long-term sustainable trail development and stewardship. North Vancouver’s mountains have a century old network of trails, many of them now primarily used by the mountain bike community. Funding the work necessary to ensure their safe and sustainable use is a significant cost beyond the reach of local taxpayers, so alternative funding strategies have been developed to address risk management and environmental concerns.
Richard Walton,
Mayor, North Vancouver
Vice Chair, Metro Vancouver,
Co-founder of First World Mountain Bike Conference
B5: PRIVATE AND PUBLIC / PRIVATE INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLANNING
The Economic Impact of Lift-Assisted Mountain Biking
People are pulling out their skis later and putting them away earlier. It isn’t hard to see the benefits of investing in summer operations. Being able to retain year-round staff, to use capital investments (lifts, lodges) more than six months per year and having a year-round buzz of revenue generating activity are just some of the reasons why more and more resorts, communities, and land managers are embracing summer operations. This presentation will focus on the huge economic impact of Bike Parks on their host resort and surrounding communities.
Tom Prochazka,
Design Manager, Gravity Logic
Whistler, Canada
World Class Trails on a Local Budget
Examples of how, with some careful planning, it is possible to build trails for all situations from local coaching to national events, at a fraction of the cost of the multi million pound government sponsored trails. Trails which can be technicaly demanding or suitable for absolute beginners and are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Rik Allsop,
Rik's Bike Shed, Drumlanrig
Dumfriesshire, Scotland
B6: WWF and KONA - A PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE CYCLING
Environmental guidelines for bike parks, the AfricaBike and Green Building projects
KONA and WWF have been partners since August 2008 and, together, have developed a number of projects in relation to conservation and ecological footprint reduction. Kona and WWF will present the environmental guidelines that have been jointly developed to reduce a bike parks' ecological footprint. They will also present the Kona AfricaBike project that supported WWF's water conservation project in Tanzania and Kona Europe’s new “Green Office” project in Switzerland using WWF’s One Planet Living Principles of sustainability.
Gael Leopold,
WWF International, Switzerland
Lunch
13:30 - 14:30
Workshop Sessions (Repeat B1 - B6)
13:30 - 14:30
Workshop Sessions (Repeat of Most Popular Sessions)
14:30 - 15:30
Coffee & Networking
15:30 - 16:00
Plenary Session
16:00 - 17:00
Question Time
Panel of Workshop Presenters
Evening
'The Great Conference Shindig' - Hog Roast with Scottish Entertainment! - view details
Film Festival starts in Dumfries
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