The future of waste management, digital walks, robot films, and accommodation in wooden cabins or rafts. These are examples of new and innovative proposals for a sustainable tourism industry in and around the planned national park Bästeträsk. These proposals – and a long range of others – have been developed by students at Wisbygymnasiet's agricultural program and students in urban planning at Uppsala University Campus Gotland.
The innovation exercise with young people around the national park Bästeträsk is part of Leader Gute. project ”We rural builders on Gotland”. The exercise has been carried out in collaboration with Uppsala University Campus Gotland, Blått Centrum Gotland, Wisbygymnasiet, Gotland Grönt Centrum, Region Gotland, and the County Administrative Board of Gotland.
The theme of the exercise was ”what economic and entrepreneurial opportunities are linked to the future National Park Bästeträsk?”
– The purpose of this activity is to give the young participants an exercise in innovation on a topic relevant to Gotland. Among the many creative ideas from the youth, the County Administrative Board of Gotland and other actors can also find inspiration for the development of a sustainable tourism industry in the future national park, says Ellen Lundqvist, operations manager for Leader Gute and project manager for We rural builders on Gotland.
Lectures and workshops
The entire exercise began with high school students and university students in September receiving preparatory lectures on national parks, Bästeträsk, and nature tourism.
At the beginning of October, it was time for workshops based on the Young Innovators model ”Innov8”. The high school students and university students worked for a full day on the steps in the model – from identifying and analyzing the challenge to developing and presenting proposals.
The high school students focused on concrete elements in a sustainable tourism industry in Bästeträsk. The university students' task was to develop a sustainable infrastructure for the future national park.
The result was a long range of creative and innovative proposals presented below:
Proposals for concrete elements for a sustainable tourism industry in Bästeträsk from students at the agricultural high school:
Campsite by the research station Ar
A sustainable and environmentally friendly campsite adjacent to the existing research station in Ar. Here there will be elements for all ages – including a swimming facility, hiking trail, kiosk, and playground made of natural materials. The power supply to the campsite will be provided by solar energy.
The wooden cabin
Houses for rent in the form of wooden cabins with thatched or grass roofs up in the trees. The cabins, which are of different sizes, are linked together by suspension bridges – a cabin village above ground. On the ground below, there is a restaurant focused on locally grown Gotlandic food products.
Activity center
A sustainable hub with thoughtful parking. Here, visitors can rent canoes in the summer and ice skates in the winter. From the center, hiking and biking trails with information signs lead out. Hiking and biking tours can be done with or without a guide.
Bästeträsk on horseback
Guided tours on Icelandic horses from local operators. Both short tours and two-day trips with overnight stays – in adapted versions depending on riding experience. The horses can roam in the area and in winter they can perform nature conservation grazing.
Best Tourist
Also on the horse and riding theme. Here, special cabins, tents, saunas, and fishing for overnight trips are added. Riding camps for both children and adults are also included in the setup.
Floating boathouses and robot film
Some floating boathouses with comfortable accommodation are anchored in Bästeträsk for those who want to experience the national park very close to nature. Through small robots with cameras, residents can connect their TV via WiFi and see what is happening in the surrounding nature without disturbing the animals. In winter, the boathouses are used as saunas.
Bästeträsk platform
A digital solution to provide visitors with service but also to get an overview of visitor locations and manage visitor pressure in the national park. The app contains maps and the ability to book and pay for various services available in the area. The system can provide information about when certain areas should not be visited, for example during bird nesting, and indicate when visitor pressure has reached a certain limit and it is no longer possible to park at the park or visit it.
Best Zoo
A sustainable zoo that blends into the environment and showcases typical Gotland domestic animals and breeds. Here, there will be information and guidance for different ages and groups. In connection, there will be sales of local products related to the current animals as well as a restaurant with local food.
Proposals for infrastructure for a sustainable tourism industry in Bästeträsk from students in Campus Gotland's community planning program:
SOL – Future waste management
Sun Organized Litter (SOL) is based on all-terrain solar-powered electric vehicles and waste bins made of natural materials. The system provides efficient waste management that does not burden the national park's sensitive nature. It will be a model for sustainable waste management. The vehicles and drivers can also have other tasks in the park.
Bästeträsk Meeting Place
In the park, there is a system of meeting places that can be walked between and found in an app. At the meeting places, there are activity and play parks, obstacle courses, barbecue areas, rain shelters, observation towers, etc. made of natural materials. For each location, there is specific information about flora and fauna, which can be linked to the physical activity elements there.
A digital hike
Along the created hiking trails, there are information boards that can be adapted according to the season – for example, with TV screens for short films during the summer. The information boards have QR codes linked to digital information about what one encounters in the landscape. The information can be tailored for different target groups, for example, it can be an exciting animated character that narrates for children. An information structure for learning and deeper experience.
Competition and storytelling
This is a concept to make the visit to the national park exciting and positive for families with children and younger visitors. Along shorter routes, there are QR codes that lead to a question to be solved with the help of observations in nature/at the location where one is. When the correct answer is given, the reward is a film with an exciting story with local connections. The information is available in different languages.
Water Phenomena
In connection with the existing research station in AR, a knowledge and education house is being created. It will be a knowledge hub and an innovative museum (like Fenomenalen in Visby) focused on the vital water in nature and society. Outside, there is a stage that can be rotated using solar energy either towards the Baltic Sea or towards Bästeträsk.