Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
News
About the project
Background and objectives
Recreation in the outdoors provides large benefits to individuals and societies, but with increased participation also follows challenges with sustainable management of nature areas. Nature-based recreation has transformed in several ways; besides the increase in volume of visitors, the behaviour of visitors has diversified; visitors partake in a wider set of activities, visit more remote places, take more diversified trips in nature, have different motivations for visitation as well as levels of experience and skills.
New monitoring and management tools honed for the Anthropocene must address the cumulative social and ecological impacts from increased tourism and recreation while striking a balance with ethics, privacy, and equal opportunities.
VIMAS’ primary objective is to develop more efficient governance of nature areas for tourism and recreation, in the best way possible for biodiversity, people’s quality of life and business development. This will be achieved through research about smarter monitoring methods, improved visitor management and more inclusive governance.
VIMAS Strategic objectives are:
• Train the next generation of multidisciplinary scientists that will be equipped with the skills to secure sustainable, knowledge-based visitor management through recruitment of 10 international Doctoral Candidates (DCs) to be assigned to a specific PhD curriculum, to be monitored and supervised in their career development by the multidisciplinary expertise network of the VIMAS consortium.
• Strengthen European geo-digital businesses, public administration, and academia with a cohort of talented, well-connected researchers with the qualities to become leading European professionals in visitor management and planning.
The innovations of VIMAS are to realise potential from new knowledge developed in the intersection between quantitative and qualitative social sciences, ecology, and geo-informatics technology based on inclusive approaches for non-agency stakeholders and citizens.
Work packages
- Project governance
- Training
- Monitoring
- Effects
- Policy and management
- Communication
PhD projects
Meng Xu
PhD student
Application of Mobile Big Data revealed from social media to monitoring of recreational visits to nature (WP3)
Place: University of Copenhagen, Danmark
Main supervisor: Prof. Hans Skov Pedersen
Ina Hildeman
PhD student
Advancing recreational monitoring and management by combining plural knowledge systems and diverse values through PPGIS for resilient visitor management in times of changes (WP3)
Place: University of Copenhagen, Danmark
Main supervisor: Ass. Prof. Anton Stahl Olafsson
Leyi Xu
PhD student
Novel typologies of nature visitors derived from mobile big data (WP3)
Place: University of Helsinki, Finland
Main supervisor: Prof. Tuuli Toivonen
İlker Gül
PhD student
Challenges and solutions of financing public goods related to outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism (WP4)
Sted: Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Latvia
Main Supervisor: Prof. Agita Livina
Zsolt Kazai
PhD student
The role of reliable customer insight in nature-based service/tourism business (WP4)
Place: University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
Main supervisor: Ass. Prof. Henna Konu
Noelien Wilsnach
PhD student
Role of natural soundscapes and dark skies experiences in visitor experience in nature (WP4)
Place: NMBU
Main supervisor: Prof. Øystein Aas and Dr. Rose Keller
Saumya Rathnayake
PhD student
When intentions change, does nature benefit? Assessing the potential for long term value and behavioural change in visitors to nature areas (WP4)
Place: NMBU
Main supervisor: Prof. Øystein Aas
Nicholaus Voogt
PhD student
Social inclusion, access, and equal opportunities in visitor management (WP5)
Location: Universitetet of Iceland, Iceland
Main supervisor: Prof. Rannveig Ólafsdóttir
Elena Pibernik
PhD student
Collaborative governance solutions and management regimes through improved visitor monitoring (WP5)
Place: Mid-Sweden University, Sweden
Main supervisor: Prof. Peter Fredman
Coen van Bendegom
PhD student
Indicators of recreational values in the landscape – development, implementation, and evaluation (WP5)
Place: Mid-Sweden University, Sweden
Main supervisor: Prof. Peter Fredman
Project management and contact
Any questions can be directed to the following e-mail: hans.christoffer.tyldum@nmbu.no.
Blog
Participants
Academic partners
The VIMAS consortium consists of seven full partners in six North-European countries, supported by 14 partners from business, public management and applied research from Europe and North America.
- NMBU - The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (coordinator)
- Mid-Sweden University, Sweden
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of Eastern Finland, Finland
- University of Helsinki, Finland
- University of Iceland, Iceland
- Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Latvia
Consortium members
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE)
- NINA - Norwegian institute for nature research
- Eco Counter / Eco Compteur
- Denali NP
- Naturstyrelsen - Danish Nature Agency
- Norwegian Environment Agency
- SEPA - Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
- Nature Conservation Agency Latvia
- Metsähallitus - Luontopalvelut Parks & Wildlife Finland
- European Network of Outdoor Sports
- Outdooractive
- Analyseogtal
- Maptionnaire - Mapita Oy
- Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute
Work package leaders and supervisors
Sandra Wall-Reinius
Ass. professor
Mid-Sweden University, Sweden
Hans Skov-Petersen
Professor
University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Leader of work package 3.
Tuuli Toivonen
Professor
University of Helsinki, Finland.
Anton Stahl Olafsson
Ass. professor
University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Henna Konu
Ass. professor
University of Eastern Finland. Leader of work package 4.
Agita Livina
Professor
Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Latvia. Co-leader of work package 2.
Anna Dóra Sæþórsdóttir
Professor
University of Iceland, Iceland. Co-leader of work package 2.
Rose Keller
Researcher
NINA - Norwegian institute for nature research, Norway.
Liisa Tyrväinen
Research professor
Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Finland.
Time line
Start
1. november, 2023
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
