Making nature more accessible to everyone is not at all a new approach. However, the project, which we are realizing in collaboration with the National Natural Landscapes Association, adds a new quality: "Nature for All" is supposed to provide attractive inspiration for barrier-free nature experiences.

In the view of the fact that there are about 10 million people with disabilities living in Germany, we aim to create positive experiences of nature for all, inhabitants as well as guests of the National Natural Landscapes. Offering additional barrier-free inspirations, sustainable social and regional economic impulses should emerge in the end.

In 2018 four German model regions were awarded:

• Biosphere Reserve River Landscape-Elbe (“Biosphärenreservat Flusslandschaft-Elbe”)
• Biosphere Reserve Upper Lusatian Heath and Pond Landscape (“Biosphärenreservat Oberlausitzer Heide- und Teichlandschaft“)
• National Park Kellerwald-Edersee (“Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee“)
• National Park Hunsrück High Forest (together with Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park) (“Nationalpark Hunsrück-Hochwald (gemeinsam mit Naturpark Saar-Hunsrück“)

The potential of the individual regions was determined by situation analyses. In workshops, we are defining opportunities and challenges in the design of barrier-free nature experience offers and develop ideas together with the our project partner and tourism providers. We consult the stakeholders of the model regions during the whole process of implementation, accompanying them along the entire tourism service chain. Thus, we give advice and evaluate service provides according to the "Tourism for All" labelling system.

With this regard, about 15 providers in each model region are certified according to their barrier-free facilities. These can be services of the National Natural Landscapes (National Park Centers, exhibitions, etc.), but also leisure routes (hiking, cycling, etc.), tourist informations, or subsectors such as accommodation, food & beverage, etc. Last but not least, together we want to give the starting signal of developing a local "accessibility" network.

Our milestones

• Situation analysis and strategy development
• Impulses and support in designing the offer
• Regional workshops to build awareness
• Evaluation and certification according to "Tourism for All".

This process enables service providers to optimize their products and address new target groups. Beyond this, the National Natural Landscapes benefits from tested, reliable, and concrete information on accessibility along the entire service chain. In conclusion, we aim to initiate regional economic and social impulses for rural areas by implementing "Nature for All". Providing generally valid recommendations, we create a basis for comparable regions to follow similar paths.

The collaborative project (duration 2018 - 2021) is financed with funds from the Federal Program for Rural Development of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.