COEVOLVERS Advancing Co-Creation and Reconfiguration
The Beskydy Living Lab organised another Czech-Slovak meeting held at the Municipal Office in Velké Karlovice. The workshop presented significant outcomes of persistent collaborative efforts and introduced new ideas for the region’s development and engagement of nature-based solutions (NBS). Attendees included representatives from neighboring Czech and Slovak municipalities, tourism entrepreneurs, forestry sector stakeholders, educational representatives and the Slovak Environmental Agency.
The meeting was initiated by Prof. Tatiana Kluvánková from SlovakGlobe explaining reconfiguration and its meaning for Beskydy. Continued with a presentation by Dr. Martin Špaček from CETIP, who unveiled the outcomes of audio and video interviews recorded last year with various stakeholders and their potential for innovative tools: Virtual Nature Tools (virtual contact with the nature), Storytelling and Letters of the Nature. „Nature Letters“ authored from the/ perspective of nature, capturing environmental changes through the eyes of specific plants or animals; and Storytelling means personal narratives shared by local actors committed to the region’s well-being, which are focusing on best practices and personal stories of individuals whose lives are deeply connected to the Beskydy region. "The main aspect is the sharing of knowledge and experience among stakeholders in the field of climate risk management, particularly water retention in the landscape,“ stated Dr. Martin Špaček from the CETIP Network, leader of the Beskydy LL. „The Virtual Nature Tools enables unique virtual site visits and knowledge exchange and reconfiguration of governance practices for NBS that benefit both - people and nature."
Participants engaged in collaborative discussions on the potential applications of these outputs; both in educational contexts targeting younger generations and for the broader public, including visitors to the region. Suggestions also emerged for organizing a thematic exhibition and for developing a virtual educational trail in the vicinity of Velké Karlovice. These ideas will be further developed in subsequent phases of the COEVOLVERS Project.
These meetings continue to foster the exchange of experiences regarding implemented measures and help build connections for future collaboration. A key component of the project is the creation of a shared platform BESKYDYONLINE.EU, designed to enable regional stakeholders to exchange insights and share practical experiences, such as water retention strategies in the landscape, ecological management of forests and agricultural land, and sustainable tourism development.
