Towards synergy between tourism and nature conservation. The challenge for the rural regions: the case of Drawskie lake district, Poland

Sustainable tourism is seen as one of the ways to improve the socio-economic situation in lagging behind rural areas while maintaining high natural values and attractiveness. Whether and how it could be done was studied in the Drawskie Lake District in North-western Poland via document analysis and expert interviews. The biggest impediments are: inconsistent legal framework, incompatible infrastructure for increased number of tourists where there are no long-term strategies for development because of the instability of local authorities which hampers the co-operation of tourism management, nature conservation and municipalities as the responsibilities are not clearly agreed. Yet, local initiatives have found innovative ways to combine tourism, nature conservation and generate income.