2nd progress meeting was intended to keep a finger on the pulse of the project. It also facilitated collaboration and quality decision-making, and helped to keep project on track. Partners visited three pilot sites in Malá Fatra National Park, where several problems connected with visitors’ impact were presented by Park administration. It was stated that the visitors do not respect the visiting rules – especially, they come off the trails, shorten their routes, use bicycles where it’s not allowed, leave trash behind, or trample vegetation. More action to raise their awareness is necessary, in particular, to give them opportunity to get to know the values of the visited territory, and understand why compliance with the rules is necessary. UNIZA presented different spatial and geological characteristics of trails which are very heterogenic in the Malá Fatra territory, and explained future plans to test monitoring methods to assess different types of direct human impacts across the landscape. UNIZA was testing some methods during summer season 2023 allowing for mapping large portions of trail networks within a reasonable time to get a full picture of trail conditions in space and their change through time. The meeting ended with a summary of the key talking points. It will give all partners an opportunity to revisit action items and make sure everyone is aligned in terms of responsibilities and next steps.
