Experience of bear encounter in Kočevje

In the Kočevsko region, where the highest concentration of wild bears thrive in their natural habitat, you can embark on an unforgettable journey. Spend a day in the middle of the forest and gain insight into the crucial balance required for nature and humans to coexist responsibly. The adventure begins in Kočevje, where a guide will introduce you to the route for exploration. Over the course of the day, you will immerse yourself in the intricacies of the Kočevsko ecosystem, discovering various wild animals, with a focus on bears. Follow the tracks of these wild creatures and observe them up close. During your explorations, you will come across signs of wildlife and perhaps have the chance to observe animals in their natural habitat. The excursion also includes a visit to the “Bear Cave” in Kočevska Reka.

After a picnic in the forest, an enriching experience awaits as you can visit a local beekeeper who skilfully cohabits with bears and offers captivating stories and insights for you to share.

Why is it regenerative?

This experience promotes responsible coexistence between nature and humans. Educates about wildlife and forest ecosystems. Supports local beekeepers who practise coexistence with bears.

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Project partners met in Aveiro on the 14th and 15th of September 2023. It was the perfect opportunity to visit the destination with regenerative glasses on, to understand its many assets but also some of the challenges the destination is facing. Face to face project meetings always provide the partners with the unique opportunity to learn about the work of the hosting partner and get valuable insights about the destination. In this case partners were hosted by the dedicated team of management and tourism professionals of the University of Aveiro who shared a wealth of insights about a city that was new to many of the participants.

The Enforce project is well on track when it comes to the project work plan, which means that after having completed the Best Practice collection of innovative examples about storytelling for regeneration and also the Storyteller’s Guide, partners used the meeting to discuss the development of the Enforce Training Programme.

For the next few months partners will be working on developing the content in line with guidelines provided by the University of Usak, our project partner from Turkey.
The course should be available for piloting in January/February 2024 and will also be available in the partner languages once all translations are finalised.

The ENFORCE team met in the beautiful city of Luxembourg for its kick-off meeting. It took place at the premises of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg (also known as CCIL), which opened its doors to warmly welcome all partners.

The team was aware of the importance of this first meeting and approached it with the same enthusiasm, as it plays an important role in building strong bonds that will contribute to the success of the entire cooperation. With the common goal of building a solid foundation, the participants discussed in depth the first steps required for the project ENFORCE.

During this visit, the project objectives were discussed in depth to ensure that each partner has a comprehensive understanding of the overarching goals. The outcome of the kick-off meeting was extremely satisfying for all partners and generated enthusiasm among the team. It was a success and left everyone inspired and energised.

The journey of ENFORCE has officially begun and with the collective expertise of the committed partners, there is no doubt that it will thrive and achieve remarkable results.

Project N: 2022-1-LU01-KA220-VET-000089887