NATURE AND LANDSCAPE SERVICES
Nature and landscape management is a new and rapidly developing field in entrepreneurship. Many people appreciate a nice and well-maintained neighbourhood, and are willing to pay for it. With the increasing amount of free time, nature and the recreational possibilities it offers have become more and more important for inhabitants and travellers. A well-maintained landscape increases the attractiveness of many areas. Many enterprises are also interested in taking responsibility for the environment and financing environmental restoration and management projects. International and national goals for natural diversity, landscape planning and water protection obligate them to engage in nature and landscape management.
Demand rapidly increases the supply of services. Growing competition places an emphasis on the quality of the work and business know-how. The vivacity of rural areas increases through developing new services and entrepreneurship. This brings employment, economic growth, tax income as well as new inhabitants to rural areas.
The Rural Policy Committee founded a nation-wide theme group for nature and landscape services at the end of 2006. The group has established nature and landscape services as an operational field, and advances the correspondence between supply and demand. The theme group charts the possibilities for future employment and enhances the professional competence of entrepreneurs by increasing and developing education and training possibilities. In addition, the group aims to advance networking between entrepreneurs, develops new operation models for services and provides information about nature and landscape services.
The theme group for nature and landscape services has prepared a report on the current state of these services. The report examines what kind of work can be included in nature and landscape services, introduces the customers and producers of these services, and analyses the factors affecting supply and demand. In addition, the report introduces current education possibilities, different operation models and financing options.
The problem of fragmented information is typical of a new field of operations, and therefore compiling information about nature and landscape services is extremely useful. Different parties have encouraged development, and there are good opportunities to expand the field of operations. In the future, the theme group will focus on developing nature and landscape services and look for solutions to rural policy-making issues. No stone will be left unturned.