Justification:
The project realization aims at solving particular local problems in the sphere of global environment conservation. Uzana District is visited by the average number of 20-25 000 people annually who are seeking active communication with nature, as well as additional information on its preservation. In that sense, The Visitors? Information Centre ?Uzana? is extremely appropriate to have a mediatory and regulatory role in the relation between man and preserved environment. The district is a highly attractive tourist centre. The Visitors? Information Centre ?Uzana? is a perfect place for demonstrations of high and ecological technologies concerning environment conservation. The project realization will have a direct demonstrational impact on the surrounding 14 tourist objects and 20-25 000 visitors through the introduction of working and accessible high technologies in the sphere of RES. The building of the Visitors? Centre will be made energy efficient and its heat and energy expenses will be significantly reduced. The elaboration and supply of a tourist product which involves environment-problem topics will make the tourists? stay in Uzana District and ?Vitata stena? active and worthwhile.
Location
Gabrovo Region, Municipality of Gabrovo, Uzana District, European and National ecological network Nature 2000, GPS coordinates: 42°45? north latitude and 25°13? eastern longitude, and ? Gabrovo Region, Municipality of Gabrovo, ?Vitata stena?, European and National ecological network Nature 2000, GPS coordinates: 42,95? north latitude and 25,23? eastern longitude.
Project Target Groups:
Direct target groups: the members of Association for Sustainable Tourism ?Uzana? and Local Initiative Group for sustainable tourism; the personnel of the Visitors? Information Centre ?Uzana?; visitors in Uzana District who have sought for shelter in the Visitors? Information Centre ?Uzana?; tourists in Uzana District and ?Vitata stena?; the administration of Municipality of Gabrovo.
Indirect target groups: visitors in the Visitors? Information Centre ?Uzana? and the population in the region of ?Vitata stena?; Tourist business.
Goal and expected impacts:
Overall objective: To stimulate the usage of renewable energy sources /RES/ technologies and to increase the understanding of biodiversity conservation through demonstration of RES and provision of information about biodiversity to the tourists in Uzana District and ?Vitata stena?.
The expected impacts concern the sustainable management of bio-diverse territories; implementation of new RES and energy efficiency technologies; decrease of poverty; involvement of people with serious attitude towards the problems of global environment; motivation of people for cooperation in solving environment problems.
Objectives and expected results:
? to demonstrate to tourists in Uzana District and ?Vitata stena? the successful usage of the solar and wind energy to produce heat and electricity;
? to provide an emergency energy resource for the Visitors? Information Centre ?Uzana? and at the same time to decrease the expenses for heat and energy consumption;
? to provoke environmentally friendly attitude in Nature 2000 zones through integrated tourist products.
Major activities:
1) Creation of a Concept for sustainable management and development of Uzana District;
2) Organization of a bicycle park in Uzana District;
3) Assignment of the elaboration of an investment project for RES;
4) Implementation of investment project;
5) Creation of educational and information interpretative tourist packages;
6) Purchase of bicycles for the integration of tourist product;
7) Staff training;
8) Marketing of the new tourist product.
Partnership with GEF SGP proposals/projects
- Project 102 ?Preservation of biological diversity in the region of ?Vitata stena?, Nature 2000 Zone, Municipality of Gabrovo ».
- Project 138 ?Management of habitats with high conservative value and recovery of traditional stock-breeding through preservation of endangered local breed /Karakachan horse/ and traditional practice for seasonal pasture of animals in the region of Sokolna Chalet, Central Balkan National Park?.
- Project 143 ?Demonstrational Centre ?Bulgarka? ? Model for preservation of Biodiversity through alternative tourism and sustainable land usage
- Project 161 ?Preservation of environment and ecological education through ?green? tourism ? demonstrational project in Balani village, Gabrovo Region.
Sustainability
? Financial sustainability is guaranteed by the fact that the Visitors? Information Centre ?Uzana? is financed by Municipality of Gabrovo. This means that its functioning, as well as any new technologies introduced in it will be financially supported.
? Integration in long-term processes ? the project expresses the municipal economic policy. The fact that Municipality of Gabrovo is a partner under the project guarantees that the project will be used as a model to develop the tourist strategy in the region. In addition, the project fully corresponds to the Municipal Program for Energy Efficiency.
? Human resources: the participants in the project will gain experience in implementation of RES. Experts from municipality of Gabrovo who participate in the project will have the chance to apply their knowledge from the project for results multiplication.
Project Budget ? total, from GEF SGP, financial, in-kind - all in Bulgarian leva and percent of total

Total: 150 990 BGN 100 %
GEF SGP: 64 950 43,01 %
Municipality of Gabrovo: 2 000 1,33 %
Association for Sustainable Tourism UZANA 84 040 55,66 %