APPLICATION OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN SHRINKING REGIONS

Shrinking of rural regions is going on in Eastern and Western European countries. Shrinking phenomena includes Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and other countries and regions. The shrinking region is considered as untoward and gone territory for economic growth particularly from the perspective of policy makers. Shrinking region requires specific tools for development. The aim of this study is to analyse theoretical options for circular economy development in shrinking regions. The growth economy which requires planning more and more profit, units of goods, jobs etc. is not an adequate strategy for shrinking regions. The desktop approach is applied by analysing research articles on shrinking phenomena and circular economy with aim to explore the potential benefits provided by application of principles of circular economy in shrinking regions. The study also reviews policy planning documents on circular economy and regional development at the European Union level and specifically in Latvia which has lost dramatic proportion of inhabitants in last few decades. The findings of the study show that at first, national policy and EU policy does not accept the phenomena of shrinking regions; second, principles of circular economy are applicable to shrinking regions. There are such challenges as cooperation, philosophy of consumption and values, willingness and availability to pay for services. The study will open a discussion about shrinking rural regions and circular economy from another perspective because until now circular economy is mostly related with the zero waste concept

NATURE PARK AS A RESOURCE FOR NATURE BASED TOURISM

The aim of this comparative article is to show the differences between the visitors' purposes and habits in two national parks: Gauja National Park (GNP) in Latvia and Kasu Bramhananda Reddy National Park (KBR) in Hyderabad, Telangana in India. As well as that, the article aims at highlighting differences in the functional use of the national parks and their locations in the urban and rural context. The study has used the secondary data analysis, such as the analysis and overview of the literature, previously conducted studies and information sources, visitors’ surveys in the national parks, and the exploration of the park areas for the evaluation of tourism infrastructure. The results of the study show distinct differences in the national park functions, target groups and their needs. The main target group in KBR is local inhabitants of the million city, and the national park basically fulfils the function of a city park –it is a green area for passive and active (jogging) leisure rather than a nature tourism offer. GNP has three target groups: the local population for a healthy leisure time, domestic visitors and foreign visitors for nature and cultural purposes. Thus, KBR status as a national park is misleading for the international traveller. In the future research it is planned to compare GNP with a national park in India which is located outside the urban environment, carrying out an in-depth study of visitors’ opinion on the purpose and elements of infrastructure

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS PERCEPTION OF YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN THE BIOSPHERE RESERVE IN LATVIA

Environmental education issues are topical at all levels of education, from kindergarten to lifelong learning. The focus of this study was on young people. Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (ViA) is located in Vidzeme region in Latvia, where the only biosphere reserve in Latvia is located. ViA researchers started research in this area already in 2006, surveying the local population on environmental, social and economic issues in 2007. In 2018 ViA students repeatedly carried out a study of this area by surveying young people up to the age of 19 (n = 120) with an aim of exploring the views of young people living in the biosphere reserve on environmental issues. Environmental awareness is one of the key factors influencing people's behaviour in deciding on a sustainable lifestyle.The European Union regularly conducts research of its citizens on environmental issues. In the latest report the respondents from Latvia have shown one of the lowest indicators when responding to the statement "You can participate in environmental protection yourself" – 76% agree with this statement, in comparison with, for example, the Netherlands – 97%, Sweden – 96%. The youth survey in a face-to-face form was conducted from April to May 2018; it was done by the students and the obtained results were analyzed and compared with the study of 2007 by the authors of the article to characterize the trends in the perception of young people of environmental issues in a specially protected nature territory.The perception of environmental issues was analyzed according to Bolscho environmental awareness dimensions. In general, the understanding and knowledge of environmental issues of the young people surveyed living in the territory of North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve (NVBR) is positive, especially on resource-responsible, economical use. In terms of attitudes and values, young people express their support for the preservation of cultural traditions. With regard to the visibility of the NVBR, more work is required to explain the functions and possibilities of the NVBR. Compared to 2007, the feeling of pride of the fact that a respondent lives in a protected nature area has increased.

Sustainability challenges and drivers of cross-border greenway tourism in rural areas

Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by the BA School of Business and Finance (Latvia), internal grant number “BA 2019/1” under the research project “Management of circular business models and projects within economy of Latvia”. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 by the authors.This article provides a practical example of the development of cross-border tourism and its link to achieving sustainable development goals. Greenways (GWs) are successful and recognized initiatives in Western Europe, but have recently also shown development trends in Eastern Europe, notably, in the Baltic Sea Region and Russia. These initiatives improve the quality of life and provide opportunities for sustainable economic activities for the local communities, especially in rural areas, adding value to their natural, cultural, historical and human heritage. The authors studied examples of best practice in scientific literature and practice, encouraging the development of cross-border tourism and GWs in Europe and Russia, in order to further adapt it to other continents. Analyzing the environmental, economic, social and institutional factors in the region and their role in sustainable development, the need for institutional regulation that would allow the development of a wider development of GWs is identified. Research results reveal sustainable development dilemmas of positive socioeconomic effects of GWs and negative environmental effects of increased flows of tourists. Focus groups and expert interviews allowed us to assess the level of various factors contributing to sustainable development and clarify the directions of the future research.publishersversionPeer reviewe