This good practice is from Huelva and concerns the building a cycle route around protected marshlands situated in the Estuary North of River Odiel, which are at risk because of the development of urban border areas, whilst conserving the marsh’s coastal facades. The Junta de Adalucia is in charge of this good practice.
The scheme is focusing on a 33-km long piece of multimodal infrastructure aimed at pedestrians and cyclists, which runs mostly on existing tracks and pathways in the surroundings of the "Parque Natural de las Marismas del Odiel" (Natural Park of the Odiel Marshes). The main users and beneficiaries are cyclists and hikers, but also the local population who will benefit from the marsh’s border enhancement, enabling them to reconnect with this outstanding landscape of high ecological value.
It is a good example of how to address a common problem of urban peripheries, especially when touching valuable environmentally protected areas such as marshes. Thinking of cycle tourism as a booster to recover landscapes at risk of degradation and making it compatible with environmental values can be a source of inspiration in other areas facing the same challenge.
This good practice belongs to the ‘cycle tourism in natural areas’ category as it gives a concrete example of sustainable cycle tourism development, taking natural areas’ protection into consideration. It strengthens collaboration between public and private entities, including citizen's associations pursuing the improvement of urban borders preserving environmental values of the marshes.
Find out more at qr.turismohuelva.org.
More information on this Good Practice can be found on this page.
