Title

Development of (e-) bicycle tourism, in a nature conscious and sustainable way, to promote local biodiversity

Acronym

e-natura

Subject

Other dissemination actions

Project code

Α4-2.1-17

Funded by

510k€, funded by the Ministry of Development & Investments of Greece acting as the Managing Authority of the Interreg IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme

Info

E-natura aims to develop and use e-bicycle infrastructures for the activity-based evaluation of both athletes and recreational tourists alike. This entails the development of bicycle trails (of various levels e.g. recreational, long distance, technical etc.), designed to take advantage of the unique geographical features of the areas as well as their natural and cultural heritage. Recreational e-bicycle infrastructure, with suitable monitoring application (smartphone enabled), will be implemented e.g. for long distance bicycling, cross country & all mountain trails. Alongside this endurance trails, complemented by a thematic park for extreme/technical sports like downhill, freeride and dirt jumping, will allow the use of e-mtbs to evaluate athletes under extreme conditions.

In both cases, the long-distance trails will feature mini-botanic gardens, highlighting the bio-diversity of the regions. These “hotspots” will serve as an exhibition of natural resources endemic to the region, like: plants and trees, while providing a habitat for small animals (e.g. though artificial nests for birds). The main function however of these “hotspots”, will be to provide solar charging capabilities for the e-bikes, thus rendering these routes attractive to a wider audience, e.g. families, schools, athletes etc.

Involved Staff

Asst. Prof. A. Tsouknidas (PI/Coordinator), Asst. Prof. E. Varitis, L. Papadakis, D. Fasnakis