Honoring his long-term comittment, participatory approach and success in conservation of protected areas, the EUROPARC Federation in cooperation with the Alfred Toepfer Foundation F.V.S. awarded the Alfred-Toepfer Medal 2012 to Dr. Arthur Mitchell of Mourne Heritage Trust.
At the heart of Dr. Mitchell´s mission stands local ownership. Peoples´ participation is the core of the community networks he initiated to protect and enhance natural landscapes, with income generating opportunities through sustainable tourism and other activities. It was his unstinting commitment and dedicated approach that serve many as best practice example. Now, as an Alfred-Toepfer Medal holder, Arthur Mitchell´s strategy will reach out to even more people who combine nature conservation and landscape-based sustainable development.
As a General Medical Practitioner in one of Europe’s most beautiful areas, the Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Dr Mitchell’s empathy for the local population and his awareness of the connection between people and landscape, led him into being a tireless campaigner for his beloved Mournes. In an exemplary way he brought together many different stakeholders from the public and private sphere using his European connections and contacts to foster advocacy for designated areas in his home country. As a result, in 2003 Mourne Heritage Trust became the first area in the United Kingdom or Ireland that be awarded the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas (ECST), the prestigious internationally recognized sustainable tourism system of EUROPARC.
Dr. Mitchell also initiated the ground-breaking Mourne Homesteads Scheme, a community based project that encouraged local people and tourists to connect and won renowned awards from the UK Civic Trust and Europa Nostra (2007). His local development projects go hand in hand with the principles of emphasizing positive socio-economic impacts through sustainable development based on landscape qualities.
Dr. Mitchell´s rural development focus culminated in £10 million of the EU peace fund for Northern Ireland in 2004 being dedicated to sustainable tourism in five high quality landscape areas – a landmark achievement in challenging political circumstances. With his clear commitment, determination and vision, Dr. Mitchell has ever since been active in campaigning for enhanced investment in community based landscape management services by the government in Northern Ireland. His home region is one of – if not the only – jurisdiction in Western Europe yet to have a National Park or the equivalent.
The EUROPARC Federation and Alfred-Toepfer-Foundation F.V.S. recognize Dr. Mitchell´s outstanding contribution to connect conservation with sustainable social, economic and environmental development which is intrinsic to the EUROPARC mission. His life-long efforts have now culminated in the EUROPARC´s Council decision to award Dr. Mitchell the Alfred-Toepfer-Medal 2012. Tony Gates, CEO of Northumberland National Park presented at the Gala dinner of the EUROPARC 2012 Conference in Genk (Belgium) Dr. Mitchell´s life journey with images from the greatest moments of the awardees’ work life.
Thomas Hansson, EUROPARC Federation president, proudly awarded the Alfred Toepfer Medal with the words: “With your continuous and most successful social and environmental vision are you stepping in the foot prints of Dr. Alfred Toepfer. A connecting vision like yours proves to be of major importance in today´s times, and I most honoured to award you in the name of the EUROPARC Federation and Alfred-Toepfer-Foundation F.V.S. We can think of no other person to receive the medal in 2012”.
