NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION
"Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Foundation
"CARPATHIAN PATHS"

The "Carpathian Paths" foundation has been established in 2001 as a nonprofit organisation. The goals of its activity are as follows: active and green tourism development in Carpathian mountains of Ivano-Frankivsk region, environmental protection, reconstructing old and building new objects of tourist infrastructure. The Foundation integrates efforts of authorities, NGOs and communes aimed at regional economies strengthening, social problems solving, as well as cultural and natural heritage conservation and improvement. Its activity is also focused on sustainable development support as a demanding basement for undertaking any tourist measures both presently and in the future.

The Foundation priority projects that are being implemented at present:

a) restoration of prewar Red Tourist Path and reconstruction it into East-Carpathian Tourist Path (ECTP) that originally led through all Ukrainian Carpathian mts from Polish-Ukrainian border and finished at Ukrainian-Romanian one ("Heading the Common Path to EU"). It provides arranging, marking and signposting over 800 km of tourist trails and getting them united into the backbone - ECTP, building and renovating near 12 tourist refuges in mountains, detailed maps and tourist guides publishing; b) support of nature-protecting areas by means of installing informational sign-posting tables (landmarks) in order to beware the areas visitors and wood-cutting crews and prevent the illegal activity; c) as a logical evolution of restoring tourist paths concept (like ECTP) the Foundation as an associated member of Central and Eastern Europe Greenways since 2005 has started developing the GW movement in Ukraine. The Greenways Programme concentrates upon social communes, business and authorities stimulating around idea of natural and cultural heritage preservation, environmental protection, active life-style promotion and local economies improvement through tourism attendance growth.