Mimisbrunnr Climate Park – a network for heritage learning, tourism development, and climate consciousness

Abstract

Increased ice melting revealed in 2006–2007 many reminiscences of ancient human activity around ice patches near Mt Galdhøpiggen, Norway's highest mountain peak. The public limited company “Klimapark 2469 AS” was established to develop a heritage interpretation product and to study climate change. A 60-metre long ice tunnel is excavated in the ice patch Juvfonna, where guided walks and a display presenting climate change, archeology, Norse mythology, and glaciology are offered. The heritage product, “Mimisbrunnr Climate Park 2469” (MK2469), is based on collaboration between scientific institutions, public authorities, the National Mountain Museum, and private tourist companies. The ambition is to combine science, environmental learning, interpretation, heritage tourism, and local development. Based on interviews and relevant documents, we have studied the network – the actors, their ambitions, and networking processes: What are the perceived opportunities, challenges, outcomes, and success factors? Good strategic work has resulted in extensive public funding and sponsorship, and MK2469 has become a diverse, quality heritage product, but so far with little commercial success. An important outcome is the fruitful exchange of experiences, between public and private partners, tourism and science interests, amateurs and professionals, and between local, regional and national actors. The network has shown to be quite dynamic.

Keywords:

• heritage tourism: climate change
• collaboration
• resource management
• local development
• Norway

Notes on contributors

Odd Inge Vistad is a senior research scientist with his Ph.D. in human geography. He has broad research experience within outdoor recreation, resource-based tourism and integrated resource management, including both the human dimension and impacts on the resources. He has also studied cultural landscapes and heritage, local communities and stakeholder participation in planning processes.

Line Camilla Wold is a research scientist within outdoor recreation, tourism and visitation in protected areas, management issues and stakeholder participation in planning processes.

Karoline Daugstad is a professor in human geography with particular interest in landscape studies. Her research explores landscape representations, landscape policies and management, landscape and cultural heritage as an asset in tourism and debates on authenticity and value adding.

Jan Vidar Haukeland is an associate professor in nature-based tourism and senior researcher in sociology. His professional interests comprise various research issues linked to management of tourism in protected areas and tourism developments in rural communities.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Research Council of Norway through the project 208048/I10 «Prospects for Managing Tourism Development in Protected Areas in a Period of Transition (PROTOUR)», under the programme NATUR OG NAERING