The Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), the German Federal Environmental Foundation, has approved funding for Indicator-Based Trail Management for Sustainable Visitor Management. Outdooractive AG leads the project, and European Trails e.V. is the cooperation partner. The project is part of the DBU funding initiative Digital.Natur.Landschaft.
This is the first funded project European Trails has been part of since the association was founded in 2025, and we are very proud of it. It shows that the work our members and board have put into the Green Flag Trails programme is recognised beyond our own network.
Why this project matters
Well-managed trails are one of the best tools we have to protect nature. They concentrate visitors on suitable routes and keep them away from sensitive habitats. Poorly planned or under-resourced trails cause the opposite: erosion, trampled vegetation, disturbed wildlife, shortcuts, user conflicts and crowded hotspots.
Most of this damage doesn’t come from bad intentions. It comes from missing information, unclear routing and a lack of data on the management side. Many trail organisations simply don’t have the staff or tools to monitor their trails systematically.
What we are building
The project takes the Green Flag Trails Criteria 2.0 and turns them into a practical digital system. The five criteria groups stay as they are:
- A. Trail Management
- B. Trail Design and Features
- C. Information and Safety
- D. Environmental
- E. Heritage and Community
These criteria will be built into digital workflows, self-assessments, on-site assessments, georeferenced evaluations of individual trail sections, and monitoring and feedback processes. A new Trail Responsibility Map will show who is responsible for which section. That way damage and environmental problems reach the right people faster.
The results feed directly into visitor information: route adjustments, temporary closures for breeding seasons, better waymarking, digital notices and public transport information. Repeated assessments over time make the environmental impact measurable.
Who does what
Outdooractive is responsible for the technical development and the integration into its trail management platform. European Trails leads the professional adaptation of the criteria for Germany and Europe. We also develop the training materials, the handbook and the assessor guidelines, bring pilot destinations on board, and handle transfer and dissemination.
The Green Flag Trails programme and the documentation produced in the project will be openly available. Other organisations will be able to use them too.
Timeline
The project started on 1 September 2026 and runs for 24 months. Pilot assessments with real trail organisations and destinations are planned for the second half of 2027. After the project ends, Green Flag Trails will continue as a permanent part of what European Trails offers, including training and certification.
This project is funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU).
