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Introduction and Method. Comment.
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Introduction and Method Comment To review current recreational offers, a complete search of the websites of all German Nature Parks took place in 2007. Qualitative data were collected and categorized through content analysis. The range of offers in individual parks did not play any role. The information on the homepage of the central VDN (German Nature Parks Association: http://www.naturparke.de/) can thus be updated. Internet search on offers for recreation in Nature Parks in Germany Result Activities Environmental Education Touring Ju-Hyoung Lee & Renate Bürger-Arndt Nature & Landscape conservation Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology Georg-August- University, Goettingen Recreational offers for disabled people Visitor guidance Touring and recreational offers for disabled people A total of 74 parks offer tours on their website. Only 17 parks do not make such offer. Nature experience, cultural history and environmental education are thematically in the center of attention. Hiking and biking are mainly offered as touring activities. In addition, there are often sporty offers as well as carriage and ship cruises. 22 Parks particularly emphasize family-suitable tour offers. Recreational offers for disabled people are however still the exception Activities Hiking (86 parks) and biking (84 parks) are designated in almost all nature parks explicitly as a recreational and leisure-time activity and thus keep the largest proportion, followed by horse riding offered in 65 parks. Swimming, canoeing, sailing and fishing are also available in many parks. These 4 kinds of outdoor sport, which are represented by numerous member associations, constitute the largest portion of the water sports in Germany (yearbook of the statistic federal office 2006). Environmental Education A broad and very good offer could be identified in environmental education and there were many different services and infrastructures. The nature trails and nature educational trails (62 parks) are the most widespread offer, followed by various environmental education programs for children (57 parks).