Rural Europe on the move English_E_version_all | Page 126

CHAPTER 10 who know which plants to use for just beginning in 2018. ‘Heilsam’ is what but who also know the complex difficult to translate into English. It legislation around herb production means some combination between for sale. There really is a thriving healthy, beneficial and salutary. scene so what began as a pioneering, ‘Healing,’ not just physically but also daring move, has become quite the psychologically and emotionally, is norm. This is an ordinary process and a concept which comes closest. By sometimes allows us to forget the bringing this concept together with important, path-making way of the landscape and agriculture, we want pioneer. to acknowledge the many different What does the recent upsurge in herbalists tell us? I think partly 8. A new LEADER project called ‘Heilsame Landschaft’ aspects of good health. For some time now, science has their health. It can also be a form of there is a recognition that science shown us that nature is beneficial sustainable tourism that does not cannot explain everything. Scientific not only for medicine and health require us to destroy our landscape knowledge is vital, and has brought insurance institutions. Spending time with mass tourism projects. Since the human race immeasurably in Alpine regions generates positive the project is embedded in the local forward, but it struggles with the effects on overall health. community and the local landscapes, intangible. This is where traditional At this time of exponential growth with local stakeholders offering up of non-communicable diseases their businesses, we hope to prevent (such as cancer, diabetes, but also the kind of economic dependencies burn-out), which may cause the which often arise from the tourism financial collapse of public health industry. We want this to be a type care systems, there is growing interest of tourism which encourages social health and wellbeing is something the in ‘prevention’. There seems to be a cohesion, values local tradition and Lesachtal valley wants to pursue, both great potential for regions - especially encourages rootedness. This project now and into the future. Alpine regions - who are able to only started a few months ago, we ‘Heilsame Landschaft Lesachtal’ is provide an authentic offer for tourists still have to see how it grows, but it is the name of a new LEADER project in general and people who care about looking good. knowledge comes in. Lesachtaler healing A more holistic understanding of PE OP LE ! “Having finished our studies we had to decide - leave or go. Looking for ‘good jobs’ or living our dream. We decided in favour of our dream to become reality: living a self-determined life full of creativity close to nature”. Helene, who was born in Lesachtal, and her partner Pepi, coming from further afield, also wanted to act consciously against the brain drain of rural places – of well-educated people who leave. Their hepi Lodge now is full of energy, full of funky ideas combined with traditional elements - with regard to their house but also with regard to their lifestyle in general. 122