Friends of Nature
Encyclopedia
Friends of Nature is an international movement with a background in the Social Democratic movement, which aims to make nature
accessible to the wider community by providing appropriate recreation
al and travel
facilities.
which, in addition to encouraging green tourism, which has a minimal effect on the environment, also aims to promote international friendship and understanding.
It is also known as Naturfreunde (German
), Les Amis de la Nature (French
), Amici della Natura (Italian
), La Naturamikoj (Esperanto
), and Natuurvrienden or NIVON (Dutch
).
The organisation began in Austria
in 1895 as Naturfreunde among people associated with the emerging Social Democratic movement who enjoyed outdoor activities and began to build their own huts and overnight chalets. The movement spread and it now has 600,000 members, 3500 groups and runs some 1000 houses mainly in Europe
. The houses vary in size and facilities. The International Friends of Nature (IFN), based in Vienna
, is the umbrella organisation of the national Friends of Nature federations.
Publications of the various sections include a handbook detailing all the houses and magazines published by various sections (such as Naturefriends - Great Britain - Bulletin, Les Amis de La Nature, La Migranto – in Esperanto
by "Esperantistoj Naturamikoj" etc.).
in 1895.The group was founded by three activists, Karl Renner
, a law student and future President of Austria, Georg Schmiedl, a schoolteacher, and Alois Rohrauer, a blacksmith.
In the age of incipient tourism
the organisation succeeded in making nature accessible to broader population strata by providing requisite recreational and travel facilities. Even then, the organisation's activities were aimed at getting people to beautiful natural settings, at awakening their love of nature and at imparting to them knowledge about nature and culture. Parallel with the rise of the modern industrialised society and of commercial tourism the Friends of Nature developed a professional commitment to nature and environment protection and had a major share in advancing the theory and practice of alternative forms of ecological tourism.
The organisation was banned by the Nazis in 1933, but revived in 1945.
The International Friends of Nature (IFN), based in Vienna, is the umbrella organisation of the national Friends of Nature federations.
The International Young Naturefriends (IYNF) cooperated and were supported by the Council of Europe's Directorate Youth and Sport.
In the European Youth Forum Young Naturefriends belonged to the socialist family or the family of non-formal education organisations.
Currently the Secretariat of IYNF is located in Prague, Czech Republic, the seat
of the organisation is however a common with NFI, in Vienna.
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
accessible to the wider community by providing appropriate recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
al and travel
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
facilities.
Background
It is a non-profit organisationNon-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
which, in addition to encouraging green tourism, which has a minimal effect on the environment, also aims to promote international friendship and understanding.
It is also known as Naturfreunde (German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
), Les Amis de la Nature (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
), Amici della Natura (Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
), La Naturamikoj (Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
), and Natuurvrienden or NIVON (Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
).
The organisation began in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1895 as Naturfreunde among people associated with the emerging Social Democratic movement who enjoyed outdoor activities and began to build their own huts and overnight chalets. The movement spread and it now has 600,000 members, 3500 groups and runs some 1000 houses mainly in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The houses vary in size and facilities. The International Friends of Nature (IFN), based in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, is the umbrella organisation of the national Friends of Nature federations.
Publications of the various sections include a handbook detailing all the houses and magazines published by various sections (such as Naturefriends - Great Britain - Bulletin, Les Amis de La Nature, La Migranto – in Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
by "Esperantistoj Naturamikoj" etc.).
Tradition
The Friends of Nature organisation was founded in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1895.The group was founded by three activists, Karl Renner
Karl Renner
Karl Renner was an Austrian politician. He was born in Untertannowitz in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and died in Vienna...
, a law student and future President of Austria, Georg Schmiedl, a schoolteacher, and Alois Rohrauer, a blacksmith.
In the age of incipient tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
the organisation succeeded in making nature accessible to broader population strata by providing requisite recreational and travel facilities. Even then, the organisation's activities were aimed at getting people to beautiful natural settings, at awakening their love of nature and at imparting to them knowledge about nature and culture. Parallel with the rise of the modern industrialised society and of commercial tourism the Friends of Nature developed a professional commitment to nature and environment protection and had a major share in advancing the theory and practice of alternative forms of ecological tourism.
The organisation was banned by the Nazis in 1933, but revived in 1945.
Aims
The work of the Friends of Nature rests on the conviction that people's opportunities of personal development are inextricably linked with the protection of nature and the conservation of natural resources. Hence, the Friends of Nature have, since their inception, taken a stand for the conservation of an environment worth living in, for peace and international understanding, for the social and democratic rights of all people, and for a meaningful organisation of leisure time. Building on their century-old tradition, the Friends of Nature are nowadays committed to the implementation of sustainable development, in particular to transboundary environmental solutions and to an environmentally and socially sound tourism.Commitment to sustainable development
The biennial proclamation of a "Landscape of the Year" exemplifies how sustainable regional development can be put into practice. International environmental campaigns, such as "100,000 Trees for Europe" or "Blue Rivers for Europe" are intended to enhance environmental awareness in Europe and to offer members opportunities to take action in the interest of the environment. In 1995, the Friends of Nature set up the "Institute for Integrative Tourism" (IITF) with the intent to input the concept of sustainability into research and training in this field. The "Manifesto for a New Europe" (1993) and the "Manifesto for a Social, Ecological and Peaceful Future" (1996), proposals submitted to the Inter-governmental Conference of the European Union, and the"Green Paper - The Alps" are examples of international lobbying by the Friends of Nature.Friends of Nature worldwide
With 600,000 members organised in approximately 3,500 groups, with 39 full-fledged offices and about 35,000 voluntary workers, the Friends of Nature are among the biggest non-profit and non-governmental organisations worldwide. Apart from seminars and information material they provide environmentally sound leisure-time and travel programmes for their members and run over 1,000 Nature Friends Houses in Europe and overseas.The International Friends of Nature (IFN), based in Vienna, is the umbrella organisation of the national Friends of Nature federations.
International Young Naturefriends
In the 1970s a group of young members of four Naturefriends' organisations (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands) created a youth umbrella to network and support youth work in the movement. Through the course of the time the organisation got formalised and extended to current 24 member organisations.The International Young Naturefriends (IYNF) cooperated and were supported by the Council of Europe's Directorate Youth and Sport.
In the European Youth Forum Young Naturefriends belonged to the socialist family or the family of non-formal education organisations.
Currently the Secretariat of IYNF is located in Prague, Czech Republic, the seat
Seat (legal entity)
In strict legal language, the term seat defines the seat of a corporation or organisation as a legal entity, indicating where the headquarters of this entity are located...
of the organisation is however a common with NFI, in Vienna.