Strategies and visions for communicating the value of the European ecological network in a workshop held on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 July in Syracuse at the headquarters of the Plemmirio Marine Protected Area

The workshop entitled Communicating Natura 2000 – the Network that protects, the Tale that involves. Strategies and visions for communicating the value of the European ecological network.

Organised by Lipu and the Sicilian Region’s Department of the Environment within the framework of the LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 project (LIFE20 GIE/IT/001352), the workshop focused on communicating the importance and beauty of the European Natura 2000 network, with a special focus on marine sites.

The event represented an important opportunity for the main actors involved in the protection of the marine sites of the Natura 2000 network to exchange views, with the aim of promoting an innovative and engaging approach to communicating the importance and beauty of this European network of protected areas, with a specific focus on marine sites.

During the first day on 3 July, speakers presented communication methodologies and strategies aimed at different targets: institutions, citizens, schools and social channels, followed by an excursion to the Natura 2000 site ITA090013 “Saline di Priolo” and the Oriented Nature Reserve Saline di Priolo.

On the second day, 4 July, these tools were put into practice through four thematic workshops coordinated by experts that offered participants the opportunity to field-test communication techniques and approaches in real contexts. There was also an excursion to the marine Natura 2000 site, ITA090030 ‘Seabed of Plemmirio’.