Online event on 18 July for the second edition of the Competition related to the LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 project

Recognising the commitment and attention paid to activities in the field of artisanal fishing and sustainable tourism as well as environmental education, this was the aim of the award ceremony for the ‘Good Practices in the marine sites of the NATURA2000 Network’ Competition that took place with an online event on 18 July. The Competition, now in its second edition, was organised by Federparchi with Consorzio Mediterraneo as part of the LIFE A-MAR NATUTRA2000 project (action B2).

The initiative was addressed to all realities – associations, fishing enterprises, tourism and environmental education companies – that have developed virtuous projects and initiatives in the field of sustainable management of marine resources, sustainable tourism and environmental education.

The well-attended meeting was introduced and coordinated by Maria Villani, Federparchi’s project manager, who recalled the characteristics and main objectives of the LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 project, starting with that of identifying, enhancing and disseminating models of sustainable activities in marine sites that can inspire other communities to follow environmentally friendly paths.

For the Mediterranean Consortium, Angelo Petruzzella emphasized how the competition experience had been a fruitful and constructive moment of dialogue with both the fishing world and that one of sustainable tourism and environmental education within marine sites.

Andrea Poggi, also from the Consortium, presented the results of the competition that involved over 260 people and had with the participation of 15 companies. Of these, 9 were artisanal fishing enterprises, 2 of which also operate in tourism and environmental education; 6 enterprises operate in environmental education and/or sustainable tourism. All of them had the necessary characteristics to work in Marine Protected Areas or within Natura2000 network sites.

Eraldo Rambaldi  (Mediterranean Consortium ) presented the winners and their respective prizes. For artisanal fishing, the winner was Consorzio Cooperativa Pescatori Golfo dell’Asinara di Porto Torres – COPEGA (SS), which distinguished itself, in particular, by recovering nets lost at sea and also contributing to cleaning the waters and seabed. The prize consists of several sets of technical clothing for fishing made of sustainable materials and aimed at the full safety of the operators.

For the environmental education sector, RSTA scrl from Genoa was awarded. It was specialized in educational visits both on the surface and in the seabed of the Ligurian coast, with educational activities in numerous protected sites including those of the Cinque Terre national park. As well as working with schools, RSTA is also equipped to enable people with disabilities to enjoy the beauty of the sea in the company of marine biologists. The prize, particularly suited to their activities, consists of a wire-guided underwater drone equipped with an HD camera to explore biodiversity and the seabed.

Finally, for the Sustainable Tourism category, the prize went to the Sporting Club Cavo Diving of Paoletto Valeria, Livorno;  specialised in diving and surface trips. Cavo Diving operates mainly in the waters of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, particularly on the islands of Elba and Pianosa. Cavo Diving has also participated in Posidonia oceanica reforestation activities. The prize consists of a set of high-quality, water-repellent professional binoculars, particularly suitable for use at sea.

In his conclusions, Federparchi president Luca Santini emphasised the importance of the LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 project and how it had contributed to highlighting the important role of stakeholders operating in protected areas. “We saw in all the participants a valuable resource of sharing and willingness to tackle sustainability paths for their activities. – he said –  Concrete experiences that show that it is possible to work and create value in protected areas and, above all, help us get rid of the cliché that sees nature conservation as antithesis to the development of communities and territories. It is exactly the opposite and we got such experience with  Good Practices competition.”

The LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 project covers the marine sites of the Mediterranean NATURA2000 Network in Italy (288) and Spain (272) with the objective of reducing the impacts on the sites by addressing approaches and behaviours of stakeholders (fishermen, divers, tour operators, boaters, organisations) and the public (residents, tourists, fishermen, boaters, divers, etc.). At the same time, the project aims to disseminate and increase knowledge of the marine sites of the European Network.

Federparchi is the project leader, whose partners are Triton Research, LIPU and Fundación Biodiversidad, a public foundation of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge. The Cinque Terre, Arcipelago Toscano and Asinara National Parks  are co-funders of the project.