Presentation of the LIFE TerrAmare project in Calabria
On February 13, the European project LIFE TerrAmare – Coastal communities for sustainable management of marine and dune habitats in the Natura 2000 network, funded by the European Union’s LIFE Program and coordinated by DREAm Italia, will take place in Bivona-Vibo Valentia, at the headquarters of the Regional Marine Parks Authority of Calabria.
The initiative aims to improve the conservation of coastal and marine habitats in the Mediterranean through an integrated model of sustainable management, the creation of “Ecological Beach Communities,” and restoration, monitoring, and awareness-raising actions.
The actions will take place in 12 pilot sites distributed between Italy and Greece, with interventions aimed at restoring and protecting over 1,000 hectares of dune habitats and seabeds, including important ecosystems such as Posidonia oceanica meadows and dune systems.
In Italy, the project will involve various Special Areas of Conservation in the Natura 2000 network, including: the Angitola Dunes, the Pizzo Calabro Seabed, the Camigliano Dunes, the Crosia–Pietrapaola–Cariati Seabed, and Brancaleone Beach.
At the transnational level, actions are also planned in other coastal areas of Greece within the same network of priority habitats.
The partnership supporting LIFE TerrAmare includes Italian and international institutions and organizations, including:
- Società Cooperativa Agricolo Forestale – D.R.E.AM. Italia (lead partner)
- Ente per i Parchi Marini Regionali della Calabria
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- Università degli Studi della Tuscia
- Legambiente Nazionale APS
- Consorzio di Gestione di Torre Guaceto
- Azienda Calabria Verde
- Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain)
- Panepistimio Kritis (University of Crete, Greece)
- Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos – DIMITRA (Greece)
- Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (Greece)
- Idryma Technologias kai Erevnas (FORTH, Greece)
- Shoqata Ornitologjike e Shqipërisë (Albania)
LIFE TerrAmare represents an important step towards the active conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems, promoting replicable models of sustainable management and actively involving local communities, citizens, students, sea and tourism operators with a view to Mediterranean cooperation.