Asinara National Park has approved a budget for the year 2021 with more than 10 million euros, of which just under 2 million is ordinary funding from the Ministry of the Environment for the operation of the Park and the Marine Protected Area, the rest comes from the Authority’s project activity from European, ministerial and regional calls.
Awaiting the establishment of the Park Community, Special Commissioner Gabriela Scanu with Director Vittorio Gazale and the Park’s technical structure, defined the program of activities for 2021.
“This is a wide-ranging program.” says Gabriela Scanu extraordinary commissioner of the park. “in which the focus is on updating and implementing existing planning such as the Park Plan, on a major series of interventions on public works, including building rehabilitation and energy efficiency actions, and on integrating and improving monitoring and scientific research and environmental education activities.”.
For director Vittorio Gazale, “an important and challenging budget that will have repercussions throughout the vast area and sees the collaboration of all the entities involved starting with the Ministry and the Region.”
In terms of programming and planning, the focus is on environmental conservation but also on fostering the development of a green economy starting with sustainable tourism. The main reference point for the year 2021, will be the update of the Park Plan, which has been in effect since June 2010, and 10 years later it is important to proceed with its verification and integration on the basis of further studies and insights, in order to make it fully responsive to the new requirements including development, in the logic of environmental sustainability.
Another strategic element is the implementation of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (CETS) action plans in protected areas, according to the principles dictated by Europarc.
The activity of the Environmental Quality Mark of Asinara National Park, which is included within the network of Sardinian Parks and Protected Areas, continues. In 2021 it will be aimed at its greater enhancement and possible updating of the same also in comparison with nationally and internationally recognized quality certifications.
For the marine protected area, in collaboration with Mipaf (Ministry of Agriculture), a participatory management plan on fishing activity will be implemented, with the involvement of the marinas of Porto Torres and Stintino, closely linked with awareness-raising and control activities by supervisory bodies.
The fire plan that is crucial in managing the island’s ecosystems will also be updated.
For public works, energy efficiency measures are planned, which will be implemented with funds from the Ministry of the Environment’s “Parks for Climate” call for proposals. There are ten successful intervention forms involving the Park’s real estate assets, including the Porto Torres headquarters, the Royal Palace and the Park House on the island of Asinara, as well as interventions to enhance the Elighe Mannu ilex grove.
One of the most important items in the budget concerns scientific monitoring to assess the conservation status of natural resources, flora, vegetation and fauna on the island, with particular reference to the balance between different trophic components. In 2021, in particular, an important collaboration with Ispra (Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) and the Region of Sardinia aimed at the management of unguati fauna will be launched.
Among the priority goals of the Park Authority is to improve and intensify environmental and sustainability education activities. To this end, it is planned to expand the hospitality of the guesthouse at La Reale, which, together with the improvement of the teaching rooms and the construction in the coming years of the Campu Perdu Campus, partly financed by regional funds, will help make Asinara Park a reference for environmental education and training as well as for activities and seminars at the national level.
Among the EU projects, Clean Sea Life (on the problem of plastic pollution) and Girepam (sharing of action plans among parks and marine protected areas in the Western Mediterranean) will be concluded in early 2021, with the communication and dissemination activities of the results.
Instead, the following additional projects will be brought to fruition:
– Sea Forest Life, with the goal of enhancing Posidonia oceanica habitats and creating carbon credits, together with La Maddalena and Cilento parks, Ispra and the University of Tuscia;
– Ecostrim, aimed at improving the competitiveness and quality of companies in the blue tourism supply chain in national and international markets, with the Cima Foundation, Tuscany Region, Ajaccio City Council, Port Cros National Park and Confindustria of North Central Sardinia.
– Neptune, aimed at promoting underwater archaeological and nature tourism with the creation of underwater trails and a diving festival, in agreement with the Region of Sardinia and in partnership with the Portofino Marine Protected Area, the Region of Liguria, Port-Cros National Parks and the Tuscan Archipelago.
