A way to raise awareness and raise awareness of the topic of biodiversity guarded by Italian landscapes: a unique, fragile and at risk heritage to be protected. The Italian Environmental Fund organize them Biodiversity walks on the occasion of the World Day dedicated to the theme In Sardinia the visits will be on Saturday 18th, Sunday 19th and the following weekend and will be held at Saline Conti Vecchi in Assemini, and will be enriched by a thematic in-depth conference dedicated to wetlands with experts from the Foundation, scholars and university professors. For the occasion, exceptional visits and nature activities will be promoted by the FAI Delegations in the area. An opportunity to discover that biodiversity does not only depend on nature, but also on history and culture, and that it is therefore also the responsibility of Man, for better or for worse.
Saturday 18 May at 10 o’clockthe day at Saline Conti Vecchi will open with the conference on “Protection of biodiversity, valorisation and economic growth: a possible future”, in which they will participate Monica Scanupresident of Fai Sardegna; Francesca Caldaraproperty manager of Saline Conti Vecchi; Claudio Leddaenvironmental biotechnologist and regional Environment delegate; Antonio Pusceddufull professor of Ecology at the University of Cagliari; Vania StatzuVice President Medsea; Carlo Ferraricommercial director of the rice company Ferrari; Cristiana Muraquality and safety manager of the Nieddittas company; Daniele Meregalliresponsible for Make environment and sustainability; Gianluca Coccomanager of the Environmental Sustainability Service, Department of Environmental Protection of the Region.
The conference will conclude Maurizio Rivolta, vice president of Fai. At the center of the conference, moderated by the journalist Vito Biolchini, Rai Sardegna, there will be wetlands, precious ecosystems that provide vital services for humans, from water filtration to supporting livelihoods, even managing to promote the mitigation of climate change. Wetlands can be brackish or freshwater, inland or coastal, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary and represent a natural barrier to the climate crisis because they capture and store more atmospheric carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth. One approach one-health in the management of these environments it is, therefore, essential to preserve biodiversity, the climate, economic activities and the well-being of communities. Will follow at 2.30 pm the visit to the Saline Conti Vecchi exceptionally focused on biodiversity, valorisation and economic management, curated by Francesca Caldara.
“As part of the FAIBiodiversity initiatives, FAI Sardinia has chosen to deal with wetlands as places representative of the biodiversity of our territory” – declares Monica Scanu -. They are environments lagoonallike Bene Fai Saline Conti Vecchi, or coastal. Biodiversity of wetlands, therefore: the topic will be addressed in a conference in which we will talk about its protection for the well-being of the inhabitants and in harmony with the development of economic activities linked to tourism, agriculture and fishing”. “Biodiversity is finally recognized in an ecosystem assessment as a fundamental element for man and the environment, given that its state now affects a series of factors in our daily life, health, landscape, agriculture, ecological balances depend on it and climatic aspects of our lives, therefore a theme to be explored and disseminated”, comments Maurizio Rivolta.
Sunday 19 May at 3pm Vania Statzu will lead the Walk in biodiversity at the Saline Conti Vecchi and will exceptionally accompany visitors along a dirt path of approximately 2.5 kilometers to discover the flora and fauna that embellish the vast wetland of Saint Gilla. The story will focus on the biodiversity of wetlands characterized by salt production, highlighting the benefits deriving from this cycle and any threats deriving, for example, from ongoing climate change. During the route we will also visit the ruins of Villaggio Macchiareddu, built in the 1920s by the engineer Luigi Conti Vecchi to host the “salt community”. The visit is completed by a guided train tour inside the production site and the possibility of independently visiting the historic buildings rearranged with the original furnishings, machinery and documents of the 1930s salt pan.
