Biodiversity arrives at the City Council on Monday 13 May. The proposal from the Europa Verde – Verdi – Possibile and Sinistra Couraggiosa council groups is to include it in the Statute, among the principles and values of the Municipality.
Similarly to the Italian Constitution, which in 2022 included biodiversity among its articles, if the Municipal Council approves the proposal with a qualified majority of two thirds, Article 4 of the Municipal Statute will be modified with a new paragraph: “The Municipality works to guarantee the protection of biodiversity, understood as variability between living organisms of all origins, between terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part, also including diversity within each species, between species and ecosystems.”
The resolution underlines how Parma has been very active for several decades in the protection of the variety of living species, starting from the research developed in the university world (of which the figure of Prof. Antonio Moroni is remembered in particular), to the activities of various associations, to initiatives by schools, public bodies and businesses. At the same time, the municipal territory has areas relevant for biodiversity, such as the Parma stream and the area of the Beneceto fountains. For the latter, the municipal council recently decided to establish an ecological rebalancing area.
A first important step for the integration of the Statute has already been carried out in the Institutional Affairs Commission, which listened to the opinion of experts, representing some of the organizations active in the field of biodiversity.
Donato Grasso, of the University of Parma, declared that “bringing citizens closer to these concepts is the first fundamental step for that cultural revolution at the basis of the adoption of a more ecologically correct lifestyle compatible with the well-being of all, others including organisms”. Franca Zanichelli, of the Parma Society of Natural Sciences, pointed out that problems such as those of the tiger mosquito or the Asian bug also fall within the management of biodiversity: “the intrinsic balance of an environment works if we manage to maintain spaces in which biodiversity can act as a natural concealer. The challenge we must overcome is to make those who think that all this is not true and that insecticide is the magic solution understand.” For Renzo Valloni, of the Center for Environmental Ethics, “a particular commitment is required for the development of policies for the protection of territorial ecosystems, aiming at restoring that balance between nature and human activities that past generations have so expertly managed to ensure” . Emanuele Fior, of the Duchy Parks, illustrated its fundamental role, as the organization “makes the valorisation of protected areas and the conservation of biodiversity its mission, and is therefore alongside all those subjects, institutional, private and of the third sector, who want to move in this direction”.
The two signatory councilors are optimistic about the outcome of the vote in the City Council. Marco Boschini, from Sinistra Coraggiosa: “I have signed this proposal with conviction because I believe that form can and must become substance. Provided that there is the will on the part of everyone not to leave this principle only on paper. We have the task of telling, protecting, defending, and growing a culture of respect and care that is poorly nourished today. A great job awaits us: giving voice to what has no voice.” For Enrico Ottolini, Green Europe: “the activity of citizens, associations, universities and institutions in favor of species richness in Parma puts us in a position to be able to say that biodiversity is a value for our local community. A value that deserves recognition in our Statute, as the foundation of our choices for the future”.
Marco Boschini – Enrico Ottolini
Councilors of the Municipality of Parma
