On a weekend of summer temperatures, the Sughereta di Pomezia Nature Reserve offered its best face to open its doors to initiatives linked to the 40th anniversary of the Castelli Romani Regional Park, which has been its managing body since August 2016 .
The green lung of Pometo, which survived intensive agriculture and the industrialization of the area, was exalted in its various facets, starting from the conference on Friday 7 June, which focused on its being a reservoir of biodiversity adjacent to a town.
The weekend in the Sughereta Natural Reserve of Pomezia began with a qualified conference, hosted in the great hall of the Municipality of Pomezia, in Piazza Antonio Cederna, in the presence of the Mayor Veronica Felici and the Extraordinary Commissioner of the Castelli Romani Park, lawyer. Ivan Boccali, who introduced him with institutional greetings.
“Pomezia is fortunate to have a green lung in the area to be protected and enhanced, which was recently acquired by the Municipality, with the aim, achieved in a very short time, of giving the city ownership of this wonderful area“, declared Mayor Veronica Felici, flanked by councilors Vittori and La Spina.
“Bringing the Park to the territories was an objective of my action right from the start, to ensure that it was not seen only as an entity that imposes constraints“, stated the lawyer Ivan Boccali, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Castelli Romani Park in his introduction. “The first mission – he added – is to protect, promote and enhance biodiversity and this Reserve is an example of how the synthesis between industrial development, territorial excellence and nature can coexist“.
The conference then continued with a series of qualified interventions, during which the participants had the opportunity to learn the history of the Sughereta and its fundamental role in the conservation of local biodiversity.
The Park Director, Dr. geol. Emanuela Angelone focused on the geological continuity between Parco dei Castelli and Sughereta, while Fabio Linking Coccia and Maurilio Cipparone, both from the Department of Protected Areas and Natura é Salute & Rete DNA Network Consorzio Universitario CURSA, explored the virtues of Sughereta, even in its being a source of well-being for health, while Simone Calì explored the theme of the Monti Ausoni and Lago di Fondi Park, with an overview of the activities carried out in the Regional Life Project. In between the interventions of Flavio Felici, nature photographer, and Stefano Mancinelli, who focused on the phenomenon of spontaneous orchids.
On the morning of Saturday 8 June the ‘Meles Meles’ association led the participants on an exploratory walk, aimed at discovering the ecological importance of the Sughereta. A forest, as reiterated several times in the conference, which has survived intensive agriculture and urbanization, maintaining a preponderance of cork oaks, and offers refuge to a variety of plant and animal species.
The event “Six legs. Walk for little entomologists”, curated by the ‘GEA’ association, was dedicated to children, with young explorers who learned about the insects that populate the Reserve.
On Sunday the initiative “La Sughereta: a precious forest” allowed participants, thanks to the ‘In Labore Fructus Aps’ association, to dedicate themselves to painting en plein air, stopping in the most evocative points of the Reserve to create their own works, inspired by centuries-old oak trees and rich biodiversity.
From morning until late afternoon, the initiative “Discovering insects and birds” took place, an excursion dedicated to families, to allow them to explore the Sughereta, guided by expert naturalists.
The events, all free and attended, made it possible to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Castelli Romani Park in the best possible way, which in a real “on the road” tour, in the words of Commissioner Boccali, is representing a special occasion to reflect on the importance of nature conservation and biodiversity and the Sughereta di Pomezia Reserve, with its ecological richness and its history of resistance against anthropic pressures, represents a perfect example of how nature can thrive when it is protected and valued.
