Page 3 - Cappucci_Morabito_2015

preface

Sergio Cappucci, Roberto Morabito
ENEA, Sustainable Territorial and Production Systems Department

Sustainable tourism
and natural resources management

in small islands

The present issue of the magazine Energia, procedures for processing and analysing
Ambiente e Innovazione reports the results earth observation data, implement new
obtained through the activities dedicated technologies for the management of
to the Management of Natural Resources different natural resources (especially
of Eco-innovation Project, focused on water, sediment and seagrass wrack).
sustainable tourism. Part of the actions gained the Green Coast
Both studies and interventions were Award on 2013, a contest which rewards
carried out between 2012 and 2015 the project that adopts sustainable
in collaboration with the City Council solutions in coastal areas, considering the
and the Marine Protected Area of methodological approach, infrastructures,
Egadi Islands, within the islets of Egadi materials and environmental standards,
Archipelago (few kilometres offshore of innovation and certification processes.
the Sicilian west coast). The study area During the project surveys, particular
is characterised by many ecological and interest was raised for potential reuse
naturalistic assets, particularly in the of sediments and beached vegetal
underwater environment, where a very biomasses. Different scenarios were
high biodiversity is present thanks to implemented to foster: reuse of material
the location and its particular hydrologic that must be dredged from the harbour to
conditions. Here, the seabed has an ensure safety of navigation and encourage
irregular morphology with many cliffs, sustainable tourism; enlargement of the
outcrops, sand banks and submarine port layout; realisation of facilities such
valleys. It is a natural laboratory where as beach volley infrastructures; reuse of
the seasonal anthropic pressure is dredge material in industry; nourishment
strongly related to tourism, leisure and of beaches and the environmental
professional/illegal fishing, pollution restoration along the coastline. Some
related to urbanisation (more intense of these solutions have also led to the
in the Island of Favignana); all activities formulation of legislative proposals,
highly impacting the marine ecosystem which have been included in a chapter
and main threat for biological resources. dedicated to the excavated material in
The activities of ENEA were targeted the book of the Technical Committee
at: monitoring of underground water, of Contaminated Soil published by the
analysis and classification of habitats, prestigious national editor Sole 24 Ore
mitigation of natural risk, valorisation and on July 2015, and presented to the Italian
conservation of natural capital. The actions parliament in September 2015.
have been carried out using traditional The seagrass wrack, which consists
and innovative techniques, which allowed of residues of Posidonia oceanica, has
to better characterise the area, define new been used for different purposes. First

EAI Energia, Ambiente e Innovazione 4/2015
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