Page 8 - Cocito_alii_2015

Research & development

42 m. More than half of the itineraries are of easy or written in PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) which
medium difficulty, so open to a wide range of divers and uses MySQL or PostgreSQL database. The website, in
snorkelers too. addition to the content of the books, shows more photos
Almost all underwater itineraries (22 out of a total of 28) and videos for each underwater path. The videos can
are of high nature conservation relevance, rating them be displayed both in low and in high resolution (1080p
from good to excellent. FHD) on any mobile device (iPad, iPhone, Android &
A total of 177 species (39 of algae and plants and Windows) (Figure 10).
138 of animals) was recorded at Favignana, and 172
species (32 of algae and plants and 140 of animals) The QR (Quick Response)
was found at Marettimo and Levanzo islands. Among codes were printed in the two
the species found across the pathways, some of them illustrated books (Figure 11),
are important for conservation and protection (i.e. linking them to the website
Astrospartus mediterraneus), others are rare (i.e. http://egadi.santateresa.enea.
Anthipatella subpinnata) and with a high aesthetic value it/, thus enabling to connect
(i.e. Paramuricea clavata, Savalia savaglia), while others and display each underwater
are invasive (i.e. Caulerpa racemosa). itinerary on mobile accessories.

FIGURE 11 The QR code shown in the two illustrated books, linking
The Website dedicated to underwater to the website and videos of underwater itineraries
itineraries at Egadi Islands’ MPA
Since its date of publication in 2013, the website, has
The two illustrated books [8, 9] were published in a been visited by more than 50 thousand visitors, meaning
website (http://egadi.santateresa.enea.it/) which was around 2000 visitors/month (with peaks during the
built using Joomla!® software (http://www.joomla.org), summer period) and indicating a high interest of the
an open-source Content Management System (CMS) underwater environment, having the possibility of
getting a closer knowledge of it.

Final considerations

The publication of two books dedicated to the
description and illustration of selected underwater
itineraries, for divers and snorkelers, at Favignana,
Marettimo and Levanzo Islands, and a dedicated
website with underwater videos around selected sites
of the archipelago, represent concrete actions by ENEA
for the promotion of sustainable tourism. The main tool
for the protection of the submerged environment is
knowledge. The two illustrated guides and the website,
based on easy and popular communication tools, aim
to disseminate knowledge on the marine environment,
which is often known by specialists only. These diving
and snorkeling itineraries of Favignana, Marettimo
and Levanzo islands highlight the beauty and special
features of underwater environments. Addressed to
FIGURE 10 The ENEA website (http://egadi.santateresa.enea.it/)
dedicated to underwater itineraries at Egadi Islands locals, tourists and divers, and all people who love the

EAI Energia, Ambiente e Innovazione 4/2015
74