Perugia province,which hosted a B2N study visit on the 9-13 May 2011, shows good examples of public-private cooperation for achieving the goals of sustainable development. The territory of the province embraces one national park (Sibillini park) and several regional parks (such as Trasimeno lake park and Subasio park) located in beautiful natural reserves. In this region, natural environment has always been a fundamental resource for the local economy. which is based mainly on small and medium-sized firms operating in the sector of handicrafts, tourism and agriculture.
Project partners visited the most valuable natural areas in the province in order to meet managers and experts who explained what opportunities and barriers these areas represent in Perugia. It turned out that a key issue for successful economic management of the environment is often public-private cooperation. An excellent example of this approach is the Polvese Island in the Trasimeno Lake Park. On Polvese Island there are three cooperatives conducting economic activities according to an agreement signed with Perugia Province: “Plestina” cooperative manages tourist routes and environmental activities, “Aurora” cooperative manages a restaurant and “Il Progresso” cooperative manages olive oil production. A smooth cooperation between these entities ensures that the local community can benefit from the natural area without damaging the natural environment.
Project partners visited also the “Monte Vibiano vecchio” farm, which is the first farm in Europe certified as “zero greenhouse emission”. “Monte Vibiano vecchio” farm was awarded the Premio Impresa Ambiente 2010 (Enterprise-Environment Prize 2010) as the Best Management of Natural Environment. The prize is promoted by such organisations as Ecopolis, Fiera di Roma (Fair of Rome) and Unioncamere (Union of Chambers of Commerce) and it officially qualifies the Company for participation in an analogous European contest in the same section: “European Business Award for the Environment” which will identify the best enterprises at EU level.
Perugia province is conducting numerous innovative projects in the natural areas. One of them which has arisen high interest among the project partners is called “Il Parco Terapeutico” and proposes an innovative use of nature parks in Umbria. The parks are becoming a therapeutic instrument for the treatment of disorders such as mental, physical or social problems or disabilities. “Il Parco Terapeutico” project is cooperation between the protected natural areas of Umbria, Promotion of Natural and Landscape Systems Service of the Department of Agriculture and the Accreditation and Assessment Service of the Quality of the Health Directorate.
- Agricultural farm of Monte Vibiano Vecchio
- Horseback Tourism in Umbria’s parks and valleys
- “Il parco terapeutico” project
- The Cave of Monte Cucco: tourist development and environmental preservation
- The Province of Perugia’s contribution to the knowledge of nature in the Regional Parks
- Isola Polvese: history art nature
- Monti Sibillini National Park. Environmental conservation: from limits to opportunities (part 1)
- Monti Sibillini National Park. Environmental conservation: from limits to opportunities (part 2)
source: http://business2nature.eu