The Tuscany Environment Foundation Webinar
We are delighted to announce that we are working with a group of people with a strong connection to the area to launch the Tuscany Environment Foundation!
Tuscany is one of the largest and most biodiverse regions of Italy. The region is characterised by its hilly landscape, shaped over many centuries by the cypresses, olives and vineyards of traditional agriculture. It is home to a multitude of ecological hotspots, from coastal wetlands to spectacular hot springs and uninterrupted rivers, as well as uninhabited island refuges and the ancient beech forests of the Apennines.
The principal aim for the Tuscany Environment Foundation will be to address the most pressing environmental issues and then give grants to the best grass-roots initiatives working to combat them.
The foundation hopes to prioritise the following key focus areas: biodiversity & wildlife conservation (including marine preservation); restoration & rewilding of natural landscapes; local food systems and the sustainable use of resources, projects under discussion will also involve regenerative agriculture, plastics and eco tourism.
Examples of work the TEF would like to support are:
- Biodiversity: monitoring key wildlife species in their natural habitat, using technology to produce real-time maps and video evidence of animal movements (satellite tracking and camera-traps), as well as protecting nesting sites of birds and reptiles and enhancing the protection for pollinating insects;
- Rewilding: increased data gathering on protected species undergoing spontaneous recolonisation of both historical and new ranges; restoration of natural ecosystems or sustainable management practices (e.g. wildlife corridors and passages to cross roads, land use changes to enhance habitat quality);
- Regenerative Agriculture: including projects that encourage farmers to adopt sustainable agro- ecological practices, resulting in both healthier landscapes and soils, and better produce; promoting the sustainable markets needed for them to thrive; and to rediscover, multiply and distribute seeds of ancient and freely pollinated varieties, thus increasing genetic diversity and resilience.
- Plastics and sea-tourism: including educational campaigns and projects that engage local citizens to both raise awareness and prevent the problems of marine litter, deprivation of resources and illegal or excessive fishing. At the same time promoting more sustainable forms of tourism, fishing, green mobility and recycling.
To receive a full copy of our scoping report, researched and written by Dr. Andrea Sforzi and Dr. Flavio Monti, or to RSVP to our webinar on the 18th of February, please contact:
rose@conservation-collective.org
