THE FOUNDATION & MISSION OF ACARBIO
The Associazione Costiera Amalfitana Riserva Biosfera was founded with the aim of promoting the Amalfi Coast’s candidature to become a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with the mission of bringing people, tradition and nature back together.
WHAT IS A BIOSPHERE RESERVE?
The Biosphere Reserves (686 Reserves in 122 countries, 17 of which are in Italy) are established by UNESCO within the MAB program (Man and Biosphere), a program created in 1968.
The Reserves are defined as “areas of marine and / or terrestrial ecosystems that are internationally recognized within the UNESCO MAB program. The Biosphere Reserves are set up to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between humanity and the biosphere “. (UNESCO, 2013)
The inspiring criteria of the Reserve is, therefore, the conservation of biological diversity, safeguarding of cultural values associated with it and its sustainable development.
WHY DO WE WANT THE AMALFI COAST TO BECOME A MAB RESERVE?
The Amalfi Coast is a unique territory, for this reason in 1997 it was recognized by UNESCO as “World Heritage”. Its landscape, history, countless traditions, and varied culture constantly needs to be protected for their uniqueness and fragility.
Seeing the Amalfi Coast included in the “biosphere reserve” network will mean that every objective will be aimed towards a sustainable biodiversity conservation budget, promoting ideas in a harmonious way with the territory and encouraging an exchange of experiences and information.
It will not prevent economic activities, but will give a priority to sustainable development, keeping in mind the interests (health, well-being, economy, mobility) of the habitants as well as protect the terraced landscape.
BENEFITS FOR THE REGION
The Reserves are privileged sites for research, training and environmental education, and, in the full involvement of local communities, the conservation and sustainable use of resources.
They also constitute demonstration sites and action poles within the framework of regional development and spatial planning policies; the World Network of Biosphere Reserves thus contributes to the implementation of the objectives set in the various International Biodiversity Conferences.
OUR ACTIVITIES TODAY
Obtaining the UNESCO MAB Status for the Amalfi Coast has proved to be a long and complex political process. Still, our mission to bring people, tradition and nature back together has not changed. We are a local Non-Profit-Organization, bringing new ideas to the Coast, the people around, and the people visiting this beautiful place.
Our motto is aligning with the UNESCO MAB idea: to find synergies to protect the local natural and cultural patrimony. The projects we have been doing for the past 10 years, about environmental protection (terrace protection, renewable energy use, sustainable tourism and waste reduction), youth (empowering, environmental awareness raising and international education), local traditions (food and food processing) or natural buildings creation and promotion, are an example of what can be done in a biosphere reserve, and we hope to keep developing them in the future, to inspire and be inspired.
Therefore, we create non-formal learning activities for the local schools and youth, through Erasmus+ projects and work camps, connecting youth from all over the world in different activities, training courses and exchange experiences. We promote projects of knowledge and safeguard of local biodiversity, and want to give examples on how to create sustainable agriculture, protecting the terraces and giving opportunities for the region at the same time. Being in Italy, food culture, traditions and health are very important for us and we enjoy experimenting and promoting those approaches. We connect with other associations and political actors of the Coast, to help to promote these topics further. Together there is a lot we can reach, and everyone can add their part.
VISION – Why we do it
There are many terraces of the Amalfi Coast becoming abbandoned and also many traditions and products that are currently not entirely lived; so we want to drive change so that everyone who lives here or passes here will contirbute with at least one action a day to the maintainance of hte terraced landscpae and natural and cultural patrimony.
Everyone who lives here or passes here on the Amalfi Coast will contribute with at least one action a day to the maintainance of the terraced landscape and natural and cultural patrimony.
MISSION – What we do
We collect information and curiosities about the cultural traditions and the nature and biodiversity, and we start with small test projects that connect humans and nature and make them grow over time.
Our mission is rediscover and invent actions for the live on the terraces that maintain the natural and cultural patrimony of the Amalfi Coast.