Programme: Endangered Landscape and Seascape Programme (ELPS)
Duration: 01/10/2025 – 30/09/2030
The coastline of Southern Italy is home to critical ecosystems for biodiversity and climate resilience, currently threatened by decades of anthropogenic pressure (illegal fishing, unregulated anchoring, and erosion). The Apulia project adopts a community-led approach to restore approximately 52,000 hectares of degraded habitats. Building on the successful model of the Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area, the initiative aims to establish a network of ecologically connected protected areas, integrating environmental restoration with innovative participatory governance and sustainable financing models.
Objectives
The project aims to regenerate the ecological functionality of the Apulian seascape, strengthening the socio-ecological resilience of local communities and ecosystem services linked to climate mitigation.
To achieve these goals, the initiative focuses on the following key points:
- Priority Habitat Restoration: restoration and protection of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows and recovery of coastal dune systems through strategic fencing and planting;
- Fisheries Management and Governance: co-creation of artisanal fisheries management plans with local fishers, including the identification of no-take zones and the development of alternative livelihood opportunities;
- Anthropogenic Impact Mitigation: installation of eco-mooring parks to prevent anchoring damage to coralligenous reefs and seagrass meadows;
- Innovative Financing Models: development of sustainable financing systems, such as blue carbon credits and eco-mooring fees, with equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms for the community;
- Integrated Planning: promotion of a "Coastal Contract" to link land and sea management, ensuring transdisciplinary governance and long-term protection of the seascape.
Website: https://www.endangeredlandscapes.org/project/apulia/
Coordinator: WWF Mediterranean
SZN Principal Investigator: Antonio Di Franco
Partners:
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN)
- WWF Italy
- Università di Genova (UNIGE)
- Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area
- Regional Natural Park of Coastal Dunes
- Cesine Natural Reserve – WWF Oasis
- Municipality of Lecce
- Municipality of Vernole
