The Gospel project has started , with which the Marine Protected Area of ​​Porto Cesareo involves the new generations in activities of knowledge, protection, study and respect for the terraqueous environment, enhancement of the territory and sustainable fishing.

There will be many appointments for the young students, 250 in all, of the Don Rua Comprehensive Institute of Porto Cesareo , involved in numerous activities, divided into groups and guided by experts. The initiatives will be different but all equally engaging

Orienteering on the Isola dei Conigli

Activities coordinated by 4 experts including biologists, agronomists and environmental education experts will take place. After a theoretical lesson on the territory and the reserves present, teaching on orienteering and the use of the compass. It will also explain how to build a compass with simple materials such as needles and leaves. Then there will be the game, what you need to learn by working as a team. The students, divided into groups, will be guided by an operator in an activity of “hunting for biodiversity”. Then the orientation on the island will take place through maps and compasses and using the typical species of the area as points of reference.

Sustainable fishing

The biologists will hold lessons on sea turtles and marine litter issues. At the end, a focus  on the animal species present in the Marine Protected Area with particular attention to “poor fish”, sustainable fishing and the use of fishing gear that is less harmful to the habitats.

The Gospel project – Governance and Sustainability of Local Fishing aims to study the potential conflict between small coastal fishing and recreational fishing, to evaluate shared management solutions for the regulation of fishing in the Special Areas of Conservation falling within the MPA.

Another objective is to experiment with good practices to improve the sustainability of professional fishing, providing professional fishermen with two sets of reusable plastic boxes to be used instead of the polystyrene ones. Finally, it aims to spread the culture of sustainable and local fishing through an extensive information campaign aimed at users.