Food and environmental sustainability at the center of the conference on parks and health

Changing the approach to parks to conserve biodiversity

12 December 2014 - “We deplore the frequency of floods today; and if we could turn to the benefit of reforestation (…) the money that is lost every year to repair the flooding of our rivers, especially the Po, and the floods of the South, the very great damages we have to complain about, would be immensely reduced in number and amount..."It would not surprise us if we read this sentence in a contemporary newspaper, and yet, as Prof. Luca Borghi, this is a quote taken from the ministerial circular establishing the Festival of Trees, written by Guido Pods in 1899.

Ancient problems, therefore, but also new perspectives and challenges were at the center of the conference which took place on Thursday 11 December atUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, by title 'Parks and Health - Food, agriculture and the environment for a better quality of life'. The conference was introduced by the President's greeting Felice Barela. Protagonists, at the beginning, issues of a more properly political nature, with the interventions of Maurizio Gubbiotti, Extraordinary Commissioner of the RomaNatura regional body, and of the Councilor for Infrastructures, Housing Policies, Environment of the Lazio Region Fabio Refrigeri. “We have to move from passive to active protection of parks – said Refrigeri – and, in this sense, we are playing the decisive game on the management plans, which we intend to finalize by 2015".

Changing the approach to parks in view of an increasingly active and proactive attitude was one of the central topics of the subsequent speeches by Professors Maria Gemma Grillotti and Laura De Gara, which also highlighted the importance of the mutual dependence between man and the territory that hosts him. From this close interconnection and the careful conservation of biodiversity – recalled the Prof. Fausto Manes, of the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' – largely depends on the well-being of man and society. That's why, second Fabio Renzi, Secretary General of the Symbola Foundation, the parks should rethink a system of services that places efficiency and well-being at the centre, so as to make them increasingly attractive places not only from a naturalistic point of view but also from a cultural and economic point of view. “The crisis we are still experiencing – continued Agostino Agostinelli, Federparchi Vice President – it requires us to note the decline of an old compensatory economic model, which sees parks in clear opposition to the industrial world. We have to make peace with nature and devise an alternative model”. This challenge was gathered from the experience of 'FAME: food – art – move – energy', a strategic model conceived by LAG Colline Joniche which connects farms in 15 municipalities in an ideal food and wine green road.

The perspective that emerged from the conference is therefore that of making the park ecosystem increasingly competitive, through an information, training and networking action that places human well-being and health at the center. The conference was introduced by the greeting of the President Felice Barela. The opening theme will be more specifically political, with interventions by Maurizio Gubbiotti, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Regional Authority RomaNatura, and by Fabio Refrigeri, Councillor for Infrastructure, Housing Policies and the Environment of the Lazio Region. “We must move from passive to active protection of the parks,” Refrigeri stated, “and, in this sense, we are playing the decisive game on the development plans, which we intend to close definitively by 2015.”
Changing the approach to parks to conserve biodiversity

December 12, 2014 - “Today we deplore the frequency of floods; and if we could turn to the benefit of reforestation (…) the money that is wasted every year to repair the flooding of our rivers, especially the Po, and the floods of the South, the enormous damages that we have to lament would be immensely reduced in number and quantity...” We would not be surprised if we read this sentence in a contemporary newspaper, and yet, as Prof. Luca Borghi, this is a quote taken from the ministerial circular establishing the Festival of Trees, written by Guido Pods in 1899.

Ancient problems, therefore, but also new perspectives and challenges were at the center of the conference which took place on Thursday 11 December atUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, entitled 'Parks and Health - Food, agriculture and environment for a better quality of life'.

Changing the approach to parks in view of an increasingly active and proactive attitude was one of the central topics of the subsequent speeches by Professors Maria Gemma Grillotti and Laura De Gara, which also highlighted the importance of mutual dependence between man and the territory that hosts him. The well-being of man and society largely depends on this close interconnection and the careful conservation of biodiversity – recalled Prof. Fausto Manes, of the University of Rome 'La Sapienza'. This is why, according to Fabio Renzi, General Secretary of the Symbola Foundation, parks should rethink a system of services that places efficiency and well-being at the centre, in order to make them increasingly attractive places not only from a naturalistic point of view but also from a cultural and economic point of view. “The crisis we are still experiencing – continued Agostino Agostinelli, Vice President of Federparchi – requires us to note the decline of an old compensatory economic model, which sees parks in clear opposition to the industrial world. We must make peace with nature and devise an alternative model." This challenge was taken up by the 'FAME: food – art – move – energy' experience, a strategic model created by GAL Colline Joniche which connects farms in 15 municipalities in an ideal food and wine green road.