Towards a shared management strategy
At the heart of the project lies the development of the Strategy for the Sustainable Management of Mediterranean Forests (SSMMF)—an operational framework tailored to different forest types and future climate scenarios. The strategy is the result of a participatory process involving experts from multiple countries and is built on an integrated approach:
• Advanced geospatial tools—including remote sensing, GIS and climate modelling—are used to identify priority areas for protection and restoration, supporting forest planning and risk management.
• Pilot-site testing in Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia allows the strategy to be validated on the ground and translated into concrete, actionable recommendations.
• Capitalisation of results ensures that knowledge, tools and best practices are shared and disseminated throughout the Mediterranean region.
Oikos’ contribution: turning knowledge into change
Istituto Oikos plays a key role in ensuring that the scientific value generated by the project becomes a driver of real transformation. Its main contributions include developing an online course on Mediterranean forest conservation and management, strengthening cross-border cooperation in the Prespa/Ohrid area (Greece, Albania, North Macedonia), and leading the development of the Medforval Strategy 2026–2035—a shared operational framework for 18 high ecological value forest landscapes that make up the Medforval network (link to website).
The project is funded by the Interreg Euro-MED Programme and coordinated by the European Topic Centre on Spatial Analysis and Synthesis (ETC-UMA) at the University of Málaga.
It involves 7 partners across 6 European and Mediterranean countries: Istituto Oikos, The European Topic Centre on Spatial Analysis and Synthesis (ETC-UMA), The International Association for Mediterranean Forests (AIFM), International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies of Chania (CIHEAM-MAICh), Centre National de la Propriété Forestière (CNPF), Public Institution Galičica National Park (PIGNP), Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo (UNSA FoF).
Sowing resilience: agriculture as a starting point
In the agricultural and forested areas of West Beqaa, we promote practices that improve soil fertility, reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, optimize water use, and limit emissions. This also includes replacing diesel-powered irrigation systems with solutions powered by solar energy.
Restoring natural environments
The project also implements concrete restoration actions: in wetlands, we expand water storage areas such as ponds and basins, while in degraded forest areas we plant native species to restore ecological value to the land.
Data and protocols for sustainable management
Monitoring the health of soil, biodiversity, and water resources is key to guide effective decisions. For this reason, our environmental experts are regularly in the field, collecting data and developing technical protocols—indispensable tools for the effective management of natural resources.
Knowledge exchange and agricultural innovation
To spread innovative approaches, we create bridges between Lebanon and Italy. Successful experiences from the agricultural and research sectors, such as those of the Consorzio Chianti Classico, are shared with Lebanese farmers, technicians, and administrators through theoretical and practical training programmes. In addition, financial education activities for small producers and agricultural enterprises aim to facilitate access to credit and promote responsible investments.
Planting the seed of awareness
Schools and local communities are also active participants in the project. Through environmental education programmes and awareness-raising initiatives, we help foster a deeper understanding of the importance of protecting natural resources, because change begins with people.
ECO4TICINO is based on the Ecological Corridor Restoration Plan for the Ticino River 2021–2031, a strategic document developed by a network of about 30 Italian and Swiss organizations, including Istituto Oikos. The plan outlines a long-term vision and identifies the conditions needed to restore ecological connectivity, environmental health, and resilience along the river’s course.
Together with a strong network of partners—scientific, technical, and operational—we carry out tangible interventions and implement effective governance tools to restore the functional integrity of the Ticino Ecological Corridor.
Our strategy focuses on three key areas:
• Strengthening collaboration among local authorities and protected areas, enhancing their skills
• Developing and implementing shared conservation strategies: habitat restoration and rehabilitation of fragile ecosystems
• Actively involving communities, to foster a sense of shared identity among people living along the river
ECO4TICINO integrates expert knowledge with grassroots participation to generate lasting change. The goal is not just environmental—it is also social, cultural, and political. A sustainable future for the Ticino River can only grow from a shared vision and collective action that transcends borders.
Photo: Parco Ticino Archive
Community forests: environmental protection and community well-being
Technical support and specialized training are the tools we use to empower communities in forest management. This process fosters social inclusion and helps protect fragile coastal natural resources.
How do we achieve this? The first step is a comprehensive mapping of stakeholders in the two provinces: civil society organizations, community groups, and private companies involved in natural resource management in various ways. Once the key players are identified, we conduct studies on best practices in community forest management. The aim is to identify the most successful cases and replicate them in the areas where we operate.
We are assisting six selected communities in the process of obtaining certification for community forests, encouraging the exchange of experiences with well-established community forest groups.
At the same time, we support the development of small income-generating activities led by women, such as botanical printing and sustainable beekeeping. Forest products thus become a means of social empowerment for vulnerable women’s groups.
Environmental degradation and livelihood vulnerability are two sides of the same coin. The only way to break this cycle is to restore coastal ecosystems, which are as fragile as they are valuable. Our approach to winning this challenge is based on cooperation between civil organizations, authorities, and local communities.
1. Protecting the sea and coasts: civil society as a protagonist
Activities begin with a detailed mapping of local actors and their skills, followed by promoting collaborative engagement among the various stakeholders. We then provide training and technical assistance to associations engaged in forest and marine conservation to strengthen their capacity to manage and restore coastal ecosystems. We also develop standard operating procedures to make natural resource management more effective.
2. Telling stories, engaging in dialogue, and advocacy
Together with our partners, we have designed a specific training programme that provides young journalists with the skills needed to tell environmental stories, with a focus on carbon footprint and climate change. We also promote collaborations between organizations and media to improve their advocacy capabilities.
One of our main objectives is to facilitate constructive dialogue between communities and authorities. We do this through collaborative workshops aimed at integrating best environmental practices into local and national regulations.
3. The importance of protecting marine and coastal resources
COAST includes a broad environmental education campaign. Teachers receive specific training to address major environmental issues in the classroom, while children are involved in interactive awareness activities. We also organize environmental conservation summer camps, where we plant mangrove seedlings together and learn about key species in seagrass beds, including the dugong.
It all starts with training. We provide key stakeholders in each Reserve with effective and up-to-date tools for proper planning and management of agroforestry and pastoral landscapes.
We are also committed to restoring agroforestry and pastoral lands through large-scale environmental management interventions: rebuilding stone terraces, developing composting units using local farmers’ agricultural waste, implementing fire risk reduction measures, and promoting bioenergy.
In parallel, we are working to introduce biomass energy supply systems in public buildings and small and medium enterprises in the agricultural and eco-tourism sectors to reduce fossil fuel consumption.
To protect the Ngezi-Vumawimbi Forest, we are focusing on four key areas.
1. Biodiversity conservation
The Ngezi-Vumawimbi Forest is supported by an ambitious conservation programme, engaging both local and international experts in broad ecological monitoring efforts. Activities encompass baseline assessments and ongoing surveys of plant species, birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, using specialised field methods and innovative technology. With five extra forest guards, Oikos is enhancing forest protection by expanding monitoring protocols, boosting patrolling capacity, and organising targeted training for both community members and forest guards. The project is also specifically focusing on law enforcement and promoting best practices for forest management.
2. Active community involvement
Community empowerment lies at the heart of our efforts. Large-scale education and awareness campaigns reach thousands of adults and children, inspiring engagement and stewardship. Activities emphasize improving waste management and environmental sanitation through training programmes, collaborative clean-up days, composting centres, and upcycling workshops for students and youth. Practical support ensures local involvement in every step, strengthening sustainable economic opportunities within the reserve’s buffer communities.
3. Promotion of responsible tourism
Given that the forest has an high potential for nature-based tourism, we are diversifying recreational opportunities. New visitor activities include the development of walking and bike trails, guided tours, canoe excursions, a butterfly house and educational programmes featuring local biodiversity and cultural heritage. Investments in infrastructure, like visibility panels, visitor centres, and supporting facilities, invite more people to experience the forest’s wonders. Local stakeholders are trained to become tour guides and ecological ambassadors, ensuring tourism contributes positively to conservation and community well-being.
4. Strengthening Governance and Sustainability
The project facilitates inclusive stakeholder engagement for land use planning, buffer zone mapping, and consultations on reserve status upgrade. Collaborative development of strategic management plans and operating procedures guarantees that conservation priorities are aligned with local needs and aspirations. Assessments of ecosystem services and feasibility studies for conservation funding mechanisms, including innovative approaches like biodiversity and carbon credits, are conducted, laying the groundwork for enduring benefits to the environment and local communities.
This integrated approach ensures that the Ngezi-Vumawimbi Forest receives the holistic support needed to thrive, balancing ecological integrity with community development and responsible stewardship.
Our goal is ambitious: to lead the transition to an ecologically sustainable society. Education, civic engagement and environmental awareness come together to forge a culture of environmental and social responsibility. Teachers, young people and citizens become the protagonists of this change.
Transformative education and ecological literacy
We invest in training the educating community for lasting impact. We offer resources, workshops and ongoing support to enrich the teachers' curriculum and turn every classroom into a living laboratory of sustainability. Through citizen science activities and active citizenship workshops, students become not only protagonists in building a more sustainable school, but also aware and responsible citizens.
Community connection and activism
Green Team wants to create deep links between young people, citizens and their territory. Citizen science initiatives, environmental civic monitoring and immersive cultural walks involve everyone, stimulating care for the environment. The Lambro Observatory APS, with the University of Insubria, leads this scientific and civic exploration. We stimulate civic activism and the co-design of Small Ecological Initiatives. Schools, families and civil society come together to improve and enhance the territory: a collective effort for a more conscious and active community.
Active territorial networks
In order to protect biodiversity and promote education for sustainability, it is essential to know and value the resources already present in the territory. Through a careful mapping of the actors and initiatives active in Milan's Municipality 3 we want to create a shared archive of available resources, which will become the basis for collaborative territorial initiatives. The process is being carried out in close collaboration with the Municipality of Milan and the thematic Working Tables in which Oikos is an active participant (Biodiversity Table of the Municipality of Milan and Environment and Green Table of Municipality 3). The various local actors will thus be able to actively participate in participatory planning workshops promoted by the project to implement environmental care actions. The aim is to build a solid and cohesive network of actors committed to the environmental sustainability of their area.
The associations active in the area, such as Il Vespaio, WAU - We Are Urban Milano, Vivi Lambrate, MIA - Milano Informata e Attiva and GuardaMI, have joined in the project.
We imagine an agricultural system capable of responding to the challenges posed by the ongoing environmental crisis, and a territory that can support biodiversity. How? Through the valorization of natural resources, employability in agriculture, and the promotion of social
aggregation. This is what we aim to achieve in the Insubria-Olona Ecosystemic Territorial Scope (ETS) with the In.Seeds project. A concrete initiative to support producers in two essential sectors for the local economy: agriculture and beekeeping, with a focus on
sustainability and resilience to climate change.
Recovery of ancient practices for a sustainable supply chain
We want to identify biodiverse meadows in the Insubria-Olona ATE suitable for collecting hayseeds, a mixture of seeds of high naturalistic value: an essential technique in an age of environmental degradation and impoverishment, as it allows the restoration of
meadows with high biodiversity. However, it is necessary to develop a protocol that certifies the quality of the product: this way we can define a supply chain for the production and use of hayseeds, to meet the growing demand for native plant material.
Pollen: a resource to be valorised
Beekeeping is one of the most vulnerable sectors threatened by climate change: diversifying its activities is essential for the sustenance of producers. Therefore, we support local beekeepers with specific training on pollen production techniques, providing them with the necessary tools and a laboratory to facilitate the activation of the supply chain, from processing to packaging.
The supply chains we propose are sustainable and innovative; on the one hand, they help make producers prepared to face the challenges posed by the climate crisis; on the other hand, they offer additional economic opportunities and new prospects in the agricultural
sector, while respecting the environment.
Landscape diversification and territorial management
We want to reconstruct the complexity of the landscape of the ETS by introducing elements of diversity: hedgerows and patches of shrubs, new clearings in wooded areas, tree rows in the agricultural landscape, and recovery of stable meadows.
Agroecological interventions do not stop there: to oppose the abandonment of the territory, we network unused areas and those relinquished by owners for management, where environmental improvement works can be carried out and a register of hayseeds-donating
meadows within the ETS can be defined. We gather the needs of small agricultural businesses in the area and support them in their growth through the autonomous production of native hayseeds.
New tools and knowledge for local administrations
We want to make practical and effective information available to the four parks and their 26 municipalities for a sustainable land management. We will do this by writing guidelines on the protection of urban biodiversity. They will also be useful to citizens, especially from small municipalities. In fact, they are responsible for managing private gardens and vegetable gardens, which contribute significantly to increasing urban biodiversity.
From guidelines, one regulation for every PLIS will be produced for sustainable land management, taking into account the specificities of each area. These documents will be the result of a participatory process involving municipal administrations and citizens.
Active citizenship: decision-making participation and green care
Citizens can play a key role in protecting the local environment, but opportunities for participation in urban development planning are often limited. That is why the project aims to support collaboration between administrations and citizenship in the sustainable management of fauna and green areas of urban environment. With the help of the GEVs (a network of eco-guardians volunteers), citizens and local associations are involved in working groups to draw up shared proposals for the municipal regulations and to carry out 4 interventions for the valorisation of the area. The groups will also be able to take part in a short training course on crowdfunding, a useful tool for the long-term sustainability of interventions.
A multi-year programme
Verde Insubria Olona is an initiative conceived in collaboration with the Pineta Regional Park of Appiano Gentile and Tradate on the basis of the needs of the area emerged during the active common planning. In fact, the project represents the continuation and consolidation of a multi-year programme for the enhancement of biodiversity, divided into three initiatives: Wet bridge, Sistema Olona and Campo Aperto.