On 22nd October 2024, ARSIAL and DEB, two LIFE Grace partners, met with representatives of the “Aurunci and Valle dei Santi” GAL association, at their headquarters (Esperia Municipality – FR). The President of the association and mayors and technicians from GAL Municipalities took part in the event, together with eight breeders from the Appia Network.
“GAL” (Local Action Groups) are important stakeholders to connect with, as they usually bring together municipalities and other public and private organisations which all have sustainable rural development strategies as a common goal.
Claudio di Giovannantonio and Massimo Paolanti (ARSIAL) and Marco Massimi (DEB) presented the results of LIFE Grace’s environmental and socioeconomic analysis on the SPA “Ausoni Aurunci”: the results show that pastures have been progressively abandoned by breeders over the years and that the area also suffers from a lack of infrastructure. LIFE Grace partners then illustrated the project’s role in finding a solution to these challenges. For instance, this year Arsial has been signing contracts with municipalities, thus agreeing to support them in carrying out maintenance and restoration activities on pastures. GAL municipalities responded positively to this idea: three of them (Esperia, Ausonia e Spigno Saturnia) showed interest in signing the contracts.
During the meeting, the eight breeders also offered their perspective on nature conservation regulations, which they sometimes see as a threat to productivity. Another meeting will be organized with breeders’ associations to discuss this specific issue.
LIFE GRACE (11/11/2024)