From the woods to the web and back: communicating to promote community engagement and citizen science in Northern Italy - 2024 winner!

About the winner 

Overview 

The Artetica Cultural Association, a local NGO working in a small community in the Friulian countryside of Italy, has implemented a communication programme conducted exclusively by volunteers, aimed at raising local stakeholders’ awareness about the ecological value of the ‘Boschi di Muzzana’, a 350-hectare Natura 2000 site. The woodlands are characterised by several rare species and protected habitats. The site represents a last-remaining fragment of a much larger forest complex and is subject to various anthropogenic pressures.  

This impactful communication campaign included public outreach events, forums and educational activities focusing on ecology and its interaction with society. The campaign aimed to protect the Boschi di Muzzana by fostering active citizenship, sharing knowledge and establishing a caring relationship with the site. The focus also incorporates knowledge-sharing about the wood’s history, which is important to the local community and to understanding its biodiversity. 

The NGO has built up an extensive portfolio of activities that bring together nature lovers, local experts, citizens and researchers of different ages and backgrounds. The group also actively involves the various stakeholders in different types of actions in favour of the protected area. For example, a citizen-science group dedicated to the Boschi di Muzzana was initiated in 2009, and book presentations - including those published by Artetica itself - are hosted by members of the public in their private gardens.  

In 2023, Artetica has created a trilingual website (Italian-Friulian-English) dedicated to the Natura 2000 ‘Boschi di Muzzana’ site. Its extensive content was created by exchanging local knowledge, scientific research and cultural production.  

Artetica's members also actively lobby local authorities about the conservation of the site. The association has been successful in changing the approach to certain habitat management issues, for example: combating inappropriate mowing of areas rich in rare wild orchids such as Ophrys holosericea tetraloniae to promote seed maturation; and reducing the risk of fire by revising the water management plan for the surrounding area to ensure a sufficient level of humidity in the most vulnerable forest areas. 

The association's extensive programme is self-funded by its members. Although the programme is aimed at the local community, the communication activities are extremely transferable to other Natura 2000 sites. The initiative has much potential for being replicated by other small communities with a distinct identity to develop similar approaches to protecting the local natural environment. 

Pictures from the winner