On Wednesday, November 20, PROMONT – Protection and RegeneratiOn of MOuNTains, a project funded by the INTERREG VI-B IPA Adriatic Ionian Programme, was officially launched in Ferrara di Monte Baldo, a small municipality in the province of Verona, Italy.
The Adriatic Ionian Euroregion is a key partner in the project, coordinating its capitalization activities.
The first session of the kick-off meeting was held in the morning at the municipal office of this small town on Mount Baldo, with institutional representatives and project partners. Ermanno Anselmi, President of the LAG Baldo-Lessinia, the Italian partner of the project and organizer of the inaugural event, expressed his satisfaction: “It is an honor that PROMONT begins here in Ferrara di Monte Baldo, the smallest municipality in our partnership but one of great natural significance. This project represents an extraordinary opportunity to exchange ideas with other countries and build best practices to enhance our territory.”
PROMONT aims to protect and regenerate the natural resources of mountainous areas by promoting sustainable resource management, biodiversity monitoring, and active engagement with local communities.
This ambitious project brings together eight partners from Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Croatia. Led by the LAG Pieriki Anaptixiaki (Greece), PROMONT seeks to foster transnational cooperation among regions facing common environmental and social challenges, developing shared strategies to address climate change, preserve biodiversity, and enhance natural and cultural assets.
Carla Giacomazzi, Mayor of Ferrara di Monte Baldo, emphasized the project’s importance for the local community: “We are proud to host this first meeting here. Ferrara di Monte Baldo, rich in unique natural resources like our Novezzina Botanical Garden, will now gain greater international recognition. Mount Baldo, known across Europe as the “Garden of Europe”, will see its landscape treasures further strengthened through this initiative, which promotes shared strategies with European partners.”
Koustas Zapounidis, head of GAL Pieriki Anaptixiaki and project leader, added: “It is a great privilege to coordinate such an innovative project. The trust placed in our LAG by European partners is a source of pride but also great responsibility. The initial working sessions were intense and productive, laying a strong foundation for the work ahead over the next three years.”
The event was also attended by a representative from the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg IPA ADRION programme. Participants visited also the Novezzina Botanical Garden, identified by the LAG Baldo-Lessinia as the project’s pilot area for studying and conserving local biodiversity.
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