Problems and Purpose
The Lago Contract represents a form of voluntary agreement for strategic and negotiated planning, which envisages the involvement of the local actors of a territory, in order to develop a shared action plan to address the environmental problems of a lake basin. The objectives pursued are generally attributable to topics such as: " reduction of water pollution, hydraulic defense, protection from hydrogeological instability, renaturalization, landscape improvement, environmental enhancement, optimization of water resources, promotion and development of the territory " [1].
More specifically, the participatory path "Towards the Lago contract for Massaciuccoli" is part of the European project RETRALAGS (Transfrontier Network of LAGunes, Lakes and Ponds), which will be discussed later. This program represented an opportunity to coordinate a series of projects, interventions and studies for the protection and development of the Lake, not yet implemented, but already planned or in the process of being defined; it therefore arises both as the final act of a process already started at the local level and as a new opportunity for the completion of the protection of the water resources of Lake Massaciuccoli, stimulating and facilitating the co-planning of new actions.
Contrary to the traditional vision based on a " command and control " approach, a new working methodology is introduced, based on a system perspective, which involves, within a "participatory" process, the policies and activities of individuals public and private, in order to share decisions on the territory, while respecting each other's competences.
" The River and Lake Contract, through taking charge of a shared commitment, aims to achieve a real virtuous behavior of all those who live around the river / lake (from institutions to individual citizens): this can and must represent the strong point of this instrument "[2].
In this sense, it is also worth mentioning three previous participation projects, co-financed by the Tuscany Region (Regional Law 46/213), as they concern neighboring territorial areas and represent the forerunners for the Lake Contract, sharing multiple objectives, such as , in particular, to promote the protagonism of citizens, enhancing their knowledge, widespread experiences, skills, sensitivities and ideas, for the re-appropriation of common goods. These experiences were the first to highlight the need for systemic visions and skills for a better and more effective management of the territory; they also helped to reflect on the importance of placing sustainability (economic, social and environmental) at the basis of every activity carried out to protect vital resources such as: water, air, soil, biodiversity and energy. All themes are also prominent results for embarking on the path of the Lago Contract.
These are the following participatory paths:
· "Do you know what we ... RESERVE ... La Bufalina?", Started in September 2014 and aimed at the reappropriation by citizens of the "La Bufalina" Nature Reserve, an area of environmental value in the territory of the Municipality of Vecchiano , located along the coast of Marina di Vecchiano;
· "We participate / contribute to the Variant of the Structural Plan", which was launched in October 2015 and was born from the need for groups of citizens to discuss local governance choices that are based on shared principles and rules, working together to grasp the complexity of the network of relationships that make the different elements of the territory interdependent;
NUOVA SpAs (Society for Sustainable Activities), to promote and share the protection of water and wetlands, started in December 2015 and developed to create and promote locally, in collaboration with public bodies, economic activities, citizens and schools , a Memorandum of Understanding on the protection of water and wetlands, which enhances and disseminates the good practices adopted in institutions, in economic activities, in everyday life and promotes knowledge of sustainable actions for the protection of water and the humid areas of Versilia.
Background History and Context
The Lake Contract for Massaciuccoli is configured as a concrete action of the Action Plan of the integrated strategic project RETRALAGS (Transfrontier Network of LAGunes, Lakes and Ponds), INTERREG (Italy / France Maritime Cross-border Cooperation Program, January 2016-February 2020), co-financed by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and whose partners are: the Municipalities of Alghero (lead partner), Massarosa and Orbetello, CIRSPe Toscana (Italian Center for Research and Studies for Fisheries), the Province of Lucca, the French Departments of Upper Corsica and Var and the IFREMER Institute (Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer).
The general objective of the RETRALAGS project is to activate a coordinated and systemic set of interventions aimed at the preparation and implementation of a joint action plan to improve the effectiveness of public initiatives in support of the protection and enhancement of the eco-systemic heritage. of lakes, lagoons and ponds. In particular, for the implementation of this integrated management plan, pilot actions are planned on the natural and cultural sites of Calich, Massaciuccoli, Orbetello, Biguglia, Antiche Saline di Pesquiers and Villepey [3].
Among the specific objectives is the development of innovative models of integrated governance of the natural and cultural sites of the cooperation area, supporting, in particular, participation, dialogue and conflict resolution.
The total budget allocated to RETRALAGS amounts to € 2,689,344.11, of which € 2,285,942.49 from the ERDF (European Fund for Regional Development) co-financing.
In turn, RETRALAGS fits into the context of the European Union water policy known as the "Water Blueprint", aimed at safeguarding European water resources, the objectives of the Framework Directive 2000/60 / EC and the results of the report COM / 2012 / 0670 (concerning the implementation of the Water Framework Directive). It is also configured as the ideal continuation of cross-border projects:
· ZOUMATE (WET ZONES: Environment, Protection and Education);
· ZOUMGEST (Wetlands: management systems to integrate anthropogenic activities and nature protection);
· RETRAPARC (TRAnsfrontier network of PARChi);
· MONIQUA (Monitoring of water quality and the environment);
· SICOMAR (MARINE CONTROL SYSTEM);
And of the European one:
· WATER IN CORE (Sustainable water management through increasing common responsibility in the Mediterranean river basins).
More specifically, the Lago Contract is a voluntary agreement for strategic and negotiated planning, which places participatory governance at the center of its training and management process and which has as its objectives:
· Protection, correct management and enhancement of lake areas;
· Protection of the hydraulic risk [4];
· Local development.
The need to equip oneself with a programming tool such as the Lago Contract arises from the complexity of the problems involved, as well as from the multiscalarity of the challenges to be faced in order to define effective planning tools for the management and protection of hydrographic basins, such as that of Massaciuccoli. To this end, an eco-systemic approach is considered indispensable, i.e. a supra-municipal and multilevel collaboration, which involves, on specific problems and skills, various actors and stakeholders : in this sense, in addition to institutional expertise, know-how plays a decisive role. local.
“ The water catchment area of Lake Massaciuccoli extends into the coastal area between the mouth of the Serchio river to the south and that of the Camaiore river to the north. It is characterized by the presence of a coastal lake surrounded by a vast belt of marsh vegetation, with eutrophic and shallow waters. The plains surrounding the lake basin are located at a very low altitude above sea level, or even below that level, which is why they have been subject to reclamation since 1740. The importance of the Massaciuccoli basin is due to the concomitance of different factors that make up a relevant reality from the landscape and ecological point of view, as well as from the historical-cultural point of view. The territory of the basin falls within the provinces of Lucca (Municipalities of Massarosa, Viareggio, a small part of the Municipalities of Lucca and Camaiore) and Pisa (Municipality of Vecchiano) […] It is a fragile and compromised ecosystem due to its very nature (numerous marshy areas), but also for the anthropic interventions carried out (urbanization and intensive agricultural use of the areas, reclaiming with a system of water pumps and canals) ”[5].
“ Intervening in a river area, at the basin and sub-basin level, always involves a set of complex choices and the maintenance of balance between different levels of responsibility. It is necessary to share a set of naturalistic, landscape, socio-economic values, etc. within a system of rules that guarantees the integration of several interests "[6].
“ The novelty represented by the“ contract ”compared to previous planning tools or program agreements is precisely in being a participatory governance tool, where the communities are an active part of the process and one of the contracting parties to the contract . This "novelty" appears, in the case of Lake Massaciuccoli, particularly important and decisive as a solution that is as definitive as possible to the problems afflicting the lake must inevitably involve a profound change in the current layout of the territory which will have important repercussions on numerous both social and economic aspects, for this reason it is essential to involve the entire community in all its components ”[7].
The participatory process "Towards the Lake Contract for Massaciuccoli" was promoted in 2017 by the Municipality of Massarosa which, as a partner of the RETRALAGS project, is committed to defining a joint Action Plan.
The path involves the construction of a Lake Contract with participatory methods, involving not only institutional subjects and associations, but also local communities (associations and residents). In turn, the Municipality of Massarosa immediately involved the main institutional bodies of the territory, which insist on the Massaciuccoli drainage basin: Municipality of Vecchiano, Municipality of Viareggio, Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli Park Authority, District Authority Northern Apennines, Northern Tuscany Reclamation Consortium 1, University of Pisa, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, ARPAT (Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Tuscany), Province of Lucca [8]. For the Municipality of Massarosa it was the first experience in the field of integration of the River Contracts within local policies.
In Tuscany, the first experiment of this type was promoted by the Province of Lucca which, participating in the MED European project "WATER IN CORE" (the WATER IN CORE project, initiated by the Province of Lucca is included in the MED Program - Axis 2: protection environment and promotion of sustainable territorial development, co-financed by the ERDF - European Regional Development Fund), has activated a participatory process in a pilot area of the river basin of the Serchio River. The route led to the signing of the River Contract for the Serchio. This project has been included as a case study, and is defined as a European good practice, in the 2015 UNESCO WWDR (World Water Development) report.
On a national level, the first example of a River / Lake Contract dates back to 2004, in Lombardy (Olona-Bozzente-Lura). Today this experience has reached a widespread diffusion in over 3000 local communities, with about 276 active processes, most of which make use of a participatory process [9].
In Europe, " Rijeka contracts developed from France in the early 1980s, and then spread in a few years to many other countries, such as Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, in many cases in the form of cross-border trials involving multiple territories ”[10].
For the Municipality of Massarosa, the Contract of the Lake was not the first participatory experience. In 2013, in fact, the municipal administration had activated the “I count ” path, drawing up a participatory budget for the first time. The main objective of the project was to experiment with new forms of participation in the construction of the budget of the Municipality of Massarosa, in order to make the citizens decide on some public works, to be included in the accounting document of the body. The new 2015-2017 public works program provides for an allocation to the participatory budget, relating to interventions on school buildings, equal to 100,000 euros [11].
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The participatory process "Towards the Lake Contract for Massaciuccoli" - as mentioned - was promoted in 2017 by the Municipality of Massarosa which, as a partner of the RETRALAGS project, is committed to defining a joint Action Plan to improve the effectiveness of public initiatives to support the protection and enhancement of the eco-systemic heritage of lakes, lagoons and ponds, to be implemented with a series of pilot actions on various natural and cultural sites, including the Massaciuccoli drainage basin.
The Lake Contract for Massaciuccoli is a concrete action of the RETRALAGS project, whose total budget amounts to € 2,689,344.11, of which € 2,285,942.49 from ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) co-financing. The budget assigned by the RETRALAGS Project to the Municipality of Massarosa amounts to 430,438.50 euros, with an ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) co-financing rate of 85% [12].
Participant Recruitment and Selection
The selection of the participants was of a targeted type, that is, an attempt was made to trace, through outreach operations, the various interests that could contribute to addressing the many problems to be solved for the protection of the Massaciuccoli basin.
In particular, the participatory process made use of [13]:
· Stakeholder analysis: through action research and construction of a sampling plan of residents and productive activities representative of the three coastal municipalities, namely Massarosa, Vecchiano and Viareggio. The methodological approach followed was that of the "community map"; the stakeholders mapped were 553;
· Outreach activities: on the occasion of events organized by local associations;
· Interviews: targeted interviews were conducted with some key stakeholders between June and August 2017. Overall, 21 interviews were administered to institutional subjects, representative of associations and citizens with relevant knowledge and experience on Lake issues;
Information / training tools, including the Guide for the participant at the Lago Contract tables and the Information Assembly, which constitute information / training activities for those involved in the participatory process:
Guide for the Participant: it aims to provide participants with a summary of some projects, studies and interventions carried out or in the project phase within the hydrographic basin of the Lake, aimed at: better management of water resources, protection and enhancement of natural, social and economic elements of Lake Massaciuccoli. It is specified that the Lago Contract will include only the projects in-depth and shared by the Tables, as well as any new projects and proposals that emerged during the discussion and subsequently signed by the signatories of the Lago Contract. The environmental criticalities of the Massaciuccoli catchment area are presented: eutrophication, salinization, subsidence, landfill, over-exploitation of the aquifer, water deficit, hydraulic risk, appearance of exotic plant and animal species. Among the various projects proposed, the Guide contains an information sheet on the expansion of the phytodepuration plant in San Niccolò (Municipality of Vecchiano) and one on the construction of a derivation work of the Serchio river, to solve the problem of the water deficit. of the lake;
Public Information Assembly: it was held on 22/09/2017 (5.00 pm), in the ancient La Brilla factory in Quiesa (Municipality of Massarosa), with the aim of deepening institutional projects and research for protection, promotion and development del Lago. There were 150 participants, with the participation of 13 speakers, including numerous institutional positions.
· Communication: mailing list of stakeholders and participants for sending information material and calendar of appointments; dissemination and publication of events on institutional websites (RETRALAGS and Municipality of Massarosa) and social networks (Facebook and Twitter of RETRALAGS and Open Toscana); creation of press releases.
Two introductory meetings were held to inform / train:
26/06/2017: Presentation of the participatory process during the public event " Innovation, technology and participation for sustainable water management " of the EU project H2020 FREEWAT (FREE and open source software tools for WATer resource management: it is a project EU HORIZON 2020) organized by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa;
· 12/07/2017: Workshop promoted by the Municipality of Massarosa dedicated to the promoters of the Lago Contract, to the Bodies and Institutions responsible for planning and management of the territory, to introduce the instrument of the "Lago Contract", the draft of the "Protocol of understanding ”and to share the intervention priorities of the Action Program.
Methods and Tools Used
The deliberative method was based on the discussion within small groups, in which people were not called to pronounce real interventions, but had the possibility to express themselves in a few words, to argue, to speak several times, to interrupt themselves. each other.
The photos published on the social networks and on the Open Toscana website show that the participants at the Tables were often arranged in a circle, a modality that we can assume favored dialogue, informal exchanges and face-to-face interaction between the participants.
The entire path made use of the expertise of the Interactive Community-Workshop for Participation facilitators (coordination and management of scoping activities), as well as the collaboration of Innolabs for technical assistance. There is a lack of available data on the expenditure incurred by the Municipality of Massarosa for external consultancy activities. To evaluate the effort made in terms of internal training, in order to internalize the participatory process, we have only the data made up of two information / training workshops:
26/06/2017: Presentation of the participatory process during the public event " Innovation, technology and participation for sustainable water management " of the EU project H2020 FREEWAT (FREE and open source software tools for WATer resource management: it is a project EU HORIZON 2020), organized by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa;
· 12/07/2017: Workshop promoted by the Municipality of Massarosa dedicated to the promoters of the Lago Contract, to the Bodies and Institutions responsible for planning and management of the territory to introduce the instrument of the "Lago Contract", the draft of the "Protocol 'understanding' and sharing the intervention priorities of the Action Program.
From the photos published on the Interactive Community Facebook page, it can be seen that the brainstorming technique was used, schemes and post-its were used to “visualize” ideas and critical issues to be solved. It can be hypothesized that all this has favored the creativity of the group and therefore the spontaneous birth of a certain number of ideas on the problem under discussion, within an informal space, capable of favoring the emergence of both critical issues and solutions for the overcoming them, through a problem-solving approach .
In some tables, the facilitators had to play their role of mediation to rebalance the potential gap in favor of the actors with greater political or economic weight or in any case with a wider capacity to influence deliberation and decision. For example, the Development Table was one of the most difficult to manage, since most of the participants were made up of environmental associations, while development activities - understood as farmers, fishermen and hunters - were in the minority [17] . The facilitators worked to reconcile the different needs, in the spirit of a participation process that would activate a constructive and proactive dialogue between the various stakeholders of the territory.
Deliberations, Decisions, and Public Interaction
The participatory experience “Towards the Lake Contract for Massaciuccoli” is characterized by a high degree of structuring. The process was divided into phases, had pre-established timing and methods. The method used attributed decisive importance to the "frame" in which the participants were called to express themselves, therefore a limited public space was created, in which a small number of participants had the opportunity to speak in a direct and structured way.
In particular, thematic tables have been set up on three areas of the Lago Agreement:
Protection;
· Development;
Promotion.
The tables met both in plenary session and in small groups, in which the participants were led by facilitators. In total, 11 project groups were activated [14].
Each group explored a certain number of proposals, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each, the interactions between the projects, the actors to be involved, the solutions for the feasibility and success of the proposals. Each Table had 3 meetings to which 3 others were added on specific project groups that had not previously been addressed, for a total of 12 meetings, which took place between October and November 2017. Each Table identified the priority interventions and to be studied in depth in working subgroups, with the aim of applying them to the Schedule of Actions for the Lago Contract, that is, identifying a series of proposals to be submitted to the signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Lago Contract - currently in phase sharing between the promoters and implementers of the Contract.
In order to select the proposals discussed or elaborated directly by the participants, in view of their inclusion in the Schedule of Actions, the criterion used was to " favor the proposals that emerged and more in-depth during the discussion at the Working Tables and among them those which have brought out elements of greater feasibility "[18].
In fact, the Lago Contract includes not only the projects already presented in the Guide for the participant and at the initial Information Assembly - which are a selection of some of the main projects already shared by the Institutions through Memoranda of Understanding and Program Agreements - but , as stated in the same Guide, “it will also contain other proposals and projects ” [19].
All this denotes a certain participatory intensity. The participants in the path "Towards the Lago contract for Massaciuccoli", did not limit themselves to drawing up a ranking of projects already proposed, but had a say, they were recognized as having a proactive ability, which we can suppose has made them perceive as his ability to contribute to the choices for the protection of the lake is active. However, there is a lack of information about the administration of satisfaction questionnaires / evaluation of the path in terms of effective participation, therefore we cannot accurately assess the degree of empowerment attributable to this experience, also in terms of the quality of the deliberative process.
From the point of view of the quantity of participation, we know that the so-called "social dialogue" saw the overall participation of 251 people (out of 553 stakeholders mapped), belonging to:
10 public bodies;
· 5 local representation committees;
54 associations;
9 companies;
· Numerous citizens residing in the municipalities concerned [20].
Interactive Communities has developed a map of the participants, divided by origin (municipal, provincial and regional level):
· Viareggio: 18 stakeholders ;
Vecchiano: 10;
Massarosa: 34;
Versilia: 20;
· Provincial level: Province of Lucca and ASL Versilia representatives: 9;
· Regional level: ARPAT (Regional Agency for the Environmental Protection of Tuscany), Consortium of Reclamation, former Basin Authority, Sant'Anna Institute of Pisa, University of Pisa.
Regarding the level of involvement reached, Stefania Gatti of Interactive Communities speaks of " an entire Territory that moves around the Lake " [21]. The place chosen for the meetings was the old factory "La Brilla", once used for the polishing of rice and now renovated to create a multifunctional space. La Brilla is located in front of the lake, in the immediate vicinity of the ancient Roman baths, in Quiesa (Municipality of Massarosa). The decision to keep the meeting place unchanged throughout the course is explained by the desire to ensure that it becomes a neutral space for discussion, that is, the " home of all " [22].
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
The participatory path "Towards the Lake Contract for Massaciuccoli" led to the definition of the cognitive framework of the Lake, the reference scenario to aim for and the actions necessary to achieve objectives of good environmental quality. It has promoted the creation of partnerships and, in general, has strengthened the awareness of the importance of networking, in order to rethink the relationship between citizens and institutions, in terms of shared social responsibility.
However, this is a process that has recently ended, the main objectives of which are still being shared between the promoters and implementers of the Contract, the Tuscany Region included: to date, in fact, the Memorandum of Understanding for the Lago's contract is awaiting signature.
" The Memorandum of Understanding for the Lago Contract has not yet been signed by all the institutions sent to do so, but the councilor Marchetti of the Municipality of Massarosa has reached an important step, namely to meet with the regional councilor Fratoni (one of the strongest supporters of the instrument of the river contract at the regional level) which has made the commitment to bring this text to the regional council so that it will be approved and subsequently signed by all ”[23].
" This goal - or rather, starting point - has long been awaited by those who collaborated in the identification of interventions to improve the ecological status of the lake with the help of the technicians and experts of the Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli Park, of the Tuscan Reclamation Consortium North, of the former authority of the Serchio River Basin, of Arpat (Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Tuscany), of the Municipality of Massarosa, of the Municipality of Vecchiano, of the Municipality of Viareggio, of the University of Pisa and of the Scuola Superiore Sant ' Anna di Pisa […] It is the first time that such fruitful work has been done on the lake between the actors of the territory and the administrations that came to the meetings. All the participants showed that they care about the fate of the lake and that they are capable of analysis and proposals ” [24].
The work carried out by the participants in the "Protection", "Promotion" and "Development" Tables during the participatory process, conducted from September to November 2017, resulted in various in-depth reports, which were merged into a summary document, entitled " List and details of the actions to be implemented "(so-called Action Abacus), which collects more than 70 pilot actions to be implemented with the Local Action Plan, also indicating, where possible, financial resources and implementation responsibilities for each action.
The proposals are divided into 10 macro-areas:
1. actions for the water balance;
2. actions to counter the phenomenon of subsidence;
3. actions to combat salinisation;
4. actions for biodiversity;
5. actions to support agricultural development with less impact on the ecosystem of the Lake;
6. recovery of sling bars, boat shelters and other abandoned structures;
7. actions for the promotion of the lake, in its cultural, historical, environmental aspects;
8. actions for the sporting use of the lake;
9. projects for slow mobility and for pedo-cycle paths;
10. coordination and networking projects of institutions with active players in the area.
A monitoring program was also defined with the identification of procedures and methods for monitoring / evaluating the evolution of the Action Program of the Lago Agreement.
The Municipality of Massarosa asked to include the subjects who took part in the participatory path in the Memorandum of Understanding, giving them the opportunity to sign the Lago Contract, in order to activate " specific tools that allow you to listen to the participants not only in the planning phase, but also in the executive phase of the Lago Contract ”[25].
" It was also requested that within the institutional control room (ie the signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding) there be the possibility of having the 3 or 5 spokespersons of the Contract Council present (organizational structure of the Lago Agreement that is meets in assembly form or in small groups), as observers and with the function of liaison between the control room and the Contract Board . […] Another important step was that on the revision of the supplementary program agreement for the completion of the protection of the water resources of Lake Massaciuccoli ”[26].
The Agreement was stipulated on January 28, 2006 between the Ministry of the Environment and the Protection of the Territory, the Tuscany Region, the Serchio River Basin Authority, ARPAT (Regional Agency for the Environmental Protection of Tuscany), the Migliarino-S Park Authority. . Rossore-Massaciuccoli, Province of Lucca, Pisa Province, Massarosa, Viareggio Municipality and the Municipality of Vecchiano, and was aimed at creating the conditions for improving the water quality of the lake waters. The agreement, on the basis of "Project strategic for the rebalancing of the water deficit in the basin of Lake Massaciuccoli by derivation from the Serchio river in Filettole, in the municipality of Vecchiano (PI) "in October 2004, allocated the funds for the intervention (the so-called" tubone ") and entrusted the Serchio River Basin Authority with the preliminary design of a work for the derivation of a water flow, with a maximum value of 3 mc / s, from the Serchio river and its conveyance towards the lake, through the Barra canal -Barretta.
“ Our goal was not« tubone yes, tubone no », but above all to be able to maintain resources to carry out interventions on the entire ecosystem of the lake, not only on the« tubone ». This objective has been achieved: the hydraulic intervention that will be carried out will be around 10 million euros, out of a total that was expected to be 18 million euros; therefore with the remainder we have the almost certainty of being able to finance interventions ”[27].
Among the other results obtained, it can be remembered that the participatory path was presented in Rome, in the chamber of the parliamentary groups of the Chamber, during the first conference of the National Observatory of River Contracts, organized by the Ministry of the Environment, in collaboration with the XI National Table of Rijeka Contracts [28]. In this regard, the environmental councilor of the Municipality of Massarosa, Agnese Marchetti, declared: “it is the signal that we are on the right path, the Observatory that was born within the project was presented in Rome. All the speakers underlined the importance of lake contracts as innovative governance tools for strategic planning ”[29].
It should also be remembered that in March 2018, the Reclamation Consortium obtained a loan from the Tuscany Region, to extend the surface of the phytodepuration plant, located on the lake, in the reclamation area of Vecchiano, with the consequent increase in the quantity of treated water [30].
The participatory path also included, among the proposed actions, the candidacy of the Lake as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to solve some critical issues such as the insufficient promotion of the historical, cultural, landscape and environmental value of the Lake at national, European and international level and sustainable tourism that respects the ecosystem. In 2017, the Associazione Città Infinite, which manages the Visitor Center of the MSRM Park (Parco di Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli) "La Brilla", started the search for memberships to set up a Promoting Committee for the candidacy of the Lake, called “Lake Puccini - Enchantment of the Soul”. On 28 April 2017, the Protocol was signed by numerous stakeholders , including: Migliarino San Rossore and Massaciuccoli Regional Park Authority, BEAP Superintendence (Fine Arts and Landscape) for the Provinces of Lucca and Massa Carrara, Municipalities of Massarosa, Vecchiano and Viareggio, Proloco Massarosa dal Lago al Padule, associations and foundations of the territory.
Analysis and Lessons Learned
There is no formal evaluation of the entire path and experience of the participants, but the fact that the Lake Contract for Massaciuccoli was brought to the attention of the parliamentary groups of the Chamber, during the first conference of the National Observatory of River Contracts , organized by the Ministry of the Environment in collaboration with the XI National Table of River Contracts, is a result that signals the growing attention of institutions for the instrument of the River / Lake Contract, intended as a governance tool that places own training and management process participation.
“ A key element for good governance of river basins is to facilitate dialogue between the various actors involved, whether it is from different Regions or whether different national systems are involved; just as the vertical dialogue between the various administrative levels is fundamental and never banal. […] Bodies, local authorities and the public, in fact, must be involved to collect local know-how. Public participation is essential and needs to be valued and promoted also in its voluntary more bottom up approaches, such as the River Contracts ”[31].
In this sense, the Lake Contract for Massaciuccoli, regardless of the projects that will actually be financed and implemented by the institutions, has probably favored the creation of a shared vision, as well as a design capacity coming from below, with the common aim of enhancing one's own territory by all stakeholders involved; this was presumably possible by creating or restoring a sense of community, capable of increasing everyone's responsibility and attention for the management and enhancement of a good such as the lake - understood as a common good.
All this could constitute an important patrimony of knowledge and experience for the future, with a view to truly sustainable and integrated management of the Massaciuccoli river basin, which overcomes, once and for all, the logic of the emergency.
The benefits of such a path can therefore go well beyond the specific issues on the agenda at the moment; in other words, regardless of the results, the effort made seems to go in the direction of increasing civic culture, with the possibility of making the participants more attentive, aware and also more active within the public sphere. However, there is a lack of information regarding the administration of ex ante and ex post questionnaires on the degree of satisfaction of participants in the participatory process; this constitutes a lacuna, which does not allow us to assess with certainty how much the experience of the Lake Contract has contributed, in particular, to developing or increasing the confidence in their own "political effectiveness" in the various stakeholders.
See Also
Stakeholder Group Process
Thematic Dialogue Tables
References
[1] Bastiani M. (2012) Strategic and participatory planning of hydrographic basins , Flaccovio, Palermo, p. 29.
[2] Piedmont Region, Environment Department (2011) Regional guidelines for the implementation of the Fiume and La-go contracts , Turin, p. 6. Document available on the web page: http://www.regione.piemonte.it/ambiente/acqua/contratti_fiume.htm [last accessed 26/06/2018].
[3] For a detailed description of the RETRALAGS project, see: https://www.keep.eu/keep/project-ext/43014/RETRALAGS?ss=0112a7d5836a3fd0f0092ad27a6df7f0&espon [last accessed 26/06/2018].
[4] Corresponds to the effects induced on the territory by the exceeding of critical hydrometric levels (possible flood events) along the main watercourses.
[5] AAVV (2017) Guide for the participant at the Tables of the Lago Agreement , p. 1-3. In particular, the main criticalities detected are: eutrophication, salinization, subsidence, landfill, over-exploitation of the aquifer, water deficit, hydraulic risk and the appearance of exotic species.
[6] Bastiani M. (2012), op.cit., P. 29.
[7] Article available on the web page: http://www.oasilipumassaciuccoli.org/verso-il-contratto-di-lago-per-il-massaciuccoli/# [last accessed 20/06/2018].
[8] AAVV (2018) ABACO of the actions of the Lago Agreement , p. 3.
[9] Bastiani M. (2018) The experience of the National Table of River Contracts and the collaboration with the Observatory , Introductory report XI Table, 5 February 2018, Rome.
[10] Bastiani M. (2012), op. cit. , p. 38.
[11] Municipality of Massarosa (2015) Planning of public works 2015-2017, p. 5 ss.
[12] See: http://interreg-maritime.eu/documents/197474/383327/PC_IFM_1420_ELENCO_BENEFICIARI_LISTE_PARTENAIRES.csv/85f7c4ed-a695-49eb-834e-faf784e141a3 [last accessed 26/06/2018].
[13] See: Interactive communities (2018) Report on the activities carried out (scoping activities). Municipality of Massarosa “Lake of Massaciuccoli” , p. 2 ss.
[14] See: Interactive Communities (2018) op. cit. , p. 2-3.
[15] The times of these meetings are not known.
[16] See: http://www.architettilucca.it/news/visita-guidata-allimpianto-di-fitodepurazione-per-il-lago-di-massaciuccoli-sabata-10-marzo-2018-loc-san- niccolo-bonifica-di-vecchiano [last accessed 26/06/2018].
[17] Speech by S. Gatti (Interactive Communities), during the Tuscan Festival 2018 and National Wetlands Day in La Brilla, 18.05.2018: https://www.facebook.com/Cinterattive/videos/2002800693308868/?q= community% C3% A0% 20interactive% 20contract% 20lago [last accessed 26/06/2018].
[18] Intervention by S. Gatti, ibidem .
[19] Guide for the participant at the tables of the Contratto di Lago, September 2017, p. 2.
[20] Oasi Lipu Massaciuccoli website, available at: http://www.oasilipumassaciuccoli.org/verso-il-contratto-di-lago-per-il-massaciuccoli/ [last accessed 26/06/2018] .
[21] Intervention by S. Gatti, ibidem .
[22] Intervention by S. Gatti, ibidem .
[23] Intervention by S. Gatti, ibidem.
[24] Article available on the web page: https://www.versiliatoday.it/2018/02/21/vuole-veramente-un-contratto-lago-massaciuccoli/ [last accessed 13/07/2018].
[25] Intervention by S. Gatti, ibidem.
[26] Intervention by S. Gatti, ibidem.
[27] Intervention by S. Gatti, ibidem.
[28] Il Tirreno, Versilia Edition, 13.02.2018, available at the web address: http://iltirreno.gelocal.it/versilia/cronaca/2018/02/13/news/il-progetto-per-salvare-il -lago-is-exposed-to-the-ministry-1.16473861 [last accessed 26/06/2018].
[29] The Tyrrhenian Sea, ibidem.
[30] Website of the reclamation body Consorzio 1 Toscana Nord, 7.03.2018, available at the web address: http://www.cbtoscananord.it/archives/18728 [last accessed 26/06/2018].
[31] Angelini P. (2017) (edited by) The River Contracts in Italy, the X National Table of River Contracts and the Contribution of the Ministry of the Environment to the dissemination and internalisation of River Contracts , p. 27.
External Links
https://www.keep.eu/keep/project-ext/43014/RETRALAGS
http://www.oasilipumassaciuccoli.org/verso-il-contratto-di-lago-per-il-massaciuccoli/#
http://open.toscana.it/web/verso-il-contratto-di-lago-per-il-massaciuccoli-massarosa-lucca-/home
http://www.oasilipumassaciuccoli.org/verso-il-contratto-di-lago-per-il-massaciuccoli/
http://www.cbtoscananord.it/archives/18728
http://open.toscana.it/web/verso-il-contratto-di-lago-per-il-massaciuccoli-massarosa-lucca-/home
https://www.versiliatoday.it/2018/02/21/vuole-veramente-un-contratto-lago-massaciuccoli/
Notes
Most of the information for this item comes from information material and reports by the Interactive Community-Workshop for Participation, as well as from the news spread by local online newspapers and institutional websites.