Ecomondo Rimini awards the Oasi Laguna del Re: Manfredonia takes first place for environmental restoration.

The first prize went to the Centro Studi Naturalistici Onlus of Manfredonia for "Nature restoration interventions" carried out in the Oasi Laguna del Re. The award was presented by "Ecomondo" during the 15th Rimini Fair, an international event for the green and circular economy, a laboratory for the future, where sustainability translates into enterprise, to address the great challenges of our time.

"Winning the first prize for sustainable development thanks to the creation of the Oasi Laguna del Re represents a milestone of great environmental, cultural, and social significance for the city of Manfredonia. This recognition demonstrates the area's commitment to protecting biodiversity, safeguarding coastal ecosystems, and enhancing its natural resources." Engineer Matteo Orsino , head of research and planning for the Oasi Laguna del Re, is proud to receive this prestigious award for the creation of a project with significant prospects in a largely neglected and often under attack local area, as happened last August to the nearby Oasi Lago Salso, which was devastated by a mysterious fire.

"The King's Lagoon," Orsino notes, "is now a symbol of balance between human activity and nature, and reinforces the city's image as a model of responsible management. This achievement was made possible thanks to the synergies developed over the years between the Capitanata Land Reclamation Consortium, the Municipality of Manfredonia, and the non-profit organizations (Daunia Tur, Fare Natura, and WWF Foggia) committed to environmental restoration, awareness-raising, and promotion of the area. Finally, the award represents an incentive to continue on the path of sustainable development."

The Laguna del Re Oasis is part of the Oasis network of the Pro Natura National Federation, Italy's oldest environmental association. It extends over 40 hectares of land a few kilometers from Manfredonia, bordering the Siponto Riviera. This coastal wetland offers a mosaic of unique habitats. Here, nature expresses itself in all its beauty and complexity.

"Among the 280 projects examined, our multi-year commitment to the restoration of the Laguna del Re stood out, recognized for its complexity and the ambitious results achieved. This success celebrates legality, biodiversity, and fruitful institutional collaboration, the fruit of true teamwork that saw the Capitanata Land Reclamation Consortium and the Municipality of Manfredonia at our side," notes Vincenzo Rizzi, founder of the Centro Studi Naturalistici (Naturalistic Studies Center) in 1995 and national vice president of Pro Natura, whose focus is now on "creating the Ecomuseum of the Gulf of Manfredonia, connecting all the cultural venues and the vast environmental and landscape heritage of the area into a single extraordinary ecomuseum."

The area was redeveloped thanks to the LIFE "Zone Wetlands Sipontine" project, funded by the European Union and successfully implemented by the Puglia Region, the Capitanata Land Reclamation Consortium, and the Centro Studi Naturalisti Onlus, which manages the Oasis. This significant naturalistic restoration project involved the redevelopment of an area occupied by numerous illegal structures, including hydraulic redevelopment, reopening canals, excavating valleys, and installing water regulation systems.

The Oasis is naturally open to the general public, accompanied by guided tours organized by Daunia Tur. The area has been equipped with a visitor center and equipped with birdwatching huts and shelters, a walkway spanning the entire lagoon, and various trails accessible on foot, by bicycle, or on horseback.

"The commitment now," Rizzi hopes, "is to revitalize the Lago Salso Oasis: the aim is to revitalize this other natural jewel through an inclusive co-design process, actively involving the Municipality, the Park Authority, the University of Foggia, AFORIS, WWF, and the ATS Monte Maggiore. We appeal to the Municipality of Manfredonia and the Gargano Park Authority to join together to restore vitality to this precious wetland for a greener and more sustainable future."

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