ROME (ITALPRESS) – Climate change, air pollution and loss of biodiversity are among the main factors impacting the well-being and health of citizens within urban areas. To counteract them, it becomes necessary to preserve and enhance planted spaces, since they offer important benefits: mitigation of urban air and noise pollution, increased biodiversity, reduced energy consumption, as well as improved urban and peri-urban landscape along with the quality of life of inhabitants. This purpose is at the heart of the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) initiative, supported by Axpo Italy and Pulsee Luce e Gas, called “RiforestAzione,” dedicated to enhancing urban and suburban reforestation plans in 13 metropolitan cities in Italy (Turin, Genoa, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Bari, Reggio di Calabria, Palermo, Messina, Catania and Cagliari) where more than 21 million people reside and whose total area is more than 15 percent of the national territory.The initiative, unveiled today at the Botanical Garden in Rome in the presence of institutions and partners, is part of the Mission “Green Revolution and Ecological Transition” (M2), Component “Land and Water Resource Protection” (C4), of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).The latter is part of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) program, a €750 billion plan aimed at reviving the European economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and making it more sustainable and digital.In this specific case, the €210 million investment for “protection and enhancement of urban and suburban greenery” proposes to plant 4.5 million trees and shrubs, creating 4,500 hectares of new forests and transplanting at least 3.5 million trees to their final destination through a comprehensive program of interventions, which can protect ecological processes related to the functioning of ecosystems. This is a highly relevant project and consistent with the “EU forest strategy for 2030” plan, which is dedicated to strengthening continental forests and aspires to add 3 billion trees by 2030.The contribution of Axpo Italia and Pulsee Luce e Gas to the MASE project “RiforestAzione” takes the form of direct support to activities for its promotion and communication. This commitment is developed through multiple actions, starting with the creation of a digital platform with informative and in-depth content on urban and suburban green redevelopment actions, curated by urban tech company SuperUrbanity. In addition to the platform, the project includes the creation of a route throughout the country that will touch on some of the cities involved in the initiative over the next two years to make it known to local communities, as well as an educational route, in collaboration with the Sylva Foundation, that will stop in schools to spread environmental culture and increase the ecological skills of the youngest. In addition, a two-year Observatory will be structured to monitor the evolution of the relationship between Italians and urban greenery.In this regard, the centrality of green areas is emphasized by the data collected in the first research dedicated to the “RiforestAzione” project of the Pulsee Luce e Gas Index, an observatory on the sustainable habits of Italians developed together with Nielsen IQ, from which it emerges that, for 83% of respondents, the increase of spaces with trees and shrubs is necessary, while, for 90%, green areas are fundamental for their psychophysical well-being, a sign of a growing desire to re-establish contact with nature in the places where they live. It is also worth noting that, for 87 percent of Italians, redevelopment interventions are a factor that can improve the evaluation of public administration and the perception of a city.The highest value is found in the cities of Palermo (94 percent), Bari (93 percent) and Genoa (91 percent), vice versa, Rome, Bologna and Florence (tied with 80 percent), Milan (78 percent) and Turin (75 percent) register lower consensus for the increase of green areas. The latter are also considered strategic for mitigating temperature and extreme weather events, generating tangible benefits (82% of the sample believe so).But that’s not all. Ninety percent of Italians consider them crucial to their well-being, with direct effects on their quality of life. Major benefits include reducing stress and improving mood (65 percent of respondents), breathing less polluted air (54 percent) and having a closer relationship with nature (50 percent).”The ‘RiforestAzionè project represents an important piece of the national strategy for the protection of the environment and the quality of life in our cities,” said Undersecretary at the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security Claudio Barbaro. “Urban and suburban greenery is not just an aesthetic element, but a crucial resource for the health of citizens, the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity. With this initiative, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security confirms its concrete commitment to promoting an ecological policy that is also a cultural revolution, involving institutions, businesses and citizens in a shared path. We thank Axpo Italia and Pulsee Luce e Gas for supporting a project that looks to the future of our communities, with a tangible and lasting impact on the territory. “Nature-based solutions represent a fundamental pillar in the fight against climate change and in the creation of more resilient and livable cities. Axpo Italia’s support for this ambitious MASE urban and suburban reforestation project is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to sustainable development, where green becomes a strategic ally in improving people’s well-being. Cooperating and protecting nature means concretely investing in the future of the next generations, strengthening the capacity of our communities to face environmental challenges with innovative and lasting solutions,” commented Salvatore Pinto, president of Axpo Italia. “The expansion of green areas in metropolitan cities is an investment in our future, our health and our well-being. It is a way for us to reconnect with nature, to rediscover the value of trees, and to build more livable and sustainable cities,” the words of Fabrizio Penna, PNRR MASE Department Head. The goal to 2026 is to complete transplanting of forest propagation material (seeds or plants) for at least 3,500,000 trees and shrubs for reforestation of urban and suburban areas. The goal is to create a network of ecological corridors connecting existing green areas, promoting wildlife mobility and seed dispersal. We want to transform our metropolitan cities into resilient ecosystems that can adapt to climate change and provide essential ecosystem services for the community.”
– Axpo press office photo -(ITALPRESS).
