The alliance between sustainable tourism and biodiversity

In the state of Ceara, Brazil, Intervita Onlus (www.intervita.it) is promoting a project co-funded by the Milan Municipality called “Community Tourism: Reconstructing Horizons”. The objective is to further cultivate the biodiversity in the area over the next two years by enhancing the processes which were begun with the promotion of sustainable tourism in the ten communities of the “Tucum Network” – a network that was formed during previous Intervita projects aimed at curbing the tourism-related sexual exploitation of children and young people. The project starts with the training and offer of professional qualifications for those people active in the tourist and environmental education industry, especially women and young people. The project gives special attention to agricultural biodiversity, also thanks to a partnership with the Departments of Geography and Biochemistry of the Federal University of Ceará. The collaboration with the Municipality of Milan originates from this and in the light of EXPO 2015, Milan is particularly keen to promote this issue, especially amongst Milanese students.
The “Biodiversity and Tourism” course consists of awareness-raising activities in Lombardy which focus on biodiversity and sustainable tourism, through the involvement of five classes from Milanese Secondary Schools. The course will involve educators from Intervita and Civiltà Contadina, an Italian association for the protection of rural biodiversity who will work in classroom laboratories to produce audiovisual materials as well as a didactic kit. At the end of the project a public event will be organised.