Waiting for 2005?s World Skiing Championship: an Experimental Assessment of Tourism Sustainability in Sondrio Province

The tourism sector is more and more regarded as a central element of territorial development in many countries. According to the sustainable development approach we have to look at tourism from two possible points of view. First tourism can be regarded as a sum of economic activities playing an important role in the production of income and wealth on a territory. Second, tourists and tourism structures and activities can produce important negative externalities on the environment and the ecosystems, reducing economic benefits because of collective costs related to the depletion of the quality of the environment and the ecosystems. Moreover, the quality and the variety of the environment and the different landscapes can be considered basic factors of production of tourism. As a result, from a long term perspective, the poorest quality of the environment and of the landscape can produce e reduction in tourism activities and, consequently, of revenues. These means that the durability of tourism itself is strictly linked to the durability (or better, improvement) of the environmental quality. The sustainability of tourism is more and more discussed at international and national level but the real challenge in choosing and starting along the path of sustainable development should be searched in the local territorial levels. This is the level at which different subjects and interests really confront and dispute. And this is the level where the choose for sustainable development of tourism becomes concrete. The goal of the work is to underline the role that sustainability indicators can play in territorial decision making processes on tourism development. A methodology and a first experimental application of tourism sustainability indicators will be proposed, taking into consideration environmental and territorial costs and benefits arising from tourism activities. The experimental area is Sondrio Province, in Lombardy Region, where in year 2005 the World Nordic Ski Championship will take place. We will first suggest a possible definition for sustainable tourism in an alpine territorial area. Then, starting from a long list of possible indicators especially developed to describe the sustainability performance of tourism in the Lombardy Region, we will propose the analysis for a selection of indicators, based on available data. The aim of this working phase is the description of the sustainability of the existing tourism model. We will finally compare these results with the potential additional impacts (but also benefits) coming from public and private action needed to improve not only winter sports facilities but also accommodation capacity, access and mobility infrastructures and additional tourism services, waiting for 2005?s World Championship.

The enhancement of knowledge, preservation and valorisation of historical settlements in the alpine area: an interdisciplinary approach

The paper aims to present the methodological approach used for the development of the Interreg IIIB Alpine Space project “Cultur ALP - Knowledge and Enhancement of Historical Centres and Cultural Landscape”. The project promoted by Lombardy Region, involves seven European regions from four different countries. The goal is to improve the knowledge of alpine historical settlements and to develop innovative operating policies to protect and enhance this distinctive cultural heritage. The paper will focus on the SWOT analysis methodology, here applied to cultural heritage and aiming to describe, understand and valorise the peculiarities and the values of historical settlements and cultural landscapes in the alpine territory. SWOT analysis indicators have been selected in order to internalise the interdisciplinary approach chosen in the project. The intervention strategy that normally characterises the government and management of historic settlements is sectoral and looks at the settlement itself as an ensemble of valuable buildings to be preserved from depletion. Here this point of view is overtaken in favour of a “systemic” analysis, where historical settlements can be viewed as cultural capital, closely integrated to all the other territorial resources. This to achieve a sustainable and durable territorial development, based on the preservation and valorisation of cultural, historical, artistic, social, economic and environmental identities, according to the peculiar spatial and socio-economic context of the Alps arch. This implies the contribution of different disciplinary approaches and tool boxes, that have to be understood and shared by different knowledge systems (approach, strategies, methodologies, tools…). The real challenge of the project is therefore the use of the interdisciplinary approach in developing integrated policies for the preservation and valorisation of historical settlements and cultural landscapes, pushing architects and historians of art as well as planners, economists, sociologists, administrative professionals and other territorial analysts to work together in a mutual learning process.

Environmental voluntary agreements: A new model of co-operation between public and economic actors

The diffusion of voluntary agreements can be considered as the result of the innovation of environmental policies based on a new style of interaction between public and private actors. As the environmental problems complexity increases, an evolution of interaction model occurs.The literature on environmental policy innovation shows in a clear way that the use of voluntary agreements and their real capability to produce relevant effects are strictly linked to the innovation paths of environmental policies, policy styles and policy networks. In this paper we will focus our attention on the evolution of the model of interaction between public and economic actors as the key element to evaluate voluntary agreements' effectiveness in reaching policy targets

Waiting for 2005's World Skiing Championship: an Experimental Assessment of Tourism Sustainability in Sondrio Province

The tourism sector is more and more regarded as a central element of territorial development in many countries. According to the sustainable development approach we have to look at tourism from two possible points of view. First tourism can be regarded as a sum of economic activities playing an important role in the production of income and wealth on a territory. Second, tourists and tourism structures and activities can produce important negative externalities on the environment and the ecosystems, reducing economic benefits because of collective costs related to the depletion of the quality of the environment and the ecosystems. Moreover, the quality and the variety of the environment and the different landscapes can be considered basic factors of production of tourism. As a result, from a long term perspective, the poorest quality of the environment and of the landscape can produce e reduction in tourism activities and, consequently, of revenues. These means that the durability of tourism itself is strictly linked to the durability (or better, improvement) of the environmental quality. The sustainability of tourism is more and more discussed at international and national level but the real challenge in choosing and starting along the path of sustainable development should be searched in the local territorial levels. This is the level at which different subjects and interests really confront and dispute. And this is the level where the choose for sustainable development of tourism becomes concrete. The goal of the work is to underline the role that sustainability indicators can play in territorial decision making processes on tourism development. A methodology and a first experimental application of tourism sustainability indicators will be proposed, taking into consideration environmental and territorial costs and benefits arising from tourism activities. The experimental area is Sondrio Province, in Lombardy Region, where in year 2005 the World Nordic Ski Championship will take place. We will first suggest a possible definition for sustainable tourism in an alpine territorial area. Then, starting from a long list of possible indicators especially developed to describe the sustainability performance of tourism in the Lombardy Region, we will propose the analysis for a selection of indicators, based on available data. The aim of this working phase is the description of the sustainability of the existing tourism model. We will finally compare these results with the potential additional impacts (but also benefits) coming from public and private action needed to improve not only winter sports facilities but also accommodation capacity, access and mobility infrastructures and additional tourism services, waiting for 2005's World Championship

The enhancement of knowledge, preservation and valorisation of historical settlements in the alpine area: an interdisciplinary approach

The paper aims to present the methodological approach used for the development of the Interreg IIIB Alpine Space project “Cultur ALP - Knowledge and Enhancement of Historical Centres and Cultural Landscape”. The project promoted by Lombardy Region, involves seven European regions from four different countries. The goal is to improve the knowledge of alpine historical settlements and to develop innovative operating policies to protect and enhance this distinctive cultural heritage. The paper will focus on the SWOT analysis methodology, here applied to cultural heritage and aiming to describe, understand and valorise the peculiarities and the values of historical settlements and cultural landscapes in the alpine territory. SWOT analysis indicators have been selected in order to internalise the interdisciplinary approach chosen in the project. The intervention strategy that normally characterises the government and management of historic settlements is sectoral and looks at the settlement itself as an ensemble of valuable buildings to be preserved from depletion. Here this point of view is overtaken in favour of a “systemic” analysis, where historical settlements can be viewed as cultural capital, closely integrated to all the other territorial resources. This to achieve a sustainable and durable territorial development, based on the preservation and valorisation of cultural, historical, artistic, social, economic and environmental identities, according to the peculiar spatial and socio-economic context of the Alps arch. This implies the contribution of different disciplinary approaches and tool boxes, that have to be understood and shared by different knowledge systems (approach, strategies, methodologies, tools…). The real challenge of the project is therefore the use of the interdisciplinary approach in developing integrated policies for the preservation and valorisation of historical settlements and cultural landscapes, pushing architects and historians of art as well as planners, economists, sociologists, administrative professionals and other territorial analysts to work together in a mutual learning process

[Eco]systems of resilience practices: a reframing from the Experience of Italian Resilience Practices Observatory

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Valorization of organic waste through black soldier fly: On the way of a real circular bioeconomy process

The transition from a linear to a circular production system involves transforming waste into valuable resources. Insect-mediated bioconversion, particularly using black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, can offer a promising opportunity to convert the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) into protein-rich biomass. However, current regulatory restrictions do not allow the use of this substrate to obtain insect proteins for animal feed, prompting the exploration of other applications, such as the production of bioplastics. Here, we explored at laboratory scale an innovative and integrated circular supply chain which aims to valorize the OFMSW through BSF larvae for the production of biobased materials with high technological value. BSF larvae reared on this organic waste showed excellent growth performance and bioconversion rate of the substrate. The use of well-suited extraction methods allowed the isolation of high-purity lipids, proteins, and chitin fractions, which are building blocks to produce biobased materials. In particular, the protein fraction was used to develop biodegradable plastic films which showed potential for replacing traditional petroleum-based materials, with the possibility to be fully recycled back to amino acids. Socioeconomic analysis highlighted values generated along the entire supply chain, and life cycle assessment pointed out that lipid extraction was the most challenging step: implementation of more sustainable methods is thus needed to reduce the overall environmental impact of the proposed chain. In conclusion, this study represents a proof of concept gathering evidence to support the feasibility of an alternative supply chain that can promote circular economy while valorising organic waste