The Kick-off meeting of the project AETHER – “Alliance for The Effective Transnational Handling Of Environmental Resources”, co-funded by the Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme 2014-2020, was held online on March 29, 2021.
ASSET – The Apulian Regional Strategic Agency for the Eco-Sustainable Development of the Territory is the lead beneficiary of this project in cooperation with one Italian Partner, Puglia Region Civil Protection, and three Greek Partners, the Region of Western Greece, the Region of Epirus and the Region of Ionian Islands.
AETHER project, financed in the framework of the 6th Targeted Call for Strategic Project for 4.500.000,00 euro under the Priority Axis 2 – Integrated Environmental Management, aims at enhancing transnational actions for environmental protection and at promoting the sustainable use of marine, coastal and mainland resources in the Adriatic-Ionian area.
The Project supports the common effort of institutional and scientific communities, through joint governance and management of Plans that integrate protection measures for maritime and rural ecosystems, for coastal and mainland resources, and at the same time enforcing the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the target territories.
Thanks to the AETHER Project several pilot actions will be realized: a laboratory for the integrated management of the Environment, a Civil Protection Logistic Hub in Taranto for prompt interventions in case of environmental emergencies, such as oil spills, tsunami, forest fires etc in the cross-border area;
small infrastructural interventions and implementation of Protocols for sustainable and eco-compatible mussel farming industry in Taranto (Mar Piccolo), and for eco-compatible production, processing and post-harvest phase of fishery products in Tricase; setting-up of a Base for Civil Protection Operation equipped with drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)) in Epitalio airport; a focal point for marine litter processing in Sagiada Area together with systems to monitor the marine water and air pollution; new smart and low cost monitoring technologies for emergency planning and risk management in Corfu and Zakyntos.