The Gregorian Oasis, affiliated to the national WWF system, was presented today, Monday 22 April 2024, in Rome: a natural and agricultural area of 25 hectares, within the estate of the same name of the Generali Group which the Company has decided to give back to the community. In fact, the initiative was born as part of Generali Act4Green, the large project dedicated to the environment by the Leone Alato Group.
The Oasis, located in Castrocaro Terme and Terra del Sole (in the province of Forlì-Cesena), is characterized by different habitats – the forest, the vineyard and the melliferous meadow – and represents an ecosystem, now uncommon, where they coexist in balance the traditional agricultural vocation and an uncontaminated natural environment that is home to a rich biodiversity: wolves, bats and porcupines are, for example, regular guests.
The launch event, in the presence of Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Francesca Salvemini, Head of Technical Secretariat of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, Giancarlo Fancel, Country Manager & CEO of Generali Italia and President of the Leone Alato Group , Luciano di Tizio, President of WWF Italy, Giorgio Vacchiano, Researcher in forest management and planning, State University of Milan, Barbara Lucini, Head of Country Sustainability & Social Responsibility of Generali Italia, Anna Nozza, Chief HR & Organization of Generali Italia and Igor Boccardo, CEO of the Leone Alato Group, concluded with a virtual visit experience of the Gregorina Oasis with virtual reality viewers.
The Oasis is located in an area of great naturalistic, geological and historical interest and is the subject of careful landscape design work by a think tank made up of designers and plant scientists who develop creative strategies and solutions based on scientific discoveries. The objective is to give back to the community a unique place where they can experience an experience of connection with nature, a place of sociality, sharing and education designed for everyone, especially for generations to come. The Oasi Gregorina will open its doors to the public with visits dedicated to schools and Third Sector organizations in the area, to visitors by reservation and to employees of Generali Country Italia and Gruppo Leone Alato on 4, 9 and 11 May with games, workshops and surprises for all ages.
In detail, the landscape design work, which is expected to be completed by spring 2025, will enrich the Oasis with new elements that aim to make it a naturalistic area with a strong social vocation, with the deepest respect for the territory who hosts it. The interventions will be based on complete accessibility, with a careful study of routes, structures, physical and digital information supports, accessible to all. Central to the project will also be the use of eco-sustainable techniques and materials and the wise use of the most advanced technology to monitor biodiversity and pollinators, the well-being of ecosystems and the storage of CO2 by trees.
“It is very important that a large company, like Generali, which represents a part of Italian entrepreneurial history and is positioned on the international market, considers a sector like agriculture as strategic and decides to invest not in tomorrow but in the day after tomorrow. In recent years we have seen both the private and public sectors dedicate themselves to temporary things, while in projects of this nature we find a strategic vision that looks to the interests above all of future generations”. Thus the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida.
Giancarlo Fancel, Country Manager & CEO of Generali Italia and President of the Leone Alato Group declared: “Making sustainability, the inspiring principle of our strategic plan “Lifetime Partner 24: Driving Growth”, for us means being a transformative company to generate an impact positive in the communities in which we operate and to create shared value in the long term for all stakeholders. Alongside the project to plant 1 million trees, started last year, today with Oasi Gregorina we are writing an important new chapter of the Generali Act4Green project. A small, large contribution towards building a better planet, to be left as a legacy to future generations.”
“The inauguration of the Gregorina Oasis, a WWF Affiliate, is a great satisfaction for us, because in addition to having contributed to increasing local biodiversity, in connection with important neighboring natural areas, the Gregorina Oasis also focuses on the theme of agriculture and the transition to organic cultivation. The protection of biodiversity and agricultural practices must and can coexist and aim at the same objective: to reach 30% of protected territory, the contribution of private individuals is also essential. Opening the Oasis to the public is an opportunity to raise awareness among thousands of people about respecting nature and make them discover how crucial it is for our well-being”, states Luciano Di Tizio, President of WWF Italy.
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