Marine Protected Areas can be seen as diamonds set along the coast, beautiful sparkling gems isolated from the environment that surrounds them. But in reality they are often ecosystems whose reasons for existence are based on the complementary relationships between the sea and the land and the people who live and work there.

Of course nature is sovereign, and every human intervention must be made wisely. Food is produced, the local area is promoted, but at the same time the woods, the Mediterranean terrain, the shores and the sea must be protected. These outstandingly beautiful environments help us to understand the honor and the responsibility of valuing and defending them.

The standards set by the people who manage Marine Protected Areas and work within them must be based on this responsibility. Every activity must respond to specific criteria, following a strategy that looks beyond the immediate present towards the future and shows how it is possible to work and live in harmony with nature.

Marine Protected Areas provide a useful instrument to help restock the marine ecosystem with fish and other sea life. Rigorous controls, covering an extensive area, are necessary to regulate fishing and water pollution.

The landscapes, projects and activities that characterize Marine Protected Areas in Italy and around the Mediterranean will be showcased at Slow Fish, using interactive methods and explanations to present their original features.

The Marine Protected Areas display at Slow Fish has been produced in collaboration with the WWF Italy.