The Aeolian Islands Preservation Fund (AIPF) works to preserve the exceptional natural beauty of the Aeolian Islands, by promoting a sustainable approach to tourism and development through a number of sustainable initiatives across: Marine Conservation; Landscape Conservation; Sustainable Agriculture; Waste Management; and Renewable Energy.
LATEST PROJECTS
Marine conservation
Working with BLUE Marine Foundation to protect the Aeolian waters, and to develop a strong small scale sustainable fishery.
Responsible Fishing – Salina and Stromboli
Three ice machines have been installed in Salina and Stromboli, for the artisanal fishermen involved with this project to use to keep their daily catch fresher for longer. These fishermen have worked together in order to self-regulate their fishing standards, and to ultimately preserve their own fish stocks. The project was made possible thanks to a close collaboration with the municipalities of Santa Marina Salina and Malfa; and in Stromboli, with Agenzia MoloTre and the association Attiva Stromboli. The Coast Guard of Lipari and the delegation of S. Marina Salina have monitored and supported the initiative.
Understanding the Sea, environmental education and marine biology – Lipari
Kurma Association organised this education programme for the students of the school Lipari S. Lucia. Students experienced the world of sustainable fishing and typical traditional Aeolian fishing techniques through theoretical study and direct observation. A special thank goes to the Puglisi family, Aeolian artisanal fishermen, who explained to the students the complex relationship between man and sea.
TartaNet Aeolian
This project by Filicudi Wildlife Conservation aims to improve the recovery and rescue of injured or threatened sea turtles in the Aeolian Islands. Educational information (Download the poster / TartaNet documentary) has been disseminated to the local community, tourists and children. The project culminated with the release back into the sea from Vulcano of sea turtle “Rapudda”.
 Turtle nests
We supported, the work of Filicudi Wildlife Conservation volunteers who monitored the turtle nests in Lipari and Stromboli day and night until the hatching of the eggs. Sixteen sea turtles were born in Stromboli. The volunteers organised environmental education sessions to inform adults and children about the importance of protecting this species.
© Museo del cinema di Stromboli
Aeolian Islands: an archipelago of knowledge and flavours
This guide to Aeolian archipelago’s sea was published with our support. The book was written by the marine biologists Enrico Navarra and Mauro Cavallaro for Associazione Kurma and the intent was to create an information tool on the sea of the islands, dealing with topics such as marine ecology, current regulations on professional and sports fishing, the biological characteristics of the most commercialised marine species on the islands, and the traditional local recipes.
Research Boat
A RIB has been purchased with the purpose of supporting and encouraging scientific research activities in the Aeolian Islands. The first two Research Institutes involved were the University Federico II, mapping the microbial communities, which populate the extreme marine environments of the Aeolian Islands and The Polytechnic University of Marche, which has conducted an underwater census of priority benthic species.
Posidonia Protection
We promoted an information campaign to raise awareness among boat users and tourists on the importance of preserving the Posidonia Oceanica, green lung of the Mediterranean Sea, and a habitat protected by European Directives. It receiving the patronage of the Coast Guard, the Municipality of Lipari and the Municipality of Malfa. Download the infographic.
#ProtectTheAeolians
We promoted this social media information campaign to stress how important it is to protect this unique marine environment. Numerous research studies have been shared far and wide. Researchers stress the urgency of a greater protection of the Aeolian Islands marine environments, threatened by human activities and climate change. Special thanks to Capofaro and SmileWave Fund.
© OCEANA / Juan Cuetos
Beach Cleans – Lipari
Congratulations to the kids of PuliAMO Lipari who cleaned numerous beaches in Lipari in the summer. The project that we supported has been coordinated by Magazzino di Mutuo Soccorso – Eolie.
Recovery and recycling of ghost nets in collaboration with Healthy Seas
During the summer we collaborated with Healthy Seas, involving local diving centres (Lipari Diving Center, Diving Saracen and Diving La Gorgonia) and the local fishermen, to recover lost fishing gear aka ‘ghost nets’. At least six tons of nets were recovered and some fishermen handed in their old nets. The collected nets were temporarily stored in the collection centre in Malfa (Salina) and the Coast Guard actively supported the project, also involving the divers division of Messina in support of the initiative. Later the nets will be reclaimed and transformed into Econyl yarn, an infinitely recyclable nylon used for products of various kinds and in fashion industry.
World Oceans Day with Healthy Seas and Ghost Fishing, the video.
 Tackling illegal fishing with Sea Shepherd
The Aeolian Islands Preservation Fund, in collaboration with Smilewave Fund, supports Sea Shepherd to fight illegal fishing in the Aeolian Islands. In collaboration with the Financial Police and the Coast Guard, several illegal driftnet and 77 FADs (Fishing Aggregating Devices) with 150 km of polypropylene, were confiscated and removed from the sea. The small-scale fishermen from Salina and Stromboli have been at the forefront, reporting the illegal activities and supporting the mission, aware of the importance to protect their sea.
Landscape conservation
Dry stone wall course – Panarea
We supported this course by DottEolie association, which teaches building and restoring techniques for the traditional walls, which form part our unique cultural and environmental heritage. There were also theorical and practical sessions with school children. A special thank goes to the association Noi di Panarea, to Federalberghi Isole Eolie, to the association Sassi e Non Solo, to Villa Libertà, to the Director Mirella Fanti for having embraced the initiative and the teacher Francesco Imbesi for the precious support.
Sustainable agriculture
Olive oil mill – Stromboli
We attended the inauguration of the social olive oil mill in Stromboli that we supported, in the frame of the Èolio project promoted by the association Attiva Stromboli. Stromboli has finally got it’s own olive oil mill and three tons of olives harvested on the island have been already processed. This initiative involves and unites the community of the island, and conserves an iconic part of the Aeolian landscape, the olive tree, and promoted local sustainable produce.
Waste management
New eco compactors for Panarea, Vulcano and Salina
After the first installation in Lipari last year, new eco compactors have been placed inPanarea (Supermercato Da Pina), Vulcano (Supermercato Conad) and Malfa (Istituto Comprensivo Lipari I). This machines collect, compact and incentivise the recycling of plastic bottles, in the frame of the EmergenSea Campaign by Marevivo. 100,000 plastic bottles collected all over the islands, have been already recycled. The project has been supported by AIPF in collaboration with BLUE and Caronte & Tourist.
EVENTS
We presented Operation SISO 2019 by Sea Shepherd at MuMa – Museum of the Sea in Milazzo and at Centro Studi in Lipari at presence of the representatives of the Coast Guard, of the Guardia di Finanza and the Aeolian artisanal fishermen.
Salina Festival invited us to present our projects. An event on the protection of the sea that highlighted the beauty and uniqueness of the Aeolian Islands and the importance of preserving them where INGV Palermo, OGS Trieste, Anton Dohrn Zoological Station of Naples, the Captain of the Coast Guard in Lipari and the Mayor of Malfa took part.
We joined the night of the sea turtles in Filicudi organized by Filicudi Wildlife Conservation in the frame of the TartaNet project, a night to promote the protection and Conservation of the Aeolian sea turtles, in memory of the councilor for cultural heritage in Sicily, Sebastiano Tusa. The Mayor Marco Giorgianni and the Captain of the Coast Guard Francesco Principale, joined the initiative.
We presented our projects in collaboration with Filicudi Wildlife Conservation and Blue Marine Foundation within the Festival Un Mare di Cinema organized by Centro Studi, who recognized the director of the documentary TartaNet Eolie that we supported, Stefano Salvatori, the Efesto 2019 award for best direction. The documentary has been presented also on the occasion of San Bartolo Feast in Lipari.
Our projects have been presented also on the occasion of Festa di Teatro Ecologico in Stromboli and live on Radio Capital.
OUR NETWORK
The new ‘Conservation Collective’ website, the network of local environmental funds to which the AIPF belongs, is now live! Read about the amazing local environmental initiatives that our global family is supporting all over the world, visiting www.conservation-collective.org and following conservationcollectiveorg on insta!
NEXT EVENTS
Catherine Prevost invites Conservation Collective supporters to a private view of her Sea Life Collection for Atelier Swarovski
Join us for drinks
Catherine Prevost, 127 Sloane Street
Tuesday 3rd December 2019
18.30 – 20.30
RSVP to jade@conservation-collective.org
The collection highlights some of the most beautiful and charismatic species in St. Vincent and the Grenadines that the SVGEF is working to protect, namely the marine turtles, the Union Island gecko and the parrotfish. Please share this with anyone you think might be interested in getting involved, and ask them to sign up below to receive our latest news.
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