The path to obtaining the prestigious recognition as a UNESCO MaB Biosphere Reserve for the Trapani and Paceco Salt Pans and the Marsala Stagnone Reserve has officially begun. The initiative is promoted by a heterogeneous and representative committee of the territory, composed of the Sicilian Region, the Free Consortium of Trapani, the local Chamber of Commerce, the municipalities involved – Trapani, Marsala, Misiliscemi and Paceco – and WWF Italy.
The articulated and strategic process aims to gain recognition for the naturalistic, cultural and economic value of Sicily’s salt pans, environments of extraordinary biodiversity, but also places of age-old production and tradition. This is an important step in the direction of the integrated valorisation of the territory, which aims to combine environmental protection, sustainable development and the participation of local communities.
The contribution of the Stagnone tourism operators
A central element in the definition of the objectives of the candidacy process was the active involvement of the Association of Tourist Facilities (AST) of Marsala, spokesperson for the demands of the Stagnone area’s operators. At the meeting of 20 March 2024, AST offered a significant contribution in defining the strategies and guidelines of the future Management Plan for the candidate area.
Among the main proposals that emerged was that of a strict regulation of access to the Stagnone, with the aim of safeguarding its ecological delicacy. Access, according to the suggestions made, should be reserved for residents and authorised operators, while visitors would be offered only sustainable means: bicycles, walking routes and ecological shuttles. Private cars would be left in external car parks, placed at an appropriate distance from the shoreline, to reduce the impact on the environment.
AST has announced its active participation in the next events planned in Marsala, to be held on 7 May and 11 June 2025 at the Complesso Monumentale di San Pietro, in the Sala Genna.
UNESCO An opportunity for sustainable development
Obtaining recognition as a UNESCO MaB Biosphere Reserve would be a highly valuable achievement for the Saline di Sicilia. It would mean including them in a global network of territories that promote a virtuous model of coexistence between man and nature, capable of balancing environmental needs, economic development and the wellbeing of local communities.
This candidacy has already activated a virtuous process of awareness and shared planning, which aims not only at protection, but also at enhancing respectful and quality tourism. Entry into the UNESCO MaB programme would also be an opportunity to strengthen management, monitoring and promotion tools for unique areas, often threatened by anthropic pressures and climate change.
The collaboration between institutions, local authorities, environmental associations and economic operators strengthens the integrated vision needed to face the environmental challenges of the present. The path that has just begun looks to the future with the ambition of transforming an extraordinary natural and cultural heritage into an internationally recognised model of sustainability.