Associazione Costiera Amalfinata Riserva Biosfera (Acarbio)

Associazione Costiera Amalfinata Riserva Biosfera (Acarbio) was created in 2009 in Tramonti (Salerno province) with the goal of a sustainable transformation of the economic and social development of the Amalfi Coast and a nomination of the area a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO MAB). It is a local association in the Amalfi Cost and initiates rural sustainable development. The projects promoted by the association aim to strengthen the area’s candidature as Biosphere Reserve within the MAB-UNESCO Programme. Activities therefore focus on the conservation and safeguard of the natural and historical-cultural heritage of the Amalfi Coast, by promoting sustainable development in the field of environmental life-style and awareness, youth and citizen empowerment, competence building, slow tourism, multi-modal mobility, renewable energy and landscape maintainance. It also pays particular attention to the traditional infrastructure, lifestyle and products where they still follow rural development objectives. In this context, ACARBIO also works in collaboration with stakeholders (local authorities, other associations, farmers, schools and a research centers) for the preservation of the terraced landscapes in the Amalfi Coast as it is part of the identity of the territory. ACARBIO has now 11 years of experience with initiatives for sustainable rural development. In these 11 years, we worked with local and regional stakeholders (authorities, schools, research institutions, partner associations, farmers, youth organisations), international partners (active in Europe, Eastern Parners and the Mediterranean Region), youth organisations and associations within the Erasmus+ and the ESC framework, and volunteers of many different countries. The association grew in this period, and the projects and activities developed and got more articulated. However, our vision remained the same – a transformation of the area to a sustainable economic and social system. It is a big undertaking, and our activities help in implementing this vision. Concretely, Acarbio organizes educational excursions in nature, practical workshops with people of all ages, local agricultural projects in collaboration with local farmers, public meetings and events on environmental issues of the Coast, support and consulting for local youth associations, awareness raising campaigns, international Youth projects in the short- and the long-term, volunteering activities and international volunteering projects. All these activities aim to promote higher levels of sustainability, quality of life, natural and cultural heritage protection, community development and empowerment, competence building and cultural exchange. The area of the Amalfi Coast is very particulate (in terms of geography, accessibility, landscape, natural habitat and social and economic development) and in many aspects dominated by mass tourism. We want to counter-balance this mass tourism, because even though it brings economic opportunities, it leads to neglection of many other aspects of quality of life and natural sustainability.