CIRAN Focus Group held in the town of Baiso (Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna Region), Italy
On the 26th of July, the CIRAN Project held a Focus group with citizens living close to the naturally protected landscape of the Collina Reggiana – Terre di Matilde, in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The event was successfully organised thanks to the joint efforts of the CIRAN partner RER, the Municipality of Baiso, and the coordination of the Work Package 5 leader, ALDA. The discussion among ten participants from diverse backgrounds and perspectives took place in the town of Baiso, of 3,285 inhabitants (ISTAT, 2017), and, following previously organised Focus groups, the objective of the meeting was to offer an open and inclusive space to gather insights and opinions of locals on the potential extraction of Critical Raw Materials in environmentally protected areas. The discussion was structured according to the methodology for public engagement developed under WP5 and was followed by a guided visit around the protected area.
Focus Group participants sharing their views in Baiso, Italy. @CIRAN
Environmentally protected landscape of the Collina Reggiana – Terre di Matilde, in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna (Italy). @CIRAN
Sign including geological information related to the environmentally protected landscape near Baiso. @CIRAN
This Focus Group is one from a series of activities of the CIRAN project involving citizens from five European communities located near environmentally protected areas where extraction and mining activities are not active or have never been implemented. In total, 5 Focus groups and 5 Public Discussions will be organised by the end of next year, enabling the Consortium to obtain relevant conclusions that can be further explored beyond the project funded period. It is expected that these series of events and societal engagement approach will inspire similar initiatives in other locations, somehow connected to naturally protected areas, regardless of whether there are any extraction and/or exploration activities in place or foreseen.
The goal of these civic participation activities is to help to reconcile two, sometimes conflicting, societal objectives and needs of our society: protecting the environment and securing economic, social, and technological development. To meet this aim, it is very important to involve all relevant stakeholders and provide space for dialogue and cooperation among them; which is why general guidelines and recommendations for future public engagement and dialogue about mining in environmentally protected areas are being designed based on the results of all activities involving the public within the CIRAN project.
Check out this short video to get a glimpse of the Focus Group in Baiso!
