SITE VISIT OBJECTIVES
To present an example of a private protected area (also natural reserve by Italian Ministry of Environment) and explain a possible management of an area where protection, tourism, education and rural production coexist.

INSTITUTION PROFILE
WWF is a global organization that aims to halt the accelerating destruction of the natural world and, in particular, to slow climate change, reduce toxics in the environment, protect oceans and fresh waters, stop deforestation, and save species. WWF acts locally through a network of family offices, among which WWF Italy, funded entirely through donations, sponsoring and bequests.
According to an agreement with the Italian Government, WWF Italia is the owner of Valle Averto, a protected area of 4.2 sq km of water and 0.13 sq Km of land, included in a bigger area protected within the Ramsar Convention and the EU Directive 79/409/CEE and 92/43/CEE.
Valle Averto environment is rich of flora and fauna endemic species and has a big importance for the rural fishery. This area once was a fishery farm and the environment was adapted to host a typical system for a sustainable production, nowadays is an example of natural area of the lagoon system and it is also a refuge for many protected and endemic species.