The CORALLO project, the only Interreg Italia-Malta 2014-2020 project coordinated by the University of Malta, has been included in a feature on sustainable tourism within the ‘Ocean’ series of Euronews, given the focus of the same project on the sustainable enjoyment of Natura 2000 sites. Prof. Alan Deidun, resident academic within the Oceanography Malta Research Group of the Department of Geosciences (Faculty of Science), was interviewed at the Blue Grotto by the Euronews crew, with the same interview being publicly available online.
The full array of innovative CORALLO digital tools being deployed for ocean literacy purposes has recently been showcased to different categories of stakeholders within an outreach event organised recently at the Hagar Qim visitors’ centre. The event, which was opened by Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, Heritage Malta Chief Operating Office Kenneth Gambin and by ERA Chairman Vincent Cassar, saw the participation of representatives from the SCUBA diving industry, from environmental NGOs, tourist operators, the boating community, from local councils as well as representatives from the educational sector. The event was extensively featured in the local media, including on the Times of Malta portal, TVM News and One News.
During the same stakeholder conference, a code of conduct for users of marine Natura 2000 sites (i.e. Marine Protected Areas) was launched in order to instil a greater sense of responsibility towards the natural assets of conservation importance within the same sites. The same code of conduct will be available from the CORALLO website in the coming weeks.
Still within the CORALLO project and its sister CORALLO +SI one, a number of interesting events are planned for the upcoming weeks, including informative snorkelling trips for the San Lawrenz community at the Inland Sea (Dwejra, Gozo) and the PANACEA environmental education centre and a final didactic boat trip visiting the Marine Protected Areas featured in the CORALLO project at the end of August. A CORALLO smart phone app, providing an enhanced experience to Hagar Qim visitors through a guided virtual walking trail, will also be launched in the coming weeks and a cohort of interactive panels and touch-tables will be installed at the Mdina Natural History Museum, Hagar Qim visitors’ centre and at the University of Malta itself.
Besides Prof. Alan Deidun, Dr Adam Gauci, Mr. Johann Galdies, Ms Martina Busuttil, Ms Rebecca Scerri, Ms Jessica Busuttil and Mr Marco Iannaccone are also engaged at the University of Malta on the project. The 3 Maltese partners on the project (the University of Malta, the ERA and Heritage Malta) have a combined budget exceeding 800,000 euros. The project has, over the past few months, featured prominently in outreach activities, including the GreenFest in Valletta, the FEE Fest organised by Ekoskola as well as the Public Service Fair and the Mediterranean Lighthouse event organised by the European Commission in Palermo, through which thousands of end-users, belonging to several different stakeholders, were engaged.
