📣 In Pantelleria, a marine site has just received official recognition, offering scientists a secure area to validate the effectiveness of restoration efforts!

Since 2023, thanks to our patrons, we have been supporting the PANTHER project:

a rare alliance between researchers, fishers, activists and local stakeholders to test the restoration of a key Mediterranean site in Pantelleria, an island between Sicily and Tunisia.

🌿 Posidonia meadows torn out, seabeds weakened, biodiversity in decline…

When coastal habitats disappear, the entire ecological, food and economic balance is threatened.

✨ Today, a major milestone has been reached: Secca de Campobello now benefits from a protection status dedicated to scientific research and ecological restoration.

A true success for biodiversity, because restoring without protecting is doomed to failure. This secured area will allow scientists to measure and validate the effectiveness of the restoration efforts carried out by the PANTHER project.

A major achievement! Putting an official status like this in place is not easy: for the past two years, the project partners, with the support of key institutional actors (the Sicilian Region and the Coast Guard), have been working to find a balance between biodiversity protection and respect for local uses.

👏 A pioneering project in the Mediterranean, led by Agnese Riccardi and Carlo Cerrano (Polytechnic University of Marche), with MedReAct, the Pantelleria Fishers’ Association and Yam Sub.

At Pure Ocean, we deeply believe in these concrete, replicable models rooted in local territories.

And when it works… we celebrate 🎉🌊

BRAVO to the whole team!

PhD candidate at the Università Politecnica delle Marche, Agnese successfully defended her thesis entitled: “Valorization of marine biodiversity to engage local communities in the design of tailored conservation measures”, receiving an excellent evaluation!

The PANTHER project was born out of her three years of doctoral research, and we have been supporting it since 2023. As a reminder, this innovative initiative aims to restore key marine habitats around the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria by actively involving local communities—fishermen and residents alike—to strengthen ecological resilience in the face of climate change.

🐟 Agnese’s thesis, carried out at the Polytechnic University of Marche, represents a major scientific advancement, promoting marine biodiversity while fostering the co-creation of conservation strategies with local stakeholders.

🙏 We are very proud to have supported her in this ambitious project, which transforms science into concrete action!