Restorative design and inclusive networks in the Adriatic- Ionian Euroregion: evidence and perspectives from ‘Torre del Cerrano’ Marine Protected Area

Medium-sized Adriatic-Ionian cities are becoming increasingly fragmented and fragile, as a result of a natural decline in population, aging and migration, the latter contributing also to a loss of skills. Environmental impacts of protracted anthropogenic activities increase the risk of poverty of these territories, affecting human health and increasing the probabilities of disasters from extreme weather events, such as flooding or the typical fires in Mediterranean ecosystems. The restorative design research offers a viable approach to ecologically responsive, environmentally responsible, and socially inclusive regeneration policies and practices, where integrated and comprehensive restoration is targeted and achieved through systematic and incremental climate adaptation strategies for urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. The proposed contribution explores the overlapping layers of fragility of a case study of the Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion, whose claims are supported empirically through an integrated analysis providing evidence and perspectives. The case study presented is about the Marine Protected Area ‘Torre del Cerrano’ (IT) – co-founder of AdriaPAN, the Adriatic Protected Areas Network, and member of AdrIonPAN, a more extensive and inclusive network of protected areas from the Adriatic and Ionian regions – which plays an effective role in the territorial cohesion promoting bottom-up initiatives (e.g. the Cerrano River Contract) through the Green Blue Infrastructure approach. The research focuses on the role played by the ‘Torre del Cerrano’ in developing strategies through nature-based technologies and solutions, and on the proactive contribution of the people animating these fragile territories in their capacity to be the union trait within the ecosystems fragmentation. People’s fluxes and appropriate technologies are jointly analysed, assuming their integrated restorative critical role supporting the regeneration of fragile territories and medium-sized urban centres ensuring that healthier and thriving life exists on the Adriatic-Ionian Region for the foreseeable future.