LIFE NATURE: A PROJECT FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
The final conference on the LIFE Wolfalps project, organised with the support of SMG, concluded on 11th December at Palazzo Pirelli. This is a community project in the frame of the LIFE NATURE funding for the safeguarding of the landscape and of species of faunistic interest for the conservation of the ecosystem.
The “LIFE Wolfalps: il lupo nelle Alpi” event aims to raise awareness among the population about the presence of the European grey wolf in Italy and develop safety measures for the safeguarding and protection of the species against the main dangers, such as poaching and the use of poisoned baits. Indeed, the use of poisons (in fact forbidden by law in Italy since 1977) constitutes a serious danger not only to wolves, bears, corvids and other protected species, but also to grazing, guard dogs and other domestic animals. More specifically, among the objectives of the European project are the training of canine teams adequately prepared to monitor rural and urban areas, the development of shared methods and procedures in the fight against poaching and the identification of those responsible, as well as the development of advanced georeferencing software for the extensive monitoring of the areas at risk (the so-called hotspots).
Graphic design concept
The LIFE NATURE project makes communication one of the key points for the awareness campaigns on the issue of safeguarding the landscape and SMG was entrusted with managing the event at every stage, from the organising secretariat and the promotion of the event, to the management of the conference proceedings.
With regard to the graphic design, (posters, leaflets, etc.) a suitable concept coordinated for the project’s brand book was developed and which could be part of the specific framework of the event.
The core idea is the image of a wolf’s footprint in the snow, with a double allusion: on the one hand, it was decided not to openly display the wolf on the cover, but only its track, to highlight the prolonged absence of examples of the grey wolf in the Alps, which is an important species for the ecosystem and characteristic of the Alpine region. On the other, the same presence of the track in the snow can be interpreted as concrete evidence of the reappearance of the wolf, and of the will to track it to rediscover its habits and protect the species in its natural habitat: the Alps.
SMG AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: A LONG-STANDING PARTNERSHIP
Wolfalps was not the only LIFE NATURE project supported by SMG services: also in 2015, our company collaborated with the province of Agrigento for the promotion of summer events related to the European Commission’s LIFE 2013 programme on the issue of sea turtle mortality in professional fishing activities, a similar situation to that of the wolves in the Alps, but in a maritime context.
Last but not least, the partnerships about professional translation for the tourism with Toscana Region and Veneto Region, as in the case of the promotion of the Dolomites National Park.
Between 2012 and 2014, furthermore, SMG also contributed to technical translation projects for the Archipelago Toscano National Park, in the Costa Concordia recovery programme for the safeguarding of Giglio Island’s marine fauna and flora.