The Lifegate initiative, now supported by the Biodiversity Park in the Expo Site, creates a virtual bridge between Italy and Brazil which will contribute to protecting a forest area of some 4.5 million sq.mt of Amazon forest in Brazil. The Stand Up Forests project, implemented in collaboration with the non-profit organization ICEI, was launched with the aim of contributing to the safeguarding and protection of the forest by directly involving the local population of San Pedro.

Protecting the Brazilian forest by involving local populations

 

Through this initiative, LifeGate, a leading actor in the field of sustainable development in Italy, and Biodiversity Park, the Thematic Area in Expo Milano 2015 designed and implemented by BolognaFiere, set an example in active cooperation on promoting biodiversity as a universal value to be protected and encouraged both in Italy and outside their home country’s borders. This very concrete and practical gesture is made possible by all those visitors to Expo Milano 2015 who decide to visit its Biodiversity Park: for every visitor another 3 sq.mt of forest will be protected, and this, multiplied by the average daily total of 10,000 visitors up until October 31 2015, will make it possible to achieve the protection of the whole target project area. Stand Up Forests involves a specific forested area in the heart of the Amazon basin, 25 km from the town of Silves, and includes 27 specific families from the Community of San Pedro who live on the banks of the River Igarapé Capivara. From the Alps to the Amazon, protecting Biodiversity is a universal value, also promoted digitally through the #Bioislife hashtag. Visitors to the Park in Expo will be invited to twitter using this hashtag and to share their experiences of the Biodiversity Park and of Expo Milano 2015 with the entire Twitter community.

The Biodiversity Park, situated in the eastern part of the Decumano, is a thematic area covering some 8500 sq.mt, sponsored and implemented by BolognaFiere, the Bologna Trade Show company, thanks to the experience of SANA in the field of organic farming and biodiversity, thus creating a planetary showcase for organic cultivation and the richness of Italy’s natural flora. The Park’s mission is to demonstrate, promote and celebrate Italy’s expertise in the environmental and agricultural sector, particularly from the perspective of organic methods and of food production. It achieves this though a visitor experience which shows the evolution and safeguarding of agrarian biodiversity, and includes a rich program of events, forums and multimedia options.