Reconcile the protection of protected natural areas with the European need for autonomous and resilient supply of critical raw materials, eliminating land-use conflicts.
In the extraordinary setting of the Reggio Emilia Apennines, in Baiso, we immersed a local community in a cutting-edge participatory process to defuse historical tensions linked to extractive activity. FUTOUR orchestrated preparatory focus groups and an innovative public debate model based on predictive scenarios and role-playing games. We accompanied citizens, geologists, and administrators outside their ordinary mental patterns, allowing them to interpret antagonistic visions. This dialogic approach transformed skepticism inherited from the past into a mature collective reflection, focused on long-term sustainability and the redefinition of ethical and environmental standards.
The intervention generated recommendations shared and negotiated by citizens, defining clear criteria for responsible mining and ecological compensation in protected areas. FUTOUR’s added value was the ability to translate divergent visions into tangible political priorities, giving the local community an active voice in European decision-making processes. The emerging data will feed into the transnational governance models of the CIRAN project, demonstrating that democratic involvement is the key to a fair and responsible ecological transition.
