MedINA is proud to announce the launch of the communications campaign Rooted Everyday as part of its wider Mediterranean partnership within MAVA Foundation’s sustainable land use practices program that aims to raise awareness on ways to sustain the rich natural biodiversity and preserve traditional cultural practices in high ecological value Mediterranean regions.
MedINA, being project coordinator, has joined forces with four Mediterranean conservation organisations – WWF, Global Diversity Foundation, Divers Earth and Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon- in order to create the Rooted Everyday campaign as a way to raise awareness on the need to protect sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity in the Mediterranean.
The Mediterranean partners have united their local biodiversity projects in Greece, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain and Portugal, as well as other project undertaken within the MAVA program, under this new campaign which is taking direct action against the loss of biodiversity caused by habitat destruction, chemical pollution, invasive species and climate change through forest protection, land restoration and soil and water management.
The focus of Rooted Everyday is to examine the primary sector practices with an emphasis on agriculture, livestock farming and logging in the pilot areas of the Mediterranean program: Mount Shouf in Lebanon, the High Atlas in Morocco and the areas of Dehesa and Montado in Spain and Portugal.
Rooted Everyday wants to inspire people to connect to nature and to form a global ethical community that celebrates different cultures and supports biodiversity by showing the true value of reconnecting to the lands that sustain humankind.
Through an exploration of traditional farming practices, local gastronomy and verbal tradition, Rooted Everyday is aiming to inform and mobilise the public to engage with nature, cultural heritage and biodiversity through sustainable emergent ways of rural development.
Rooted Everyday’s launch is boosted by a Mediterranean Short Story Prize which invites people across the project countries to share their stories on the Mediterranean environment and how they experience biodiversity and local culture through imaginative storytelling. The #MedStoryPrize writing competition will announce a Mediterranean winner who will get the chance to visit the pilot site of their country of origin and gain guided tours on all the activities. At the same time, a writing competition for school children in the age groups of 7-13 and 14-18 will be locally implemented in all participating countries.
#MedFoodHeroes will launch in 2020, celebrating local cuisine and chefs in the project regions. Rooted Everyday will focus on the products and people of these regions, by honouring the daily heroes of our “MedFoodHeroes” diet.
The campaign and the projects are funded by the MAVA Foundation for Nature.
For more information on the Rooted Everyday campaign and the work of our partners please visit: www.rootedeveryday.org and the Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.