FLAG Factsheet
The territory is located in the central southern Ionian area of Calabria and includes 45 municipalities, classified as "rural areas with overall development problems", with the exception of Catanzaro. It is characterised by a long coast line, the Aspromonte mountain range and is renowned for its very attractive historical, artistic, monumental and environmental heritage, with a strong appeal and national and international interest, including the archaeological museum of Reggio Calabria, where the famous Bronzi di Riace are exposed.
The economy of the area is mainly based on agriculture and small scale coastal fishing carried out with traditional methods. The entrepreneurial fabric is made up of very small enterprises dispersed throughout the territory connected with crafts and tourism.
In the past few years the fishing sector has been shrinking, and this is linked with a production decrease. In such context, the main challenge is to enhance fishing activity by betting on local values, such as the cultural heritage and the “know how” of many fishers that still operate in the area.
18 Sites of Communitarian Interest, 11 of which are seaside sites and 7 are fluvial.
The FLAG’s strategy’s main objective is to strengthen the fisheries activities and boost the importance of the sector through:
Furthermore, the FLAG will valorise local skills, cultural and environmental heritage, as well as promoting good practices already present in the area.
National and regional
Project examples are:
The FLAG is interested in cooperation experiences, to be implemented in the form of study visits with other FLAGs (preferably with South Eastern Sicily or South Eastern Sardinia) related to:
The FLAG is starting a collaboration process with the Calabrian Perla del Tirreno FLAG in order to exchange on project ideas and for look for other funding opportunities besides the EMFF. In the FLAG’s area there are four LAGs, two of them (Serre Calabresi e Terre Locridee) are members of the FLAG partnership. The FLAG also engages with the other two LAGs although there are no official agreements at the moment.
Local administrations, fishing cooperatives, trade associations (Coldiretti, Lega Coop, AGCI Agrital, Federpesca, Confagricoltura, CNA, Confcooperative, CIA), two LAGs (Serre Calabresi, Terre Locridee), three consortiums (Distretto Rurale del Medio Jonio, Consorzio forestale dell’Aspromonte, Consorzio Locride Sviluppo), environmental organisations and touristic enterprises.