PAISACTIVO – Firebreak Landscapes: Activating Rural Areas

The PAISACTIVO - Firebreak Landscapes project, developed by Ruris and its partners, consists of activating rural areas for a resilient territory and, through its actions, sought to increase the resilience of rural areas to fire risk by improving the sustainable management of agroforestry areas and by protecting and revitalising rural settlements, promoting their sustainability.

The project designed by Ruris aims to identify the most suitable sustainable activities for each area, taking several aspects into account:

• the nature of the activities;
• access to market;
  • Effective management (with a competent operator/entrepreneur in place) and the adaptation of those activities to the area.

The ultimate goal is to create biomass-free buffer mosaics at the interface between the village and the agroforestry area, as well as in its surroundings, so as to increase fire resilience even in the areas furthest from the villages, through the implementation of these mosaics.

Beyond this main effect, the project seeks to reverse depopulation and, where feasible, to increase the resident population, both permanent and temporary.

The actions carried out by Ruris were:

• Preparation of a common methodological framework for assessment, the design of alternatives and the promotion of projects for the revitalisation and active management of rural areas;
• Preparation of a model plan with three levels of action, analysed and discussed in workshops: the wider territory, the surrounding landscape and the village;
• Support in applying and implementing the methodological framework and the action approach of the Model Plan in two pilot areas.