Arco

The territory of Arco is located on the northern shore of the biggest Italian lake, the lake Garda. Its peculiar climate influences the main landscape features and the variety of environments of the area. The main urban centre is located at the bottom of the Sarca valley and features a typical Mediterranean climate, while the highest part of the municipality’s territory is located at around 2.000 metres above the sea level and present an Alpine climate. These characteristics make the landscape as a paradise for outdoor sports’ lovers and tourism plays a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of the territory together with some high-end factories producing mechanical components. In 2018, a territory with less than 30.000 inhabitants hosted more than 1.000.000 tourists. Yet, after many years of boisterous development, the municipality and the main stakeholders are looking for more sustainable and balanced development of the territory. Therefore, in the Arco pilot mapping and knowledge on the landscape will be combined with visioning and engagement activities to develop a long-term strategy. The mapping activities will be focused on finding the most important ‘socio-ecological’ spots to support a biodiversity and connectivity plan aimed at recovering traditional landscape practices as pastures or terraced agriculture (olives or vineyards), boosting the renewal of abandoned buildings or shepherd’s cottages. Before developing the plan, local stakeholders will be involved in visioning activities (built on previous experiences from EIT and other projects) to cast and define the most important actions to be taken for effective deployment. Moreover, contacts with local stakeholder will also support the implementation of funding schemes for start-ups or innovative managing practices.