"We're small, but we have big ideas and, above all," explains Ivano De Rigo Plaina, head of Regola di Costa , "an environment that offers the true mountain, an ideal place for slow tourism, in touch with nature, and genuinely authentic. It's so beautiful and unique that we decided to certify it, and we're the first in Veneto."
The Regola di Costa has just 38 members , although the annual meetings never exceed 20, as the rest live far from the village. This small community in Comelico, a hamlet in the municipality of San Nicolò , which has just around eighty residents, almost all of them elderly, has already made headlines several times thanks to the initiatives of the Alberi di Mango community cooperative, which relaunched the Dolomiti bar, which has become a meeting place for the entire Comelico community thanks to its restaurant, as well as a reference point for the grocery store.
And now the Costa Family Community Rule is certified PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) for “ ecosystem services, tourist and recreational functions ”.
But what is it? "We are the first in Veneto," comments Ivano De Rigo, "to have requested and obtained PEFC-Scope 3 certification for ecosystem services, tourism and recreational functions ( CSQA-Pefc-Gfs-Se3-91993-03 certificate ). An achievement we are particularly proud of."
What are the concrete benefits for you? "One of our goals has always been to enhance the Regole's forestry and pastoral heritage , through proper sustainable forest management; this means that our timber is both valuable and highly valued. Now, with this new certification, we confirm that the area also has significant tourism and recreational value, based on the biodiversity of the Costa area, and in particular Mount Zovo, as well as the unique environmental characteristics and the meticulous sustainable management of its forests."
[…]
Source: Corriere delle Alpi