Reclaiming the River. Ecological restoration in the Simeto Valley

Abstract

Errata corrige: Due to a mere clerical error, the images in the Report have been attributed to an anonymous author. On the contrary: Figures 1 and 4 are by D. Pappalardo; Figures 3, 5, and 7 are by E. Garozzo; Figure 6 is by S. Lipari

This report, developed within the Horizon Europe BIOTraCes Project (Biodiversity and Transformative Change for plural and nature-positive societies), examines socio-ecological processes affecting biodiversity and their potential for transformative change in the Simeto Valley, eastern Sicily. The Simeto River, the island’s largest yet most neglected hydrographic basin, is a key site for investigating the intersections of biodiversity, livelihoods, governance, and democratic participation.
A central concern is that biodiversity protection depends on recognition and exclusion: who is enabled to act, whose voices remain marginalised, and which practices and knowledges gain visibility. Biodiversity is thus approached not as a purely ecological issue but as the relational outcome of struggles and negotiations across political, cultural, and economic divides. Overall, the report shows how biodiversity in the Simeto Valley is both threatened and reimagined through contested socio-ecological practices. It underscores the importance of co-produced knowledge, plural pathways of transformation, and locally grounded forms of governance for nature-positive futures.

The report develops along three strands. The first analyses agriculture, irrigation systems, and collective agency, showing how local actors navigate tensions between large-scale infrastructures and small, neighbour-based systems. It highlights conventional monocultures alongside practices that support biodiversity and foster collaboration. The second examines regenerative land-use models, including permaculture and syntropic agriculture, exploring their contribution to ecological restoration, biodiversity enhancement, and sustainable livelihoods. The third investigates alliances between activists and municipalities, particularly through collaborative mapping of photovoltaic and agrivoltaic expansion, documenting how communities contest extractive pressures and foster more democratic decision-making.