"There has never been a single man in charge at the Park." This is the gist of a long note sent by members of the Porto Conte Park board in a harsh response to the accusations recently leveled by the Punta Giglio Libera – Ridiamo Vita al Parco APS association and to defend the work accomplished over the years by the organization and its governance.
The environmental association's recent press release criticizing the park's management, accusing it of having become a structure geared toward the economic development of the area, was in the spotlight. Responding were Raimondo Tilocca, Lina Bardino, and Adriano Grossi, members of the park's board, who described the representation as "profoundly unfair and inconsistent with the administrative and institutional reality of the organization."
According to the three members of the board, Porto Conte Park "has never been governed by a single man," but through decisions shared by the Board of Directors and the Park Assembly. The statement reiterates that the director (Mariano Mariani) has performed exclusively the management functions required by law, implementing the political and programmatic guidelines established by the authority's collegial bodies. "Attributing responsibility, merit, or political direction to a single person today," they explain, "means a lack of understanding, or willfully ignoring, the functioning of a complex public body such as a regional park."
The board members also reject the idea of a protected area that is closed and remote from the community. "A modern park," they emphasize, "cannot be limited to passive conservation alone, but must integrate environmental protection, education, research, sustainable use, and the cultural and economic growth of the area."
The document highlights the achievements of recent years: services, educational activities, sustainable mobility, environmental enhancement, and new employment opportunities, with the aim of making the natural heritage "better known and therefore better protected."
For Tilocca, Bardino, and Grossi, the future challenge will be balancing conservation and sustainable development, avoiding "ideological interpretations and simplifications" that, they say, do not do justice to the work done by the management, technicians, and workers of the Porto Conte Park.
