Communication Outputs and Outcomes of the MED-Star and the Four Joint Projects (Intermed; Med-Coopfire; Med-Foreste; Med-PSS) ^†

Abstract

This work is devoted to presenting the communication activities carried out in the MED-Star project and the four joint projects (Intermed; Med-Coopfire; Med-Foreste; Med-PSS). MED-Star (“Strategies and measures to reduce wildfire risk in the Mediterranean area”) is a 3.5-year strategic project that started in May 2019, coordinated by the Sardinia Region, and supported by the Interreg Italy-France Maritime Program 2014–2020, which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The cluster of projects comprises more than 20 partners (among which are regional, provincial, and local institutions; research centers; universities; wildfire and forest managers; etc.) of the cross-border Interreg Italy-France Maritime territory, which includes Sardinia, Corsica, Tuscany, Liguria, and PACA Regions. The projects have the main goals of improving the capacity of public institutions to jointly prevent and manage wildfire risks and propose wildfire risk mitigation and management strategies that can be shared at the transboundary level. In this perspective, these communication activities represent a key element of the projects. The communicative task of the five projects is structured into four main pillars: (1) strategic communication planning and digital communication channels; (2) dissemination, networking, and public events; (3) institutional communication about wildfire risks; and (4) joint training and exchanges of experience for the definition of the shared models of land and wildfire management. Our contribution will highlight the most relevant communication outputs and outcomes of the MED-Star and the four joint projects, among others, providing an in-depth analysis of the communication activities within the strategic “MED-Star media” platform.