Miramare marine protected area – Ionescu Adela
Miramare marine protected area is situated in Trieste, Italy. It was established as a Marine Park managed by WWF Italy in 1973 and it became Italy’s first marine protected area in November 1986. It is the smallest marine protected area in the country.
The MPA (marine protected area) protects 30 hectares of coastal-marine biodiversity, divided in two “zones”. In Zone A, boat transit and anchoring, swimming, SCUBA-diving, entering the beach, fishing, any form of species catch and release and discharging toxic substances are forbidden. For Zone A, activities along the shore or at sea are only allowed if WWF Staff members are present. In Zone B, only fishing (except for angling from the coast) is forbidden.
BioMa, the Immersive Museum of Miramare Marine Protected Area, is located in the former stables of the Miramare castle. This castle was built by Ferdinand Maximilian, who was a younger brother of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria.
Different from "classical" museums, this centre offers a "dive" in every season, allowing the tourist to plunge into sea surface and depths, from macro to microorganisms both animal and vegetable. It illustrates different marine environments, such as the tidal environment, the reef/rocky environment, the sand and the mud environment and the pelagic domain. It also displays a beautiful presentation of the sea environment at night and it explores the pollution issue, focusing specifically on plastics and the presence of microplastics in the food chain.
The museum guide was extremely kind and helpful. He explained everything with great patience and answered all the questions he was asked. I especially admired the emphasis he placed on the gravity of the problems caused by pollution, in the sea and in general, and the fact that he carefully explained sustainable fishing alternatives, such as clam farming.
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