Hi I’m Ornella, currently volunteering as IVY with SMILO (Small Islands Organisation) in Marseille as part of the AQUAMAN project, supported by Interreg EURO-MED.

Thanks to IVY, I had the incredible opportunity to go to Athens with SMILO during my first week of volunteering in May. I assisted and got straight to the heart of the matter by attending the 9^th edition of Circle The Med forum focused on climate neutrality, green transition, and sustainable development. The aim was to address circular and blue economies under the Union for the Mediterranean but also to work and progress on AQUAMAN project with our European partners.

But why this project (which is not a superhero)? AQUAMAN (AQUAtic systems’ evaluation for the Mitigation of wAter scarcity in mediterranean islaNds and coastal tourist destinations under severe pressure) is a collaborative project uniting partners from Mediterranean countries (as one of the world’s most climate-sensitive regions) and includes ministries, research bodies, island municipalities and others such as associations. The aim is to promote sustainable water management on European small islands which are facing an important touristic pressure, specially during summer.

My main role is to support the SMILO team on this European project which includes a cooperation between six European countries: Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Malta and Portugal. To reach the AQUAMAN goals we are all working together to benchmark existing solutions to improve water management in different territories.

For this purpose, SMILO has different missions to promote sustainable actions through our islands network. The following highlights some noteworthy examples.

We are currently working with Greeks to develop solutions for a better water infiltration on islands inspired from ancient practices.

I am also creating with the help of Spanish and Maltese contributors a Women island network to promote the work accomplished by European female islanders.

Besides SMILO developed new links with some islands, notably thanks to AQUAMAN project, we are working with the Ponza island in Italy and Halki in Greece so that they can enter the SMILO network, in addition to making progress in the water management field.

Finally, in Porquerolles island in France (next to Marseille) we want to work with a study office to look into the hydrology of the island so that we could help the stakeholders to develop actions for a better management of the resource.

Recently, Porquerolles welcomed more than 50 international students on the island for a Science and Policy Workshop, SMILO had the opportunity to present the SERIOUS GAME developed in partnership with the French “Conservatoire du littoral” to raise awareness on water scarcity on islands.

The overall objectives of AQUAMAN project is that all the work done benefits to stakeholders of the islands, obviously for generations to come and local residents who suffer from tourism pressure and already limited water supplies. The sharing of knowledge from successful EU initiatives helps to support coastal and island authorities in adopting sustainable practices.

Thanks to this unique experience, I have now a clearer sense of how EU-funded projects operate. It demonstrates the power of Europe and how it helps partners from different countries to cooperate across boundaries. Volunteering helps me to develop several of my skills and to live unique experiences on different sites. 

I am so happy to help to safeguard precious water resources and protect the Mediterranean’s unique lifestyle and environment. As I am a scientist it also allows me enlarging my skills about cooperation and European affairs.