Introduction of the Initiative:

HELP US TO DEFEND THE "MAGREDI" AGAINST DEGRADING AND AGAINST CROSS-COUNTRY MOTOR-RALLIES

MAGREDI, typical italian meadow-lands similar to the Hungarian Puzta, are the natural surroundings which along the shores, characterize the Alta Pianura Friulana (High Friuli Plain). Magredi are lands dominated by wide silent spaces, where flowers of rare species, (endemic) grow and where many birds, typical of the steppe regions, nest or find their shelter.

In spite of the continuous rewarding of such territories and the delimitation, "on the paper," of the areas to protect, (Aree di reperimento, L.R.42/96) and the definition of Two Sites of Common Interest (SIC) and now of a Place of Relevant Environmental Interest (ARIA), somebody had the brilliant idea to organize an international cross-country rally, comparable to the Paris-Dakar motor race, exactly in the area of the Magredi of Cellina-Meduna rivers.

The "Magredi" appear today less protected than 20 years ago. Paradoxically they have become the theatre of episodes reported daily by the mass media and have become the real symbol of the human aggression of the natural territory: asbestos, investigations on the occurrence of depleted uranium, waste deposits, new asphalt and new concrete, pits.

The last candy on the cake of the environment degrading is just this: the "Italian Baja" manifestation of cross-country motor race, which represents the main factor of priming of that motor spiral which suffocates the "Magredi" and which is culminating in the wicked phenomenon of the illegal tracks for motorcycles and 4-weel drive cars.

This occurs at a level even more serious of what the various Associations in their denouncements predict: "Baja" causes not only direct damages to the land but also undirect ones which are even more serious. In fact this manifestation gives origin to the dangerous phenomena of imitations.

At this point it appears evident what has been repeated for many years, that the only way to assure an effective protection of the area is the prompt institution of a Reserve having its own management and its own Control Board, as it already exists in other natural territories of outstanding importance. Public Institutions delegated to the management of the land and of the environment are showing to be totally uncapable of putting into practice the obligations, previously agreed and subscribed, for the protection of these natural areas.

As it already happened during the last years, public institutions contribute to destroy such lands through the financing and the patronage of initiatives like "Italian Baja"

The call for help :

Now the usual organizers of the various rallies try to do it once more and again we ask for your help to stop the arrogance with which a small but well organized and powerful group of persons, wants to impose, with the support of political friends, its own model of entertainment , destroying and damaging an original and natural resource, rich in bio-diversities, belonging to us all.

For this we ask your personal effort of sending to Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia the present message.

As already happened last December, through our campaign of sms and fax sent to local media, we succeeded in obtaining the displacement of the race "the rally of Cellina" to a place outside the "Magredi" natural territory. The most important thing now is that the present message spreads as fast as possible and does not get stuck on your desk. We must be fast: the date of the race has been already fixed: from 15 to 18 of March

Please send a message with this electronic card with your personal data to Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia, using these e-mail reported below:

presidente.giunta@regione.fvg.it

ass.ambiente@regione.fvg.it , ass.parchi@regione.fvg.it

Don't forget to send it also to your friends.

We already thank you very much for your precious support that will help us to stop the race and to avoid "Magredi" to become an enormous motor racing track.