Inclusion and nature: highlights from the DIANA project’s closing event in Genoa
On 26 and 27 June 2025 Genoa hosted the closing event of the European project DIANA – Developing Inclusive and Accessible Natural Areas, which brought together experts, practitioners, institutions and community members from Italy, Spain and North Macedonia.
It was an opportunity to celebrate more than a year and a half of joint work and to reflect on how to make natural areas genuinely accessible and inclusive: places where anyone, whatever their abilities, can enjoy nature, learn and feel part of it.
Here are some of the most powerful ideas that emerged during the event:
“Accessibility is like nature and like life: it has to be lived step by step.”
Progress can be slow, but it produces lasting and multiplying effects.
“Working with nature means working with the community.”
There is no society without territory, without nature. The land gives meaning to culture — it is the essence of life.
“Accessibility is not a label — accessible vs. not accessible. It is a radical change, because diversity is a condition.”
It is not about ticking boxes, but about changing the way we are and the way we act.
“Let’s do it together, to avoid paternalism.”
Real inclusion goes beyond listening: it means co-creating with people who have different needs and perspectives.
One of the main insights is that the DIANA project was born of a clear need, made even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic: the lack of real access to nature and of welcoming, suitable services for people with disabilities.
The sessions also brought out clearly the European Union’s commitment to promoting core values of European citizenship, such as accessibility, equality and inclusion.
An experience we will never forget
The event closed with an inclusive walk in the Beigua Regional Park together with many participants.
And this is where the heart of our DIANA project became tangible: accessibility is not an optional extra, it is an essential condition for experiencing and sharing our natural heritage.
A big thank you to everyone who made this event possible: speakers, partners, facilitators, interpreters, and above all those who shared their stories and perspectives with us. You reminded us that nature is richer when it is experienced together.
DIANA’s legacy: concrete results for continuing to work on accessibility
The DIANA project does not end here. Along the way we developed tools and resources to help natural areas, tourism professionals and local communities become more inclusive:
🔹 A Compendium of good practice gathering experiences of inclusive, nature-based tourism across Europe:
👉 dianaerasmus.eu/compendium
🔹 A practical Toolkit with concrete methods, tools and checklists to improve accessibility in natural areas:
👉 dianaerasmus.eu/toolkit
We also ran local training sessions in Italy and North Macedonia, to build awareness and skills among tourism and environmental professionals at community level.
The compendium and the toolkit are freely available and ready to be used and adapted by anyone who wants to work towards more inclusive nature tourism.
📲 Stay in touch!
Follow the project’s updates, discover new stories and join the conversation on our website and social media:
🌐 www.dianaerasmus.eu
Let’s keep walking together — step by step — towards natural areas accessible to everyone.
