Be Water - water sports for water sustainability and management

The Be Water project was carried out over the three-year period 2019-2021. The project has in fact had two duration extensions due to the complications related to the emergency from Covid 19 and ended in December 2021.The Be Water project has achieved the activities and objectives set. First of all, various environmental education activities “through outdoor water sports” have been created and tested. Thanks to the different types of rivers and partners involved, it was possible to involve different targets (residents, tourists, young people and children) and carry out complementary environmental education activities. These outdoor educational activities are now part of the offer of the territories involved in Italy, Croatia and Slovenia.Furthermore, thanks to the training courses, no. 46 “Ambassadors of the Rivers” have been trained: canoe, kayak and rafting guides trained on the main naturalistic characteristics of rivers, on local biodiversity, on the challenges related to water resources, on the potential impact of human action on rivers and on the need to safeguard nature. These “Ambassadors of the Rivers” were the driving force behind the Be Water project and the activities carried out.The project also allowed the creation of the DidActive Toolkit, an e-book of 67 pages and six chapters. It is a “toolkit” with videos, infographics and texts created to bring rafting, canoeing and kayaking guides (as well as water sports enthusiasts) closer to river ecology and to be more aware of local and international problems on the use of water.There also was a direct involvement of the territory and the creation of debates on the issue of water resource thanks to the creation of three "Local Leading Groups" made up of local public and private stakeholders but also a broader involvement of national and international stakeholders, thanks to the communication and dissemination activities coordinated by the Italian Rafting Federation.The international activities of study visits and exchanges were fundamental elements to complete the "environmental" training of the local “River Ambassadors” but also useful for partners and stakeholders in order to discover complementary ways of using outdoor sports as a means of environmental education. The final conference was also an opportunity to build a broader debate on the relationship between outdoor sports and environmental sustainability.Last but not least, the Be Water project was an excellent opportunity for exchange and mutual growth for the partners involved who exchanged sports and naturalistic skills, acquired new management and communication skills, and explored the possible “European approach” of their activities.