The Mediterranean library of knowledge
Explore the ENI CBC Med Programme's library of deliverables: a comprehensive digital repository of diverse resources tailored for the Mediterranean region. Discover in-depth studies, innovative strategies, and practical tools spanning tools addressing key environmental, economic, and social issues. The library is your go-to source to find valuable knowledge to inspire new collaborative projects driving fair, sustainable and inclusive development across the Mediterranean.
MEDUSA - Hiking e-guides for Adventure Tourism in Catalonia, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Puglia
This section includes Hiking e-guides for Adventure Tourism in the Mediterranean regions that participated in the MEDUSA project (Catalonia, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Puglia), which was aimed at promoting an innovative and sustainable tourism model. There are 5 guides, one for each region, which describe innovative itineraries to explore alternative areas with a view to reducing the strong impact of mass tourism in other more popular areas.
MEDUSA - Destination review in Catalonia, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Puglia
The MEDUSA project, faced with the slowdown in tourism in the Mediterranean region, aimed to transform the tourism model into a sustainable and competitive model, addressing current sectoral challenges such as the predominance of mass seaside tourism, through the development of interventions to promote adventure tourism in the region. This section includes 7 documents (5 in English and 2 in Arabic) illustrating a destination review from a socio-economic, political and environmental perspective in adventure tourism in some areas of the 5 Mediterranean regions that took part in the project: Catalonia (Spain), Jordan, Lebanon, Puglia ( Italy) and Tunisia.
MEDUSA - Attractions, Inventory and Mapping for Adventure Tourism in Catalonia, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Puglia
This section includes 5 documents with a detailed description of attractions, inventory and mapping for adventure tourism in some areas of the 5 Mediterranean regions that took part in the MEDUSA project: Catalonia (Spain), Jordan, Lebanon, Puglia (Italy) and Tunisia.
Adventure travel describes trips that provide experiences to places which are novel or unique to the traveler, emphasize the natural environment, and provide challenge through experiences of culture, activities that promote physical health, and excitement. By designing and testing routes and itineraries that offer improved adventure tourism products, MEDUSA project aimed contribute to job creation and income for local communities in the medium and long term. Moreover, the project has the potential to reveal lesser-known destinations and attract tourists throughout the year.
MEDUSA - Conceptualization of sustainable tourism products for the adventure tourism segment
The MEDUSA project’s conceptualization of adventure tourism has been thought of as a tool to help the small enterprises and inhabitants of the destinations in order to approach to adventure tourism with a sustainable approach. It consists of a set of guidelines illustrating the key requisites for creating and/or managing adventure packages using the results and the recommendations from:
• country research on the analysis of the attraction potential of 5 destinations (in Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Spain and Tunisia);
• benchmarking study on sustainable best practices;
• market research on outbound markets;
• examples of how international tour operators design products and packages.
This report develops the conceptualization of adventure travel through 6 phases.
MEDUSA - Research and study of market demand, supply and competitiveness
The MEDUSA project, faced with the slowdown in tourism in the Mediterranean region, aimed to transform the tourism model into a sustainable and competitive model, addressing current sectoral challenges such as the predominance of mass seaside tourism, through the development of interventions to promote adventure tourism in the region.
This document is a study of market demand, supply and competitiveness.The methodology used was based upon the various actions designed by the MEDUSA project and it is structured in 5 blocks/actions:
- Action 1. Conceptualisation, identification of the characteristics and trends of adventure travel;
- Action 2. Technical factsheet with generic information on 5 relevant countries/markets;
- Action 3. Identification and analysis of tour operators of each country;
- Action 4. Analysis of products sold by tour operators;
- Action 5. Technical factsheet with key information and recommendations to design adventure.
MEDUSA - Benchmarking study on Sustainable Innovative practices of Adventure Tourism
Five countries (Spain, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Italy) and strong partners from those countries have joined forces to launch the MEDUSA project. The general objective of MEDUSA is to develop a competitive form of Adventure Tourism (AT) in the Mediterranean, which is based on environmental and economic sustainability values and that aspire to create more business opportunities and new jobs for the local communities.
The main purpose of the study is to identify and provide insight into innovative sustainable adventure (40%) and sustainable tourism practices (tourism models, products and services) carried out by and in tourism destinations, including destinations in the Mediterranean region and elsewhere in the world.
The document is organised into 4 chapters, with an introduction to the approach and concept of the study, the topic of adventure tourism, the benchmarking model and international practices from all over the world and finally a short conclusion on the assessed practices, practical recommendations on the lessons learned and further practical implementation in the destinations.
Guidelines on the energy renovation of university buildings in the Mediterranean
Guidelines were developed and designed based on the main outputs of the project including the Living Lab approach adopted for the co-creation of the renovation process, the main results of the pilot actions implemented (energy generated and saved, CO2 emissions avoided, savings in €..), lessons learned and recommendations for replication and scaling-up.
These guidelines will facilitate the replication and scaling-up of the innovative renovation actions implemented, leading to a wider impact.
Decision aid tool for evaluation of optimal renovation measures in university buildings
A decision aid tool (Tool 1) is developed to support the energy management staff, in collaboration with students and researchers, in identifying and implementing the best options for building refurbishing and improving operation control for achieving significant energy savings, while maintaining the occupant's comfort.
A simplified tool (Tool 2) was also proposed for target groups with no advanced technical knowledge on building energy performance.
The interactive tools serve as a multi-objective decision models for the optimal ranking/trade-offs analysis between retrofit options, based on relevant decision criteria.
Cross-border Living Lab for the co-creation and co-innovation of university buildings renovations
The core concept of the Mediterranean Cross-border Living Lab (MCbLL) under the Med-EcoSuRe project is that working with stakeholders can produce more effective innovative solutions. Physical and virtual tools were developed to stimulate participatory processes, supporting university’ building managers with predictive tools and enhancing their capacity to plan and implement sustainable energy mix strategies and technologies in the different Mediterranean climatic contexts.
The MCbLL is an international network of people with knowledge and know-how on eco-solutions, connected through a platform and operating on local pilots, related to the renovations of university buildings in the Mediterranean area.
For the establishment and management of the Living Lab, the following was created:
- Guidelines for governance & management, Exploitation & valorisation of results (including different types of agreements)
- Guidelines on stakeholders’ management
- Action plans for Local Living Labs
A series of webinars was organized to launch MED beX.live (University Buildings as a Living Experience), the virtual counterpart of the Mediterranean Cross Border Living Lab (MCbLL).
Covering interconnected themes on eco-sustainable university renovations in the Med-Area investigated by the Med-EcoSuRe project, five webinars answered to the following questions:
- How to implement sustainable policies with a cost-effective approach for construction and building renovation?
- How to perform energy efficient renovation of school buildings and its integration into education programs and education environments?
- How may technology, especially BIM Methodology, accelerate growth and competitiveness in the building sector?
- How to implement the techno-economic assessment of on-grid solar PV systems?
- How can cost-effective energy efficiency and high-tech renewables take place in isolated zones/towns?
Energy audits performed in Mediterranean University Buildings
A structured methodology to carry out the energy audits, in the identified pilot sites, was adopted in order to define the resource planning, establish an energy audit team (including technicians, engineers, and students), organize instruments and timeframe, collect and analyze utility data.
Energy audit reports were elaborated including the data collected and recommendations for potential solutions and opportunities for improving energy efficiency and renewable energy applications.
An online training course transferring knowledge on how to perform an efficient energy audit in university buildings was organized targeting over 50 students across the Mediterranean. The students analyzed case studies and proposed renovation solutions to meet nearly zero energy buildings requirements, of the university buildings analyzed.
Energy Renovation Reports of Mediterranean University Buildings
The project team succeeded in implementing an innovative and eco-sustainable energy renovation process for selected university buildings in Tunisia, Italy and Palestine enabling to reduce the energy demand, decrease operational costs of the universities and ensure a sustainable, reliable, safe, and cost-effective electrical energy supply. The proposed renovation measures were based on recommendations drawn from energy audits and through surveys (for emerging solutions), workshops and courses, while exploiting a set of tools developed as a decision support to efficiently design, plan and evaluate the renovation process.
Based on the obtained monitoring data as well as numerical simulations, the total reduction of CO2 emissions is 509,93 t CO2/y, and the total savings are 148 k€/y
The implementation of the actions took more time than foreseen due to the lengthy administrative procedures and the permissions processes to intervene on buildings , especially in case of historical buildings.
Guidelines were developed highlighting the renovation process implemented and listing the best practices and recommendations drawn.
Strategic plans for university building energy renovation
A total of four renovation strategies were delivered with the goal of proposing recommendations for the adoption of EE and RE practices in university buildings that will enable to contribute to national and regional strategies objective. A range of possible future pathways were generated for the long term renovation of the university building stock in the Med while bringing together the technical and economic appraisal with the review of local policies.
These strategies were officially adopted, through agreements, by seven university and national decision makers. Based on these findings, the team is planning to continue the work beyond the project lifetime by increasing the scale from buildings to university campus.