Background A March 2010 Eurobarometer survey - “Attitudes of Europeans towards the issue of biodiversity” - found that 97% of Italian citizens had never heard of the Natura 2000 network. Factors contributing to this knowledge gap include a lack of communication amongst different regional services and an insufficient level of training by tourism operators involved in nature tours. This lack of knowledge is particularly unacceptable in a region such as Lazio, where there are six national protected areas and 69 regional ones and over 17% of the land is included in the Natura 2000 network. Objectives The project’s main objectives are to raise awareness about Lazio's nature protection areas (NPAs) and Natura 2000 (N2000) network sites and about citizens' impact on biodiversity. It will do this by encouraging residents and tourists to visit the NPAs and N2000 sites, with a particular focus on field visits by school groups. Through these actions, the project aims to increase overall visitor numbers to Lazio's protected natural areas. To achieve these goals, the project will develop and implement a strategy to: Improve and optimise environmental communications concerning the regional NPAs and N2000 network sites; Promote eco-tourism, by increasing awareness among tour operators and enterprises about the environmental impact of their business activities; and Promote educational programmes/initiatives on issues related to the region’s NPAs and N2000 network sites and concerning the impact of human activities on biodiversity. Key messages will relate to the general characteristics of the sites; their events and services; nature, cultural and biodiversity issues; and the concept of carbon footprint and best practices on eco-efficiency. Expected results: The project expects to achieve the following results: A 70% increase in people who know about Lazio's NPAs and N2000 sites (based on a survey of citizens who have participated in the project events); The dissemination of 90 000 documents relating to the region’s NPAs and N2000 sites; Some 2 500 people participating in project events; A 70% increase in students who know the Lazio NPAs and N2000 sites (based on a survey of students who have participated in the project events); Some 4 500 students participating in training sessions and 1 500 students participating in project events; A 30% increase in numbers of people visiting the Lazio region NPAs and N2000 network sites; Involvement of 15 NPAs in project activities; Participation of 150 NPA staff in training sessions; Distribution of 1 000 project CD-ROMs to national and European NPAs outside the region; Involvement of 200 local authorities in events; Involvement of 150 tour operators in events; Involvement of 40 local companies in the check on excellence in sustainability; and Participation of 600 teachers in training sessions.