What is there to explore today – you ask? And it’s the same question I asked myself in a world that seems known in every detail, where there are no longer – or almost no – populations uncontacted by Western culture, there are no secret valleys or unknown landscapes. A world where surprise no longer seems to exist. And instead, on this day with the explorers of the National Geographic Societywhich has been promoting the development of knowledge of the world since 1888, you understand that not only is it not entirely true that every place has already been discovered, but certainly it is not true that the world is known. Do you realize that the world, which changes with us, with our impact, with our relationship with nature, animals, landscapes, is constantly changing, and that the observation and study of its evolution indicates a path to knowledge. Finally, you realize that the world is not always respected and preserved, and that the path of knowledge that opens up can lead to this, last, and important, end.
«We promote research, conservation, education and storytelling projects in all parts of the world with researchers from all over the world to whom we guarantee a scholarship”, he explains Chloé CipollettaItalian manager of National Geographic Society’s Global Explorer Program. «We finance young scholars who become explorers with the aim of appreciating, admiring, protecting and preserving the world. Our projects are keys to opening up perspectives that make us live better and will make us live better in the future because they allow us to preserve what we have today”. These are new perspectives that we have experienced at International Meeting of National Geographic Explorers.
Who are the explorers
It was wonderful to be among these kids for many reasons: their young age, their origins from all over the world, their ability, curiosity, their idealism, the beauty of their projects, their photographs, their videos, their stories . From those who, from Nigeria, tell and are committed to the survival of the pangolin like Charles Emogor to those who study the birth of the first oases in Arabia like Mathilde Jean to those who – like a group of Italian boys – will bring sustainability projects to our small islands. The world expands with their eyes, it descends into the depths of the sea, passes through rivers and deserts, investigates the details, explores the ways in which we approach reality: how do we experience the relationship with the forests in India? Can Mammoth DNA help us protect modern elephants? What impact do extractions from marble quarries in Italy have? Why do people eat shark meat all over the world, calling it by other names (the dogfish, for example), regardless of whether it is a shark? It is the latter, for example, that is the focus of Gibbs Kugurufrom Kenya with whom I speak at dinner and who tells me that he fell in love with sharks the first time he saw them, when he was 16 years old, and that now – as a geneticist and conservationist – he is working towards their safety: «An explorer is driven by curiosity – He tells us -. Every explorer I’ve met is dedicated to their mission and willing to go to great lengths to understand the world around us, whether it’s conserving landscapes, monitoring wildlife, or developing technology. Today it is clear that the era of exploration for conquest is no longer tolerable. Nowadays, explorers adhere to a code of respect for different cultures and seek accurate information to safeguard the future. We explore the world to find meaning, which is something our world sorely needs, especially when facts are swamped by the tsunami of misinformation.”
Oasi Dynamo, the right place
It is the second time that Oasi Dynamo has brought together and hosted theExplorers International Meeting in Italy, and it’s nice to think of these kids, who participate in conservation projects in the Maldives, photograph in Mexican forests or who study forests in India, meeting in a “remote” place like the Pistoia mountains, an intact world of beauty , small villages and beech and conifer forests. But the destination has a strong connection with the idealism of these explorers. The Dynamo worldin fact, was born to be a place for dreamers, starting from the non-profit organization Dynamo Camp which deals with recreational therapy and was born in 2007 with the aim of bringing happiness to children suffering from serious or chronic pathologies, up to Dynamo Academy which deals with social enterprise, and then toOasyhotel, the first eco resort in a WWF Oasis and on the farm Dynamo Oasis.
«Hosting one of the most prestigious scientific and educational institutions in the world is a privilege for us and an important piece of the daily work of building a better future», he says Matteo Pennacchi of Oasi Dynamowhich adds «the innovative scientific discoveries of the Explorers are a concrete hope in the aim of rebalancing and reharmonizing the relationship between human beings and the Earth».
Source: Vanity Fair
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