Il più bello dei mari è quello che non abbiamo navigato
i più belli dei nostri giorni ancora non li abbiamo vissuti… e quello di più bello ancora non te l'ho detto.
[N. Hikmet]

I.CI.MAR
Istituto delle Civiltà del Mare

NATURE, GOALS AND FINALITIES
The I.CI. Mar. promotes the sea problems regarding Mediterranean environment and of European coast waters, for their protection and a better administration.

It also promotes scientific research regarding sea environment, parks and marine reservations, as well as geopolitical realities in the seaside villages. It promotes and spreads culture and civilisation existing in the coastal villages with its people helping cultural interchange.
It promotes and organises study tours, meetings, reviews and other activities concerning sea life, it publishes magazines, maps, studies in order to support sea life. In collaboration with Sardinian and European Universities as well as with other Sea Institutes, it organises training courses for European students, professional management courses on water resources and specialized sea park management training.

The links with Sassari University are permanent and prolific, the teachers are actively collaborating with the "Sea Life " magazine and other scientific research. The Institute has a scientific research base in San Teodoro, managing the Sea Life Museum and the oceanographic documentation centre. The Institute organises an international congress "Mediterranean Marine Parks" twice a year and publishes its documents.
Well known Italian and foreign scientists, high ministerial and municipal officials, local administrators, and important environmental figures take part at these meetings.

Many young and promising collaborators use the magazine in order to get popularity. The Institute offers its scientific contribution in elaborating studies and programmes focusing on the problems of the maritime parks.
Of major importance was the contribution of the Institute to the Tavolara Capo Codacavallo maritime park study (the 979/82 law).
The Institute develops a fruitful pedagogical activity through meetings, documentaries and specific lessons with the help of the school administration.
It promotes and organises The International Festival of Sea Documentaries, the most important cine-video Italian manifestation dedicated to the sea life where worldwide documentary directors are present. An international jury offers " The dolphins of Tyrrhenian sea" award to the best scientific and artistic sea movie.

A special award is offered to the publishing house that distinguished in making known the sea life and a Literary award, "The Gallura", for the Sardinian students of intermediate school for a sea related novel.
The Institute also organises Art and Photo Exhibitions, photographic competitions about nature and underwater life, and participates to environmental study conventions in Italy and abroad.
The Institute maintains constant contact with the European Council, allowing on the 6/7/8 October of 1993, an ordinary meeting to be held in Sardinia by the European Environmental Commission, regarding public health and civil rights.

The municipal offices are amongst Institute’s collaborators and especially the San Teodoro city council for which it helped to find out the guidelines of PUC. For the San Teodoro town council the Institute is supervising the project of the Punta Molara Mediterranean maquis park in Monte Petrosu and has organised linguistic and economical meetings; it also supervised the restoration of "La Tartaruga" in Cala Ghjlgolu vandalised in 1993.
For the town council of Budoni the Institute organised a meeting about the protection of the historical and iconographical sites and on behalf of the town council of San Teodoro is overseeing the Sea Life Museum in Niuloni and all other scientific and cultural activities.

The Institute is collaborating with GAL Barbagia-Baronie of which consortium the Institute is part.
The Sea Life Institute maintains national and international contacts with public and private institutions and has obtained legal recognition by the Ministry of University and Scientific Research (the MURST decree from 19th of May 1998).

The President of the Executive Board is Prof. Salvatore Brandanu,
Mister Giacomino Mannoni, Doctor Pierangelo Sanna, Missis Onoria Felline as the administration managers.
Directors: architect Luciano De Candia, Professor Giovanna Deledda, Mister Giuseppe Taras, Pietro Piras and Emilia Gramigna.
The mayor of San Teodoro Gavino Costaggiu and two municipal councellors are part of the administration management.