Official recognition of Ecomuseums by Veneto Region (Regional Law 17/2019)
About this good practice
Many ecomuseums of different kinds have been autonomously established by associations or other entities, each one of them following its own guidelines. It was necessary to identify common standards to qualify these subjects.
This objective is achieved through the introduction of criteria for the official recognition by Veneto Region of these entities as ecomuseums, the creation of a committee for the evaluation of applications, the drafting and signing of community pacts with which the communities are committed in taking care of the territory.
The regional law that established the recognition also provided for the creation of a scientific committee composed of sector experts and university professors, to give support to ecomuseums activities during and after the recognition phase, and the creation of the Regional yearly meeting of Ecomuseums to allow all Region ecomuseums (both recognized and not) to meet and network.
The main stakeholders are the Region, municipalities and other territorial entities (e.g. consortiums), associations and foundations of the territory.
The beneficiaries are associations, schools, cultural institutions, curators (museums, libraries, archives, educational-naturalistic centers, study/research centers) and other public/private subjects which recognize themselves in the ecomuseums objectives and are willing to contribute in their development.
Since the introduction of the Regional Law, the first four ecomuseums have been formally recognized.
Expert opinion
Resources needed
No funds have been directly allocated, two people belonging to the Region's staff are responsible for the recognition procedures that take place once per year.
Evidence of success
When ecomuseums are regionally recognized institutions it is easier for public bodies such as municipalities to become part of them:
2 municipalities were able to join an ecomuseum after it obtained the recognition;
22 municipalities together founded a new ecomuseum, considering the regional recognition as one of the premises for this initiative.
The first regional meeting took place in 2024, with one week of activities.
Data about visitors indicate a growing trend (2023: ~600 / 2024: 1126).
Potential for learning or transfer
Other Italian regions have introduced similar practices since the 1990s. These were taken into consideration in their positive and negative aspects during the process of creating the specifications that implement the regional law.
The potential for transfer is given by the fact that the link between historical, cultural and ecological aspects is found not only in Veneto but also elsewhere. The participatory approach is also an aspect that can be used in different territorial contexts.
Official recognition by the regions strengthens credibility of these initiatives and enhance their capability of involving public subjects.
Further information
Good practice owner
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