U Can Design

Millions of people around the world are under isolation orders to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but one man has spent the past three decades in isolation by choice, since his catamaran broke down in 1989.

Michele Ardu Photographer

Mauro Morandi, 81, lives 31 years like a hermit on the Budelli island on north of Sardinia, which is part of La Maddalena Acipelago National Park. Maddalena Archipelago National Park is comprised of seven islands. Budelli is considered the most beautiful among them for its Spiaggia Rosa, or Pink Beach. Mauro is the only habitant and the authorities want him to leave because they want to turn into an enviromental education centre. In the early 1990s, La Spiaggia Rosa was dubbed a place of “high natural value” by the Italian government. The beach was closed off to protect its fragile enviroment, in the past many uncounscios tourists, used to collect this particular sand as souvenirs, this accellerated to damage the ecosystem. Mr. Morandi has established himself as the custodian of the island keeping it in a pristine state, only some areas are still accessible to visitors and the island rapidly went from hosting thousands of people a day to a hosting just one.

Mauro Morandi, 25 years ago, accepted the position of guardian of the wonderful Pink Beach, taking care of the fantastic island. About 10 years ago the owners of Budelli stopped paying Mauro’s wages as guardian, gradually losing interest in him but he stayed, taking care of the fantastic island of Budelli. For all these years, in summer as in winter, he has cleaned the little paths to make it easier to cross the island, he has collected plastic from the beaches to save the ecosystem of flora and fauna which, otherwise, would now be strongly compromised; has made tourists, more or less polite, fall in love with that place, respecting it thanks to it’s explanations, it’s stories, it’s ability to make people understand that the world will remain a beautiful place to live only if we take care of it every day and we do not abandon it. He said “Oneday, we will all reunite with the Earth. We are all part of the same energy. It’s essential to understand this now, respect and protect nature and the life around us. I would like people to understand that we should not look at beauty, but be able to feel beauty even with our eyes closed. “He explains.” Love is an absolute consequence of this, and vice versa. “, He says” When you love a person deeply, you see them as beautiful. Not because it necessarily is, but because you empathize with this person. As you become a part of her, she becomes a part of you … and the same magic happens with nature.”

More than 18,000 have signed a petition in support of Italy’s Robinson Crusoe amid threats to evict him from island off Sardinia. Now the petition online as been closed getting a lot of consens, we all hope that the government and the authorities will understand the meaning of Mauro’s choice, driven only for the love of this place, he choosen to live a life in contact with nature, creating an impact to the environment and people they been lucky to met him in their jurney, he’s an example for everyone, with little gesture we can all make the difference, for the safeguard or our Planet, not matter where we are.