A landscape that two decades ago languished on the plains of a dry and inhospitable wasteland on the Atlantic coast of the Maghreb now flourishes with the strength of a splendid and colourful orchard. It is Rohuna, a village in northern Morocco where the Milanese landscape designer and literary journalist Umberto Pasti has created a garden paradise with more than 1,200 native species. An example of conservationism in the most inhospitable territories.

Umberto Pasti and Sofia Barroso will talk about territorial conservation and the sustainable transformation of urban spaces.

Umberto Pasti is an notable Milanese writer, biologist and landscape architect. He has created his own private Eden with more than 1,200 native species in a garden synonymous with its setting; the village of Rohuna, in Tangier. Inherent requirements, such as the need for water form the theme of the verdant workspace he has created in northern Morocco.

Sofía Barroso holds a degree in Art History. She has run the ARCO collectors' programme since its inception, was on the board of directors of the Friends of ARCO (2000-2006), and is currently a member of the board of trustees of the Jakober Foundation and the Zuloaga Foundation. She has been organising cultural travel and art events since 1984.