News

Alien invasions: between nutria and fire ants, what is happening, what awaits us in the future and how we must respond to this threat

As part of the Darwin Day Ferrara 2024 initiatives, organized by the Natural History Museum of Ferrara, by the Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology of the University of Ferrara, in collaboration with the Didò Educational Association and with the patronage of the National Association Scientific Museums (ANMS) and the Italian Society of Evolutionary Biology (SIBE), the meeting "Alien invasions: between nutria and fire ants, what is happening, what awaits us in the future and how we must respond" will be held in Ferrara on 15 February to this threat." The Responsibile of the Service for the coordination of ISPRA wildlife activities will participate at the event.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Sunday 11 February marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, an event established in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly to dispel myths, defeat prejudices, overcome stereotypes and accelerate progress by promoting initiatives to promote full gender equality in science.
Women scientists in the world are, in fact, still a minority.

Management of wild boar in PSA emergency: Strategies and good practices

The Lucano Val D'Agri Lagonegrese Apennines National Park is organizing the conference "Management of wild boar in the African swine fever emergency: Strategies and good practices" on 12 February. The meeting acts as a connecting element between emergency management and the adoption of good practices that can transform a risk into an opportunity for the territory.

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Project - Environmental Monitoring and Protection at a National Level

The project represents a milestone in the field of atmospheric monitoring in Italy, as it promotes development actions based on real user needs, encouraging specific communication and information activities. Launched with the signing of the agreement between the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and ISPRA on 14 December 2022, the initiative aims to improve the performance of existing national models based on the products of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service – CAMS) provided by ECMWF Thanks to CAMS, it is possible to monitor in real time and predict the presence of pollutants in the atmosphere, thus helping to ensure a better understanding of the environment around us and to make informed decisions for our health and well-being.

The National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC) approved

The National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC) was definitively approved in December 2023 to implement the National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (SNAC). In addition to the Plan and its annexes, the data packages used for its definition by the CMCC (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change) are available on the National Platform for Adaptation to Climate Change. In particular, it is possible to download indicators relating to the climate for the reference period and future scenarios for land and marine areas.
The documentation (n.162 Documents) of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure to which the PNACC was subjected for its definitive approval is also available.

LIFE Conceptu Maris: the campaign CItizen Science 2004 is starting

The Citizen Science 2024 campaign by LIFE Conceptu Maris officially begins again, thanks to which the citizens most sensitive to the issues addressed by the project, after having attended an online training course, can board the ferries together with the researchers along one of the 17 available routes and thus contribute to the monitoring of cetaceans and turtles.
The main news this year is the opening of the route between the Spanish port of Barcelona and the Moroccan port of Tangier.

February 5, the ISPRA - MIMIT campaign for the day dedicated to food waste

National Food Waste Prevention Day is celebrated on February 5th. This anniversary has a clear reference to concrete actions and behaviors to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda for 2030, in particular 12.3: "halve food waste by 2030".
ISPRA in collaboration and with the financing of MIMIT - Ministry of Made in Italy has created the Let's Circulate campaign to raise consumer awareness on this issue and highlight the impacts that food waste has on the environment

Watch the spot

Local climate zones & open data cube (LCZ-ODC)

Satellite images to support planning and monitoring of the territory

The conference aims to be a training opportunity to learn about the “Local Climate Zones and Open Data Cube (LCZ-ODC)” project, managed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) together with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA) of the Polytechnic of Milan (Polimi). The OAR was involved in the project to interact with the ASI and Polimi - DICA representatives on the possible requirements of the application, potentially useful for project and urban planning and for environmental assessments. The 1:10 scale model of the PRISMA satellite will be present in the room.

On Radio3 Scienza an interview with the Responsible of the ISPRA wildlife coordination service

On  Radio3 Scienza of 30 January the Responsible of the ISPRA wildlife coordination service provides data on the situation of wolves in Europe and Italy, what damage  they cause and how we can intervene to mitigate their impacts. It also clarifies what would change if the proposal to change the protection status of the wolf put forward by the European Commission were passed.

The point on tsunami risk management in the Mediterranean and North-East Atlantic in the next assembly of countries participating in the IOC-UNESCO program

The 18th Session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Connected Seas it will be take place in Paris from 5 to 8 February 

Strengthen resilience against heavy rains and floods

The first appointment of the public consultation of the Climate Adaptation Strategy of Rome Capital will take place on 8 February.
At the Bioparco of Rome, one of the four priorities identified to secure the city from increasingly frequent and intense impacts will be analized.

Ecce Microforeste, ISPRA participates at the Sapienza University project

The "Ecce Microforeste" workshop on eco-pedagogical microforests will be held on Monday 5 February.
ISPRA participates in the Ecce Microforeste Project on the eco-pedagogical microforests of La Sapienza University with monitoring and support activities in citizen science and citizen engagement actions. ISPRA researchers will be present at the event with scientific contributions and practical experiences. Entrance is free.

Copernicus4SNPA - Launch of the practical community for the use of Earth observation in SNPA institutional tasks

Rome, ISPRA headquarters, Conference room 30-31 January / 13-14 February / 5-6 March 2024
The first phase of the education and training path for the SNPA starts on January 30th as part of the "ISPRA-Agencies Collaboration for the promotion and support in the knowledge, diffusion and use of Copernicus methods and products", the European Earth Observation programme. Earth (OT), with the involvement of the Coordinator of the National User Forum, Prof. Andrea Taramelli of the IUSS of Pavia, of the National Coordinator of the Copernicus Academy, Prof. Bernardo De Bernardinis, and of the Copernicus Entrusted Entities delegated by the European Commission: Mercator Ocean International , the European Environment Agency, ECMWF, JRC, SatCen.

Published the technical document "Environmental damage actions and procedures: management and outcomes in practice of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research"

The Document addresses the topic of environmental damage actions and procedures by describing the sector's institutional set-up and the achieved results and by integrating the view of the Institute, which is responsible for coordinating the technical/scientific investigation within SNPA, and the view of the Ministry, which holds the power to activate actions and procedures

World Wetlands Day 2024

The World Wetland Day next 2 February 

celebrates the signing in 1971 of the International Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.

The Ramsar Convention defines wetlands as “marshes, marshes, peat bogs or reservoirs, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with stagnant or flowing water, fresh, brackish or salt, including expanses of marine water whose depth, during low tide, does not exceed six metres". The Convention is the only international treaty on the environment that deals with these particular ecosystems which, in addition to hosting and conserving a rich biological diversity of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates, guarantee huge resources of water and food and play a fundamental role in mitigating climate change.

The integrity of these environments is threatened by human activities.

The topic chosen for the 2024 Day is "Wetlands and human well-being".

Published the booklet: "Towards resilient cities: the interventions of the experimental Program for adaptation to climate change in urban areas"

This Booklet offers an overview of the actions proposed by the Italian municipalities participating in the experimental program of interventions for adaptation to climate change in urban areas, launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Ecological Transition (now the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security), in collaboration with ISPRA and ANCI.

Roma Innovation Hub

Roma Innovation Hub is the Convention promoted by nine orders belonging to the Network of Technical Professions (Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservators, Chemists and Physicists, Doctors of Agronomists and Forestry Doctors, Geologists, Graduate Surveyors and Surveyors, Engineers, Agricultural Experts and Graduated Agricultural Experts , Industrial Experts and Graduate Industrial Experts and Food Technologists).

The theme of the 2024 event will be the 2030 Agenda, i.e. the strategic planning of the actions necessary to achieve the objectives set by the European Union in terms of digitalisation and decarbonisation of the country.

In particular, during the two days of work, four plenary sessions will be organized on six Goals of the 2030 Agenda: quality education (Goal 4), gender equality (Goal 5), clean and accessible energy (Goal 7), cities and sustainable communities (Goal 11), responsible consumption and production (Goal 12), fight against climate change (Goal 13).

Published the report: "Monitoring potentially toxic Ostreopsis cf. ovata along the italian coasts. Year 2022".

The present work provides an overview of the national monitoring activities on potentially toxic benthic microalgae during the year 2022, including sampling and analysis methods, surveillance, management, information and dissemination activities. It aims at highlighting the activities effectiveness for detecting the distribution, abundance and space-temporal dynamics on O. ovata and their blooms.

This paper was written referring to the reports produced by coastal Regional Agency for the Protection of the Environments (ARPAs).

Cetaceans, Maritime Traffic, and Management Tools in the Strait of Gibraltar. Proposals for a Challenging yet Not Impossible Coexistence

The transboundary area of the Strait of Gibraltar is home to seven protected cetacean species and stands as one of the world's marine areas most threatened by high-intensity maritime traffic.

SNPA and the teaching of Pope Francis

The Conference draws inspiration from the last message of the apostolic exhortation, to reflect on the universal and shared concept of sustainability. Sustainability, in its environmental, economic and social dimensions, is in fact concretely achieved thanks to the joint contribution of all sectors of society, from religious, civil and academic institutions to private individuals.

IdroGEO of ISPRA receives the Good Practice Certificate at EPSA - European Public Sector Award 2023-2024

IdroGEO, the platform on hydrogeological instability in Italy obtained the Good Practice Certificate at the EPSA - European Public Sector Award 2023-2024, in the Innovation in public administrations category. 
EPSA is a European-wide awards program for public sector bodies, organized by the European Institute of Public Administration - EIPA.

SICON 2024 Contaminated Sites Workshop - Experiences in remediation interventions

SiCon is an opportunity for discussion between operators in the sector and aims to provide participants with a broad overview of what has been achieved to date in the field of reclamation, in particular the technical-operational aspects. With this objective, case studies of remediation and safety of contaminated sites on an industrial scale will be illustrated. As part of the event, experts in the sector of land, groundwater, sediment and mining site reclamation will speak.

Geo-dì 2024

Two study days will be held in Bologna on 15 and 16 February, organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna in collaboration with the History of Geosciences Section of the Italian Geological Society, ISPRA, the University of Bologna and the University Museum System. “Giovanni Capellini” Museum.

The large Italian mammals between reintroductions and spontaneous returns: rereading history, scrutinizing the future

In Italy, most large mammal species are expanding or have recolonized much of the range from which they disappeared in the first half of the twentieth century. On this technical day, the GLAMM - Group for Large Mammals Conservation and Management - aims to reconstruct the history of these returns, through an analysis of the introduction interventions carried out in Italy and the factors that favored the recolonisations or spontaneous expansions. An opportunity to make a critical analysis of what has been done, recompose often fragmented pieces of information, critically identify knowledge gaps and address the challenges for the future with a multidisciplinary approach.

Design and monitoring systems for hydrogeological risk mitigation

The conference "Design and monitoring systems for the mitigation of hydrogeological risk" will be held on 26 January 2024 in Milan, organized by the Order of Engineers of the Province of Milan and the Order of Geologists of Lombardy with the patronage of the National Council of Geologists (CNG), the National Council of Engineers, ISPRA, National System for Environmental Protection, ANCI and the unconditional contribution of CAE innovation for a safer world

Environmental law and hard sciences in the era of ecological recession

The annual AIDAMBIENTE conference entitled "Environmental law and hard sciences in the era of ecological recession" will be held on 19 and 20 January 2024 at the Department of Law of the Roma Tre University. On 19 January the President of ISPRA, Stefano Laporta, will  speech on ISPRA and SNPA data and environmental policies.

Biodiversity change in the Anthropocene: research priorities

An open and dynamic scientific discussion on one of the main problems of our era

The symposium, organized by the CNR, will be an active discussion, fueled by short presentations presented in a dynamic mode, which will favor interaction between participants and the exchange of experiences and visions on the topic in question.

SpringLab 2024 - Fist lesson on land consumption

The first lesson of the Springlab environmental training school - "Land consumption, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services: ISPRA 2023 report", will be held on January 18th and will focus on soil degradation and land vulnerability. The Responsible for the national environmental information system of ISPRA will speak.

Presentation of Roma Capitale's climate adaptation strategy

At the conference on 23 January, the proposal for the first Climate Adaptation Strategy of Rome Capital will be presented - with the climate scenarios and territorial risks, intervention priorities, objectives and measures - and will be the start of the process of discussion and public consultation on the document.

Published the Report "Environmental damage in Italy: activities of SNPA and framework of actions 2021-2022. Ed 2023"

The Report describes ISPRA's commitment to environmental protection through the application of civil liability regulations outlined in the sixth part of Legislative Decree 152/2006, highlighting the key role of the National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA) as the technical support for the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security in actions against environmental damage