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Italian port infrastructure and its monitoring: ISPRA’s two new geodatabases – Maritime Works Layout and Port Transformation Areas
Italian port infrastructure and its monitoring: ISPRA’s two new geodatabases – Maritime Works Layout and Port Transformation Areas
Apr 29, 2026 09:00 AM — Apr 29, 2026 01:45 PM Rome, ISPRA headquarter, via Vitaliano Brancati 48

On April 29, 2026, at 9:00 AM, the Conference Hall of ISPRA will host the conference:
“Italian Port Infrastructure and Its Monitoring: ISPRA’s Two New GeoDBs – Maritime Works Layout and Port Transformation Areas.”

Based on high-resolution data layers covering the entire national coastal system, ISPRA presents and releases two new databases:

Maritime Works Layout (AOM), including the digitization and characterization of all structures classified as port infrastructure, with details on their type, function, and usage conditions, their evolution over time, ISTAT references, affiliation with relevant territorial authorities or administrations, and declared or estimated berthing capacity;

Port Transformation Areas (ATP), including the digitization and characterization of polygons related to obstruction (seabed occupation), excavation (coastal land occupation), and alteration (modification of natural conditions within basins) for all coastal port infrastructures, compared to pre-development conditions (ante operam).

Highlight

Topics in evidence

LIFE Strong Sea Project. A challenge won from the sea: over 22 tons of fishing gear recovered in 5 years
LIFE Strong Sea Project. A challenge won from the sea: over 22 tons of fishing gear recovered in 5 years
Apr 23, 2026

As told in the documentary “The Phantom Catch”

More than 180 reports of lost fishing gear, 24 recovery operations, 156 pieces of gear removed, and over 22 tons of fishing equipment recovered.

The interventions involved different types of fishing gear, including gillnets, trawl nets, traps, and longlines, identified at depths ranging from 8 to 40 meters.

Scientific analyses of the recovered gear made it possible to identify 89 species belonging to 50 groups of living organisms classified according to shared characteristics (taxa), with a predominance of crustaceans (30%), followed by algae and encrusting organisms.

This data demonstrates the process of progressive biological colonization affecting fishing gear lost at sea over time.

These are unprecedented achievements in the recovery of lost fishing gear from the sea and in the protection of marine habitats of high ecological value.

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Received by the President of the Republic the Presidents of the Research Institutions
Received by the President of the Republic the Presidents of the Research Institutions
Apr 22, 2026 — Apr 22, 2026

The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, received at the Quirinale a delegation of the Presidents of the Research Institutions, led by the Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, and by the President of the Council of Presidents of the Research Institutions, Antonio Zoccoli.

President Mattarella emphasized the role of research for the future of our country and as a means of collaboration and peace.

Also attending the meeting was the President of ISPRA and SNPA, Alessandra Gallone.

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The City Nature Challenge 2026 is back
The City Nature Challenge 2026 is back
Apr 24, 2026 — Apr 27, 2026

ISPRA’s participation

From April 24 to 27, 2026, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) returns—an international event that invites citizens to observe and document plants and animals in urban areas, contributing to the collection of data useful for scientific research and the management of urban biodiversity.

The CNC combines the practicality of technology with the beauty of nature: thanks to the digital platform  iNaturalist,, which can be downloaded for free on computers or smartphones, users can record the GPS coordinates of their sightings and identify the observed animal or plant species by uploading a photograph.

Each year, participating cities compete to record the highest number of nature observations: citizens can contribute independently or by taking part in the various local initiatives organized in participating cities.

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