News

Land reclamation and land conservation: the role of public bodies and private operators

In line with its objectives and continuing its study of remediation for the remediation and recovery of degraded areas and contaminated sites, CeRAR pays particular attention to analyzing how remediation relates, in technical and regulatory terms, to the issues of land consumption containment and urban regeneration. This conference is dedicated to this analysis, also considering the priority role these two issues are recognized for, within the context of the ecological transition, both at the European and national levels. The presentations and roundtable discussions aim to provide useful answers and concrete recommendations, also in light of the data and results of experiences carried out in various territorial contexts, highlighting the essential role of public bodies and private operators.

Third meeting of the BioPlast4SAFE project

The third meeting of the BioPlast4SAFE project, "Biomonitoring of biodegradable micro- and nanoplastics: from the environment to humans in a one-health perspective," was held on October 15th in Naples.
BioPlast4SAFE promotes the study of the characteristics, fate, and potential toxicological and ecotoxicological effects of plastics, with a specific focus on biodegradable polymers as a potential strategy for mitigating plastic pollution. The overall objective is to improve the quality, scope, and efficiency of risk assessments for human health and the environment related to products derived from the plastics industry, with the potential for environmental and health impact assessments.

Towards a European framework for soil quality and remediation

Soil health is defined as "the physical, chemical, and biological condition of soil that determines its ability to function as a viable living system and provide ecosystem services."

Currently, over 60% of European soils are not in good condition, showing a progressive deterioration that leads to economic losses estimated at approximately €50 billion per year.

This situation has made the adoption of common policies and effective tools for soil protection urgent. In this regard, on September 29, the European Council adopted the new Soil Monitoring Directive (now awaiting approval by the European Parliament) with the goal of ensuring healthy soils by 2050. Member States will have three years from the entry into force of the directive to implement it into their respective legislation and establish a monitoring system compliant with a shared European methodology.

During the meeting, the main innovations introduced by the directive will be presented and its concrete effects on public policies and activities related to soil management will be analyzed.

ADI Design Index 2025: ISPRA's IdroGeo national platform selected

The IdroGEO National Platform has been selected for the ADI Design Index 2025 in the Service Design category. The selection, made by the Permanent Design Observatory of ADI (Association for Industrial Design), aims to convey the complexity and richness of contemporary Italian design, intertwining languages, materials, and design visions.
The presentation of the selected projects was held on October 15, 2025, at the ADI Design Museum Compasso d'Oro in Milan.

Top Legal Environment Forum

The third edition of the Top Legal Environment Forum will be held in Reggio Calabria on October 22nd. The conference will offer an opportunity to discuss environmental prevention strategies and tools, green crimes, and environmental restoration and regeneration processes.

Natural Risk Forum

The Natural Risk Forum (NRF), a new think tank promoted by the Unipol Group, was presented today in Rome. Its goal is to launch a platform for dialogue between institutions, the scientific community, and the private sector to stimulate broad and strategic reflection on the risks associated with natural disasters and their social, economic, and productive impact on the country.

Presentation UNRIMA 2025 report

The presentation of the UNIRIMA 2025 Report "Raw Material Production – End of Waste from Separate Paper and Cardboard Collection" will take place on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, starting at 9:30 a.m. in Rome.
The UNIRIMA report, now in its eighth edition, aims to provide an overview of the waste paper collection, recovery, recycling, and trade sector. It includes data, insights into the economic aspects, and an overview of international scenarios updated to September 2025. This is a historic sector of the Italian green industry, which contributes significantly to achieving our country's recycling targets.

SEAGHOSTS: The European project uncovering the secret lives of storm petrels is underway

From the Mediterranean Sea to the Northeast Atlantic, an international consortium including ISPRA will study the smallest and most elusive seabirds to protect them from new threats from the sea.

Understanding how animals move in nature and the environments they frequent is key to safeguarding biodiversity. This understanding is the basis for SEAGHOSTS "Winged ghosts wandering the oceans" a project funded by the European Commission that, between 2024 and 2027, will investigate the spatial and trophic ecology of storm petrels (Hydrobatidae and Oceanitidae families), the smallest and most elusive seabird species.

ISPRA publishes the Guidelines for the preparation of environmental impact studies relating to agrivoltaic and photovoltaic systems

The Guidelines represent a reference technical and methodological tool for the drafters of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and allow for well-structured EIAs, implying a faster evaluation phase: complete EIAs entail fewer requests for integration, fewer environmental conditions and, therefore, a speeding up of the environmental permitting processes.

Training CAMS NCP Italy

The training day promoted by the CAMS NCP Italia initiative, dedicated to monitoring air quality, the Copernicus programme and the use of CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) resources, will be held on 24 October.

Café Talk "Artificial intelligence, machine learning and remote sensing against Land degradation and desertification"

The second Café Talk organized by the MONALISA Knowledge Community will take place on October 30th. This event will address issues related to the use of technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, machine learning, and remote sensing data, to combat land degradation and desertification, to foster discussion on development prospects. Research by participants in the MONALISA Call for Young Researchers will also be presented during the event.

“Towards a Global Strategy for Environmental Data: Results from the 3rd UNSPBF Meeting in Frascati and UNEP Implementation Plan”

A few months after the third High-Level Expert Group Meeting on Big Data of the United Nations Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment (UNSPBF – Frascati, July 8–10), organized by ISPRA in collaboration with the European Space Agency, UNEP presented the second version of the Global Environmental Data Strategy (GEDS) and its implementation plan during the annual meeting of the UNEP Annual Subcommittee of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (ASC), held in Nairobi on September 2.

The European Union Civil Protection Network supports ESCIP: a project coordinated by ISPRA to improve the management of environmental emergencies.

The Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISSA) is coordinating the new ESCIP project – Environmental technical-scientific Support to Civil Protection Bodies for inland Natural Disasters prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. The project is promoted within the IMPEL Network (European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law - impel.eu) for the years 2025-2027 and is supported by the European Union through the Civil Protection Knowledge Network (UCPKN), the platform launched in 2021 to network and connect disaster management professionals, researchers, and policymakers, promoting the sharing of knowledge and best practices among the 35 member states and participants of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Fire Update for 2025 in Italy: Smoking areas and impacts on forests have increased compared to 2024. Sixteen regions have been affected by fires.

Updated ISPRA data available online:

link: https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/files2025/attivita/relazione-incendi-boschivi-2025.pdf/

From January 1 to September 15, 2025, according to the latest available update from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), approximately 1,600 large forest fires were recorded nationwide, for a total burned area of ​​nearly 890 km2. The 2025 fire season rivals that of 2023 for the worst result in the last four years, both in terms of total burned area and impact on forest ecosystems.

Estimates produced by ISPRA show that the forested areas affected by fires correspond to approximately 115 km2 (13% of the total affected by fires). This area includes 54 km2 of Mediterranean scrub, holm oak and cork oak forests, 33 km2 of oak forests, 23 km2 of coniferous forests, and 5 km2 of unclassified tree cover.

Where

As of September 15, 2025, 16 regions have been affected by fires. The most affected are Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, and Campania, which together account for 85% of the total burned area nationwide. Specifically, in Sicily, out of a total fire area of ​​480 km2, 37 km2 of forest ecosystems have been affected. In Calabria, 26 km2 of the total 143 km2 is forested. In Puglia, 10 km2 of the 81 km2 of forest ecosystems have been affected. Finally, in Campania, out of 58 km2 of total fire areas, 18 km2 were forested.

For 2025, the province of Agrigento remains the most affected by fires, with a total fire area of ​​171 km2 (19% of the total fire area nationwide). The province with the most forested areas affected by fires is the Cosenza area, with 13 km2 of forest ecosystems affected by fires.

Thirty-nine percent of the forest ecosystems affected by fires in the 2025 fire season fall within protected areas, mostly within Natura 2000 Network sites.

Summer School "Environmental Research and Monitoring Laboratories – Environment and Health"

October 6-10 and December 1-5, 2025

The first phase of the Summer School "Environmental Research and Monitoring Laboratories – Environment and Health" has begun in the Municipality of Forio d'Ischia. The initiative is promoted by the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) as part of the School of Specialization in Environmental Disciplines (SSDA) in collaboration with the Regno di Nettuno Marine Protected Area.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by Giovanni Mattera, President of the Forio City Council; Antonino Miccio, Director of the Marine Protected Area; and Chiara Maggi, Head of the ISPRA National Laboratory Center, who delivered the official greetings of the Director General.

ISPRA participates at EBSCO Open Day Torino 2025

EBSCO Open Day 2025 will be held in Turin on Wednesday, October 22, at the prestigious Palazzo Reale, starting at 9:00 a.m.
This year's edition, dedicated to the theme "The 2030 Agenda for a Sustainable Future," represents an important opportunity to reflect together on the challenges and opportunities related to sustainability and the strategic role that academic libraries, businesses, government agencies, research institutions, and international publishers are called upon to play in this context.

Sustainability Goal: Opportunities and Responsibilities for Tourism Businesses

Sapienza University of Rome will host the conference "Sustainability Objective: Opportunities and Responsibilities for Tourism Businesses" on October 9, 2025, under the patronage of ISPRA and ACCREDIA.

The tourism sector, a cornerstone of many economies, is responsible for approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The conference aims to analyze the effectiveness of strategies and tools guiding tourism businesses toward responsible business models. It will be an important opportunity to foster discussion and create synergies between institutions, businesses, and the banking sector.

World Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Congress will take place in Abu Dhabi from October 9 to 15. It will be a packed event with events and initiatives: 500 working sessions, 70 interactive exhibitions, over 1,400 IUCN members, and delegations from 140 countries. The conference has three main objectives: to facilitate discussion and collaboration on actionable solutions; to support the achievement of the Global Biodiversity Framework targets and continue conservation efforts towards 2030; and to mobilize key networks and partnerships to promote sustainable change for nature and humanity.

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is celebrated on October 13.
The day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989.
The objective of establishing this day is to send an important message to the governments of all countries around the world, as well as to international organizations and the global population, to reflect on the ever-increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters.

Among the institutional tasks of ISPRA is the collection, processing, and dissemination of maps and data on hydrogeological instability for the entire national territory, making them available to the country for risk prevention and mitigation.

World Habitat Day

World Habitat Day, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1985, was created to raise awareness of the importance of addressing the challenges of global urbanization. Every year, on the first Monday of October, it is celebrated worldwide, emphasizing everyone's right to adequate housing.

The theme of World Habitat Day 2025 is "Urban Crisis Response." It focuses on the multiple crises affecting urban areas, with a particular focus on climate change and conflicts that exacerbate social inequalities.

The United Nations estimates that by 2050, 2.5 billion new urban residents will arrive in cities, significantly increasing the pressure on resources and infrastructure. Today, over a billion people live in precarious conditions, including slums and inadequate housing. It is essential to review urban planning policies to respond to these challenges, with concrete solutions to improve the quality of life in urban areas (Source: UN Habitat).

The event calls for the development of innovative responses and integrated approaches to effectively address urban crises. Cities are experiencing an increasing frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and floods, which pose a threat to public health and safety. Urban heat islands, where temperatures are significantly higher than in surrounding rural areas, are an example of the threats posed by climate change.

Expo Consumatori 2025

The eighth edition of Expo Consumatori will be held in Rome from October 17 to 19, establishing itself as a key reference point for public debate on the future role of the consumer and the most pressing issues related to sustainability and responsible consumption.

Extreme weather events and climate change: from forecasting to prevention

The event is sponsored by the Municipality of Messina on the anniversary of the 2009 flood that killed 37 people in Giampilieri, Scaletta, and neighboring communities.
The initiative will provide an opportunity for discussion between local governments, research institutions, and professionals engaged in studying climate change and managing the resulting risks. Specifically, weather forecasts and climate analysis methodologies will be discussed, with an approach that extends from the national framework to the local context, where the memory of the 2009 flood remains a constant reminder.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed in Brussels between ISPRA and the JRC

ISPRA and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) have signed a memorandum of understanding, valid until 2029 and already operational, to renew and strengthen collaboration on common topics in the fields of research and environmental protection.

There is already scientific cooperation between the two institutions in various areas, such as chemical accidents, the EU Ecolabel, the maintenance and implementation of INSPIRE (INfrastructure for SPatial InfoRmation in Europe)—the European Directive that ensures that spatial data infrastructures of all Member States are compatible and usable in a Pan-European context, facilitating the search for spatial data via the web. 

Presentation of Sheet 121 Brescia of the Geological Map of Italy

The Sheet 121 "Brescia" was produced under an agreement between the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), the Lombardy Region, and the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the National Research Council (CNR-IGAG), in collaboration with the Civic Museum of Natural Sciences of Brescia and the "Ardito Desio" Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Milan.

The sheet includes a 1:50,000 geological map with four sections, a 1:50,000/1:100,000 subsurface geological sheet with one section, explanatory notes for the map with five appendices, a 1:25,000 database, and a 3D digital geological model.

Published EEA Report Europe's Environment 2025

Despite significant progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, the overall state of the environment in Europe is not good, particularly with regard to nature, which continues to suffer from degradation, overexploitation, and biodiversity loss, as well as from the acceleration of climate change, which poses an urgent challenge.

These are the conclusions of the Report Europe's Environment  2025, published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report provides the most comprehensive analysis of the current state and outlook for the environment, climate, and sustainability on the continent, based on data from 38 countries. The outlook for most environmental trends is alarming and poses serious risks to economic prosperity, security, and quality of life in Europe.

The contribution of Italian Geological Cartography in the search for Critical Raw Materials

Geological and thematic mapping (geological, geomorphological, hydrogeological, geochemical, hydrogeological instability, mineral resource maps, etc.) represents not only the basis for in-depth knowledge of the territory and the management of natural and anthropogenic risks, but also a fundamental tool for the potential identification and extraction of critical raw materials. These raw materials, of increasing strategic importance for the environmentally sustainable technological and industrial development of a modern country, require in-depth knowledge of georesources, an accurate estimate of available reserves, and a proper assessment of the environmental impact of their extraction.

ISPRA hosts the first in-person meeting of the European IMPEL ESCIP project.

From October 15 to 17, 2025, ISPRA will host the first in-person meeting of the ESCIP project (Environmental Scientific and Technical Support to Civil Protection Authorities for the Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery of Natural Disasters on Land).

The project, promoted and coordinated by ISPRA within the European IMPEL network, was created with the aim of strengthening collaboration between the main public bodies operating in the environmental and civil protection sectors, in the various phases of managing environmental aspects arising from natural disasters and extreme events on land: prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

ESCIP aims to collect and leverage lessons learned, best practices, and recommendations to improve the procedural, technical, and operational effectiveness of activities in this area.

The landscape and beauty of our cities

From November 4th to 7th, Rimini Fiera will host Ecomondo, the international trade fair that spotlights the circular economy, the green economy, and the blue economy, bringing together companies, researchers, and institutions for global dialogue. The event is divided into seven thematic macro-areas, each dedicated to a key aspect of the ecological transition. In addition to the areas and districts to explore, sustainability professionals and stakeholders can delve deeper into the key themes of the ecological transition by attending the numerous scheduled conferences.

ISPRA in Ecomondo 2025

From November 4th to 7th, Rimini Fiera will host Ecomondo, the international trade fair that spotlights the circular economy, the green economy, and the blue economy, bringing together companies, researchers, and institutions for global dialogue. The event is divided into seven thematic macro-areas, each dedicated to a key aspect of the ecological transition. In addition to the areas and districts to explore, sustainability professionals and stakeholders can delve deeper into the key themes of the ecological transition by attending the numerous scheduled conferences.

Reportage "Vulci. Geology, Prehistory, History, and Nature"

The Vulci Archaeological Natural Park is one of the most important archaeological areas in Lazio, where Etruscan, Roman, and medieval remains coexist. The park offers visitors the opportunity to admire the remains of an ancient Etruscan-Roman city, immersed in a natural landscape characterized by volcanic rocks and travertine, while walking through an area characterized by high biodiversity, included in a Special Area of ​​Conservation (SAC) that protects a river system with typical wetland formations, riparian forests, and holm oak forests.

The report was produced by ISPRA on the occasion of the Planet Earth Week 2024.