BIODIVALUE

The Project BioDiValue mainly aimed at developing data and operative instruments of support for local authorities and industry operators who intend to limit detrimental effects of pollution deriving from industrial, commercial, recreational and fishery maritime traffics in the Straits of Sicily.

The instruments realized by the Project, particularly are i) a system of biophysical measurement of risk of biodiversity loss in the Straits of Sicily, and ii) a method of economical evaluation of the consequences caused by that loss at expense of interested communities; these instruments might support decisional and operational processes that should be carried out by port authorities and other competent organisms to ensure a more balanced and conscious management of maritime traffic pollution, in compliance with international conventions, EC directives and Maltese and Italian national regulations.

For this purpose, several activities of study and analysis of maritime traffic in the Straits of Sicily, of pollution deriving from it, and the biophysical consequences on flora, fauna and atmosphere have been carried out.

An economical evaluation of negative impacts on marine coastal ecosystems and ecosystem services of the Straits of Sicily was also carried out.

Finally, indications of possible management choices on the basis of already realized procedures in other European contexts by other subjects have been furnished.

The specific role of ISPRA, carried out by the Techno-Scientific Institute of Palermo, was that of evaluating potential effects of maritime traffic on different components of the coastal marine system and on biodiversity, analyzing organic and inorganic pollutants in sediments and their correlation with biological diversity of associated organisms. Marine non indigenous species were also considered, describing potential pathways and interactions with the marine environment and with anthropic activities.

The project started in July 2012 and ended the 23 of April 2015.