Events and News

Final event LIFE SEA.NET project

The final conference of the Life Sea.Net Project, of which ISPRA is the main scientific partner, will be held on Wednesday, December 17, at Palazzo Falletti, Via Panisperna 207, in the Throne Room.

Project partners, institutional actors, and stakeholders will discuss the role of the Natura 2000 Network in protecting biodiversity and developing a sustainable blue economy.

The conference is divided into two sessions: the first will present the project's actions, the main results achieved, and the operational tools developed to support the management of Natura 2000 sites; the second will illustrate the management methods of the Natura 2000 Network and its role in achieving EU objectives.

The two sessions will conclude with a roundtable discussion on future prospects for marine protected areas.

Program

Project web site 

Presented Global Environment Outlook 7: A future we choose

The Executive Summary of the seventh edition of UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) was presented today in Nairobi, where the seventh United Nations General Assembly for the Environment (UNEA-7) is underway.

GEO-7, UNEP's flagship document, assesses the state of the environment at the global, regional, and national levels, highlighting interconnected crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, pollution, and waste. The report integrates scientific data, forecasting scenarios, and socioeconomic analyses, proposing solutions based on the circular economy, energy transition, and sustainable food systems.

287 scientists from various disciplines from 82 countries participated in the drafting process, supported by over 800 reviewers to ensure scientific accuracy. Twelve Italian authors are among the authors, including three young scientists who participated in GEO-7 as fellows.

ISPRA partner of the SEALIFE Project

Strengthening cooperation to develop joint solutions for the protection of the Mediterranean monk seal in the program area

As part of the European Territorial Cooperation Programme Interreg Greece-Italy 2021/2027, SEALIFE, a cross-border project dedicated to the protection of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), one of the world's most endangered mammal species, is launched. The initiative aims to develop innovative strategies for the conservation of the monk seal in the Ionian and Adriatic Seas.

Guidelines for the Rescue and Rehabilitation of Bats published

The guidelines serve as a technical and methodological reference tool for all wildlife rescue centers and provide updated and standardized guidance on the proper procedures for handling bats during the rescue and rehabilitation of individuals found in distress. The document includes a general introductory section, admission criteria, housing and husbandry methods, a medical handbook, examples of surgical procedures, and protocols for managing the most common diseases, as well as criteria for assessing suitability for release into the wild and the procedures for release.

It also includes a section dedicated to the management of exotic species

“The right place for the right tree.”

The central theme of the meeting will be an analysis of the challenges previously posed by EU regulations on arboriculture and, more recently, by the Climate Decree and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). Even more importantly, it will address the challenges that will soon arise from the implementation of the Nature Restoration Law, the increasing occurrence of natural disturbances, and the growing awareness of the importance of trees and woodlands in Urban and Peri-urban Forests (as defined by the National Public Green Strategy, 2018).

These are proposals and activities already anticipated and clearly outlined in the National Forest Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy, which the national nursery sector—both public and private—must take on in order to be prepared, in an innovative and sustainable way, for the massive future demand for young plants belonging to woody flora (particularly tree and shrub species, but also herbaceous species), both native and non-native. This is especially relevant given the past dismantling of public nurseries which, however, have survived locally through excellent initiatives that can serve as a starting point, as demonstrated by the recent success of the FOR.TREE NURSERY project, carried out by Fondazione Alberitaia ETS at the proposal of the CNR within the framework of the National Future Biodiversity Centre.

Smart management of green spaces for resilient, sustainable, and livable cities

Green areas provide numerous ecosystem services that are essential for the quality of the urban environment and for the well-being of city residents, including the reduction of the urban heat island effect, the absorption of greenhouse gases and air pollutants, and the creation of opportunities for social interaction and physical activity.
The European Union, with Regulation 2024/1991 on nature restoration, has introduced specific measures for the restoration of urban green areas, requiring Member States to achieve zero net loss of urban green spaces at the national level between 2024 and 2030, and to progressively increase their extent from 2031 onwards, including through integration into buildings and infrastructure.
Technical and management solutions can help improve the maintenance and use of urban green spaces, reducing costs for public administrations, generating environmental benefits such as water savings, and supporting the active involvement of citizens in caring for their local areas.

Final conference LIFE SeaForest project

ISPRA is hosting the final meeting of the European LIFE SeaForest project, dedicated to the conservation and restoration of the priority marine habitat H1120*: Posidonia oceanica meadows.
The event will be an important opportunity for international discussion and dissemination of the results achieved.
The conference can also be followed online, with simultaneous Italian-English translation available.

The project, coordinated by D.R.E.Am. Italia together with ISPRA, CNR, University of Tuscia, Carbonsink, Paragon Europe, and three National Parks (Asinara, La Maddalena Archipelago and Cilento, Vallo di Diano, and Alburni), has implemented and tested concrete actions to reduce the degradation of Posidonia oceanica meadows.

Cathedrals of Nature

First day dedicated to the “care of creation” through the promotion of “monumental trees” as part of the “National Tree Day”

On the occasion of the National Tree Day, the Committee for the Development of Public Green Spaces of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and the Ministry of Agriculture are organizing a meeting dedicated to “monumental trees”, which stand as true “Cathedrals of Nature.” In fact, the Cultural Heritage and Landscape Code (Legislative Decree 42/2004) defines these trees, under Article 136, as “among the immovable things possessing outstanding characteristics of natural beauty.”

Urban Ecology: A Journal for Nature in the City

The issue of the magazine Ecologia Urbana is available online, which takes up and delves into the experience of two ISPRA researchers who, as part of the Path for Transversal Skills and Orientation (PCTO) promoted by the National Biodiversity Network, detected the presence of a rare mushroom, Rhodotus palmatus, within the Natural Monument of the "Fosso della Cecchignola" managed by the RomaNatura Agency.

Final event Life CONCEPTU MARIS

The final event of Life CONCEPTU MARIS (In Defense of the Giants of the Mediterranean - Life Conceptu Maris), consisting of two days—one technical and one informative—will present the main results achieved in four years of activity.

The first day, scheduled for November 25th, will be open to the technical and scientific community, members of the maritime sector Advisory Board, and the network of related projects formed during CONCEPTU MARIS. The event will share and discuss the results of monitoring activities conducted along 17 routes in the Western Mediterranean and the Adriatic Region, with the collaboration of seven shipping companies and eleven partners from Spain, France, and Italy. Together, they will build a bridge to the project's future.

Trees in the urban environment: new scenarios and old critical issues”

A deeper look in light of EU Regulation 2024/1991
National Tree Day

The European Regulation on nature restoration, particularly in Article 8, addresses the issue of improving urban ecosystems, requiring Member States to ensure that, by 2030, no national area of urban green space is lost and emphasizing the need to preserve and increase urban tree cover. Important challenges are therefore posed for green infrastructure in urban ecosystems—challenges for which Italy is not entirely unprepared, as the last decade has seen the consolidation of a regulatory and strategic framework that has increased awareness among technicians and administrators of the environmental and social role of trees and green spaces in cities, as well as the importance of their proper planning and management. Nevertheless, it is clear that efforts must be accelerated, with greater focus on expanding green and blue areas to create cities that are more inclusive, livable, and resilient to the impacts of climate change.

National Tree Day

National Tree Day, established by the Ministry of the Environment and recognized by Article 1 of Law No. 10 of January 14, 2013, is celebrated every November 21st throughout Italy. Its aim is to promote the care and appreciation of trees and to remember the essential role of forests and urban greenery in our ecosystem.
Every tree supports life on the planet, providing shelter, food, water, wood, fiber, medicine, gum, and resin.

Report on alien species in Italy: status, legislation, and countermeasures

At the request of the Wildlife Hunting Technical Committee, ISPRA has produced an updated and concise national overview of the phenomenon of alien species in Italy, illustrating the state of knowledge, documented impacts, main routes of introduction, the current regulatory framework, and the countermeasures currently implemented.

30 Years of AEWA: A Milestone of Cooperation for the Protection of Migratory Waterbirds

Three decades of joint efforts between countries, institutions, and the scientific community to protect waterbirds along the African-Eurasian flyway

The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) turns 30. This international agreement, signed in 1995 in The Hague, aims to protect migratory waterbirds and their habitats along one of the planet's most important migratory flyways: the African-Eurasian flyway.

Over three decades of activity, AEWA has become a global reference point for international cooperation in biodiversity conservation. Today, it brings together 85 countries across Africa and Eurasia (including the European Union), committed to protecting over 550 populations of 255 species that depend on wetlands for part of their life cycle.

Toward the 2025 National Tree Day

On the occasion of National Tree Day, which will be held on November 21, 2025, the University of Salerno is organizing an event titled "Toward the 2025 National Tree Day", scheduled for Thursday, November 13.

The initiative, promoted in collaboration with the Committee for the Development of Public Green Spaces (CSVP) of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, aims not only to promote the care of trees—recognizing the essential role of forests and urban greenery in the ecosystem—but also, in particular, to foster dialogue with local communities on future prospects, as well as on the experiences gained by the Regions in the census and enhancement of monumental trees.

Nature Restoration: A section dedicated to Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 has been published on the MASE portal.

The Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security is about to publish a new section on its portal dedicated to Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 on Nature Restoration, which entered into force on August 18, 2024. This section will provide a key overview of the binding EU-level targets and the national process undertaken to develop the National Restoration Plan (NRP), a key element for reversing biodiversity loss and strengthening climate resilience.

The development of the NRP, the draft of which must be submitted to the European Commission by 1 September 2026, is based on a robust interinstitutional coordination architecture.

Implementing the Nature Restoration Regulation: Legal Challenges and Opportunities

The conference will bring together experts at national and European levels to analyze the new Nature Restoration Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 and the ambitious and comprehensive habitat and ecosystem restoration obligations it introduces. The program includes roundtable discussions on public participation, agricultural biodiversity, restoration financing, and synergies with other areas of EU environmental policy, such as climate change.

The role of the Presidential Estate of Castelporziano in the study and conservation of animal diversity

The event aims to create an opportunity for numerous researchers who, both in the past and in recent years, have carried out wildlife research on the Estate to meet and discuss the current state of knowledge. This will foster potential collaborations and future projects for wildlife conservation and the enhancement of the Estate.

ISPRA participates in the Life PolliNetWork project

The project's goal is to create a network of ecological corridors, transforming roads, railways, and industrial areas into "Buzz Lines," veritable green highways where bees and butterflies can safely feed and reproduce. By 2030, 88 hectares of natural habitats will be restored in 11 Italian regions, from Sardinia to Piedmont. The project also includes scientific monitoring, educational activities, and citizen science sessions to engage residents, schools, and farmers. The goal is to increase the number of pollinator species by up to 30% over the next five years. Italy, home to one of Europe's richest pollinator communities, thus aims to become a European model of conservation, contributing to the National Biodiversity Strategy and the new European Regulation on nature restoration.

The conservation challenge to reverse biodiversity loss: the role of protected areas and natural resource management

Biodiversity is facing an unprecedented crisis, threatening ecosystems and our very survival, and action is urgent. Protected areas are an essential bulwark for reversing the decline of species, but they are not enough. Conservation efforts must be intensified, integrating protection, restoration, and sustainable management. There is no more time to waste: the future of nature depends on the choices we make today, and each of us can contribute to securing the planet.

Presentation of the Europe's Environment 2025 Report, the State of the Environment Report, and the SNPA Environment Report

On October 28, 2025, in the Sala della Regina of Palazzo Montecitorio in Rome, a national event will be held to jointly present three major reports on the state of the environment: Europe's Environment 2025 (European Environment Agency), State of the Environment in Italy 2025: Indicators and Analysis (ISPRA), and the SNPA Environment Report 2025 (National System for Environmental Protection).

The event will offer an integrated and up-to-date overview of key environmental dynamics, from the European, national, regional, and autonomous provinces perspectives.

The three reports present data, indicators, and analyses that enable us to understand current trends, identify emerging critical issues, and understand the responses adopted in different contexts.

These are essential tools for providing the scientific community, institutions, and citizens with reliable and comparable information capable of guiding future decisions towards sustainability. Not just a snapshot of the state of the environment, but also a thoughtful reflection and a solid basis for discussion on the priority challenges to be addressed.

Three complementary perspectives will offer a coherent and authoritative vision of the state of the environment in 2025.

Press release (ita)

Environment report in Europe 2025

The state of environment in Italy 2025

Environmental indicator data base ISPRA 

Program

GEO-7 SPM Review and Approval Meeting

From October 27 to 31, 2025, the international meeting for the review and approval of the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the seventh edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), the main environmental assessment report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), will be held at United Nations Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

The meeting will be attended by government representatives, UNEP-accredited observers, and the group of experts and scientists who contributed to the report.

Earth Jubilee: Towards a New Sustainable Humanism

Under the prestigious recognition of the Medal of the President of the Republic, the conference “Earth Jubilee: Towards a New Sustainable Humanism” will be held on 23 October in the Chamber of Parliamentary Groups. Participants will include the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Hon. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, and H. E. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture and founder of the “Courtyard of the Gentiles”.

Another year of commitment for Bonelli's Eagle: the first year of the Life Abilas project.

The first year of the Life Abilas project concluded in October 2025. Its goal is to reestablish a stable population of Bonelli's eagles (Aquila fasciata) in Sardinia, where they had become extinct in the 1990s. Thanks to the joint efforts of ISPRA, Forestas, e-distribuzione, the Sardinia Region Environment Department, and GREFA, with the support of the CFVA and the SoS Abbjlarios association, the release of Bonelli's eagles, begun in 2018 as part of another Life Aquila a-Life project, has continued. At the same time, other concrete conservation activities have been launched, such as wild rabbit breeding to support local wild populations, the census of water bodies that pose a threat to the Bonelli's eagle and other species, the identification of power lines to be secured in key areas for the species, and much more.

Lead, a poison without borders

International conference on the effects of lead in hunting ammunition on wild birds, the environment, and human health
The event is organized by the Association for Ornithological Studies and Ecological Research of Friuli Venezia Giulia (APS) - in collaboration with the Italian Center for Ornithological Studies, the Vulture Conservation Foundation, the Julian Prealps Natural Park, and the Cornino Lake Nature Reserve.

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.

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.

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.

Discovering the residual vegetation of a Mediterranean forest in the heart of Rome! Citizen Science activities

As part of the URBAN NATURE initiative promoted by the WWF to promote the value and care of nature in cities for people's well-being, the ISPRA National Biodiversity Network is organizing a one-day meeting between experts and citizens at the Pineto Regional Urban Park in Rome.

The initiative will lead participants to discover the residual vegetation of a Mediterranean forest in the heart of Rome. Along a 3-kilometer trail, researchers from the Institute will address topics related to the importance of land management and the Natura 2000 Network, and lichens as bioindicators and bioaccumulators for monitoring air quality. The endemic species present along the trail will be described, along with the description of the residual vegetation typical of the Mediterranean environment, and the bird species present in the visited area will be "listened to."

Festival Planet Earth

Pianeta Terra Festival is an event for all who wish to explore our extraordinary common home and reflect on ways to preserve and inhabit it sustainably. It is a multidisciplinary event: we will discuss ecosystems, climate, new economic models, energy, agriculture, food, urban development, as well as new political, social, philosophical, anthropological, and artistic visions.