Events and News

Sea urchins more sensitive to metal toxicity as a consequence of the past two decades

The ISPRA research group based in Livorno, in collaboration with a researcher from the University of Nottingham, has published the results of a twenty-year laboratory activity conducted using sea urchins in Marine Pollution Bulletin. Data have shown as the climate change and ocean acidification, which is already taking place in the Mediterranean Sea, have caused a reduction in the tolerance of a natural population of sea urchins to copper toxicity. This conclusion supports the need to reevaluate the knowledge we have today about environmental contaminants in the context of future changes in the environment.

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the areas in the world where seabirds are most at risk of ingesting plastic

Published in Nature Communications a study on the exposure of seabirds to plastic pollution in the seas, carried out by more than 200 scholars from all over the world, including three ISPRA researchers.
The movements of more than 7,000 individuals belonging to 77 seabird species were analyzed in relation to the concentration of plastic in the sea.
The results of the study identified the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and circular sea currents as the areas most at risk of plastic ingestion for birds.

Read the study

The big predators between the rules of nature and law

The first part of the conference will discuss the conservation and management of big predators from a legal and biological point of view with a focus on the reintroduction of the bear in Trentino.
The second part of the conference, on the other hand, will give space to the pronouncements of the TAR and the Council of State and to the role of ISPRA in the decision-making and juridical processes to face the issue of the role of environmental associations in the management of big predators.

Fourth Meeting for the presentation of the Guidelines for the conservation of the Mediterranean trout and its habitat – LIFE STREAMS Az. E.1.2.

The fourth and last meeting of the LIFE STREAMS Project will take place on 26 June, for the presentation of the proposal for Guidelines for the conservation of the Mediterranean trout and its habitat, implemented in the context of Action C.5 of the project. . The meeting - which will be attended by the representatives of bodies, scientific and environmentalist associations - launches the public consultation phase on the Guidelines, which provide for conservation measures in particular to the managing bodies of Natura 2000 sites and protected natural areas, to the Regions and to the Hydrographic District Authorities. The Guidelines include indications for the conservation of the species even outside the protected areas and, in particular, concerning sport fishing.

What species of cetaceans and turtles can be found in our seas?

Some videos realized in four languages ​​by the CIMA Foundation, the International Center for Environmental Monitoring, are available on the LIFE Conceptu Maris Project website to explain which species of cetaceans and turtles it is possible to encounter in the Italian seas and also to give useful indications for recognizing them.

ISPRA is the coordinating beneficiary of the Project

ENCA Network 31st edition

The 31st session of the Network of European Agencies for Nature Conservation (ENCA network) opens today in Stirling (Scotland).
The topics of the meeting are: land use; the contribution of agencies in the implementation of policies for the conservation of species and habitats; the support of the agencies for the implementation of the global agreement approved at the end of 2022 at the COP15 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity; the approval of a document of the ENCA network, drawn up also with the contribution of ISPRA, on the concept of "transformative change". This latest report contains a number of illustrative examples for moving towards the transformational shift needed to contrast the loss of the planet's biological integrity.

16 June, World sea turtle day

World Sea Turtle Day is celebrated on 16 June, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the endangered status of these species.
On January 20, the Kick-off meeting of the LIFE TURTLENEST project was held, co-financed by the European Union and coordinated by Legambiente, whose main objective is to conserve and protect the Caretta Caretta sea turtle. LIFE TURTLENEST also intends to evaluate the impact of climate change on the nesting of the species.

ISPRA, as project partner, is responsible for the geomorphological characterization of nesting sites, analysis for land use planning and management, geomorphological and chemical characterization and preparation of guidelines on coastal erosion management for the suitability of the nesting habitat.

Wild waterbirds and type A influenza

Researchers from the University of Bologna and ISPRA collaborate in writing an editorial which comments on recent research findings about the ecology and interspecies transmission mechanisms of type A influenza viruses.

Event cancelled-Italy and the Environment. State, Perspectives and Scenarios

The event has been postponed to a later date

On June 15, ISPRA will present "Italy and the Environment: status, perspectives and scenarios".
The publication seeks to answer two questions: "What is the situation of the environment in Italy?" and “Are we going in the environmentally desired direction?”. Today ISPRA has a vast amount of information, historical series, indicators, the result of years of data collection and processing, to be able to answer these two questions. The publication offers an opportunity to enhance the main indicators present in the ISPRA Environmental Indicators database (Banca dati Indicatori Ambientali di ISPRA)

Third Meeting for the presentation of the Guidelines for the conservation of the Mediterranean trout and its habitat – LIFE STREAMS Az. E.1.2.

The third meeting of the LIFE STREAMS Project will take place on 14 June, for the presentation of the proposal for Guidelines for the conservation of the Mediterranean trout and its habitat. The meeting will take place at the headquarters of the Visitor Center of the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park - Bagno di Romagna (FC). The meeting - which will be attended by the representatives of institutions, scientific, environmental and fishing associations - launches the public consultation phase on the Guidelines, which provide for the conservation measures proposed in particular to the managing bodies of Natura 2000 sites and protected natural areas , the Regions and the Hydrographic District Authorities. The Guidelines include indications for the conservation of the species even outside the protected areas and, in particular, concerning sport fishing.

Festival Green&Blue

The Festival will open on 5 June in Rome on the occasion of World Environment Day and will continue on 6-7-8 June in Milan with sectoral insights. The meetings of the Festival will give scientific information and
the final panel will be dedicated to biodiversity, with particular attention to the theme of water and the oceans. Other topics faced about the European 30/30 strategy, conflicts between human activities and wildlife, enhancement of the natural heritage from both an economic and cultural point of view and conservation projects.

The wolf arrives in the EcoAtlas of ISPRA

A new story in the ISPRA EcoAtlas tells the results of the national monitoring of the wolf with infographics, maps and data that photograph, for the biological year of the species 2020-2021, the consistency and distribution of the species in our country.
After three years of work, the results of the national monitoring of the wolf coordinated by the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research ISPRA on behalf of the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security are available in the EcoAtlante ISPRA, the thematic portal that allows to discover, view and share national and local environmental information from PCs, tablets and smartphones.

The Forest Factor

More Nature to fight global warming
The Arma dei Carabinieri  is organizing the international conference "The Forest factor" in Rome on 6 and 7 June 2023, at the Roma Tre University, with the aim of placing the emphasis on the forests protection, as an essential element in the fight against climate change, and on their vital importance for biodiversity, carbon, water and energy cycles on a planetary scale.

Soil care also cures drought

The Festa del Bio will be held in Rome on 27 May, with the participation of an ISPRA researcher at the Talk "The care of the soil also cures drought".

Italian Hub for the Nature-based Solution

Bringing together researchers, administrators, businesses and the public sector in order to promote initiatives and gather information regarding the adoption of Nature-based Solutions (NbS).
This is the main objective of the National Hubs established within the NetworkNature project, funded by the European Commission, which will thus be a beneficial resource for the NbS community. The Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Institute of the National Research Council (CNR-IRET) is entrusted with the coordination of the Italian Hub, whose Kick-off Meeting is scheduled for next May 26, in Rome, at the CNR headquarters

European Day of Parks

The European Day of Parks is celebrated every  year on 24 May for the initiative of European Fedaration Park (EUROPARC). This remind the day in which in Sweden,  on 1909, it was established the first national park in Europe.

"Build on our roots" is the slogan of the European Day of Parks 2023. An invitation to join the Protected Areas to explore the idea and the natural heritage that they protect, but also the heritage of their organization, made up of experiences, skills and good practices for the protection of biodiversity and the territory.
Protected natural areas are at the forefront for the protection of biodiversity but also offer an important contribution in the fight against climate change.

World Biodiversity Day 2023

May 22 is World Biodiversity Day, announced by the United Nations to celebrate Biodiversity, the richness of life – at the level of ecosystems, species and genes – on our Planet.
"From agreement to action: rebuilding biodiversity" is the theme chosen in 2023 to celebrate this day. The aim is to stimulate in particular practical reflection on possible future scenarios by leveraging the concept of "reconstruction". It is not enough to protect the natural heritage of ecosystems, we must also engage in the regeneration of damaged or threatened environments.

With the aim to celebrate the World biodiversity Day 2023 the  Convention on Biological Diversity has planned 22 Actions for the Biodiversity

Bears, wolves and wild boars: on the border of coexistence

From 19 to 21 may it will be held the Food&Science Festival, an event of scientific dissemination of national and international importance that deals with and explores issues related to the science of food production and consumption in a creative and accessible way. On 20 May, an ISPRA researcher will participate in the meeting "Bears, wolves and wild boars: on the border of coexistence".

Presage of diversity and risks of climate change

In the whole of the biodiversity week of Puglia next 20 may in Lecce it will be held a meeting on "Presage of diversity and risks of climate change", which an Ispa expert is participating, with a speech about "The UN agreement asks us to integrate the values ​​of nature in agriculture to reverse the decline of biodiversity and make peace with the world by 2030".

Urban forestation and Nature based solutions for the sustainable future of cities

The European Green Deal, the Next Generation Eu and the European Strategy for Biodiversity place the return of nature in our lives and, in particular, in cities, at the center of restoration ecology. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr), on a proposal from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, financed a measure dedicated to urban forestry in the 14 metropolitan cities.

GET ON BOARD WITH THE RESEARCHERS - The Citizen Science campaign to monitor cetaceans, turtles and marine litter of the European Life Project CONCEPTU MARIS is started

The Life Conceptu Maris (CONservation of CEtaceans and Pelagic sea TUrtles in Med: Managing Actions for their Recovery In Sustainability) project is preparing to start the citizen science phase: citizens, professionals and students will be invited to board the ferries to contribute monitoring alongside ISPRA researchers. The recruitment starts from ISPRA colleagues operating on other activities who will want to experience how monitoring data of megafauna and sea turtles from ferries are collected.

Meeting for the presentation of the Guidelines for the conservation of the Mediterranean trout and its habitat – LIFE STREAMS Az. E.1.2.

Next 16 may there will be the first meeting of the Project LIFE STREAMS, financed by the European Community, whose main objective is the recovery and conservation of populations of native Mediterranean trout. The meeting aims to present presentation of the proposed Guidelines for the conservation of the Mediterranean trout and its habitat, implemented within the Action C.5 of the project.
The meeting will take place from 10 to 13 at the headquarters of the Maiella National Park Authority in Sulmona (AQ), in presence and online. The meeting - which will be attended by stakeholders from scientific and environmentalist associations - launches the public consultation phase on the Guidelines, which provide for the conservation measures proposed in particular to the bodies managing Natura 2000 sites and protected natural areas, to the Regions and River District Authority. The Guidelines include indications for the conservation of the species even outside the protected areas and, in particular, concerning sport fishing.

National conference “Protected Areas & Conservation”

The conference, organized by the WWF, aims to create an exchange of knowledge and best practices on the conservation of biodiversity inside and outside protected areas, in particular between managers and technicians of protected areas, experts from the university world, students and PhD students, associations involved in nature conservation, communicators and institutions.

The natural monument La Frasca: the evolution of the environment from the Pleistocene to today

As part of the side events organized for the European Researchers' Night 2023 which this year will take place on 29 September, ISPRA, on Saturday 13 May, will organize the following excursion: "The natural monument La Frasca: the evolution of the environment from the Pleistocene to today".

On the space. Science and beauty

On Friday 12 May at 15:30, at the Department of Law, there will be a day for all science and art enthusiasts entitled “On the space. Science and beauty".
The meeting will remember the writer and journalist Pietro Greco - lighthouse for science communication in Italy.

Monk Seal: sighting close the coast of Capri

On Sunday 7 May, some boaters sighted and videotaped a monk seal about 2.3 miles off the west coast of the island of Capri.
Thanks to the report from the researchers of the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station in Naples, ISPRA staff immediately contacted the spotters to validate the information and enter the data collected as part of the national monitoring program on this species.

Maremma, the osprey is back

The species has returned to nest in the Maremma Regional Park

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a species of significant conservation interest which, in the Mediterranean basin, has suffered a sharp decline in population due to direct persecution and coastal exploitation.

The return of the Italian grey partridge

On 4 May in the Conference Room of the Museum of Zoology in Rome, ISPRA will present the first Workshop of the LIFE Perdix project. The project is co-financed by the European Union and has as its main objective the recovery and reintroduction into the wild of the Italian partridge (Perdix perdix italica Hilheimer, 1917), today considered formally extinct in the wild.

Geographically, the chosen reintroduction area is the SPA IT4060008 "Valle del Mezzano", in the province of Ferrara.

The project has a duration of 6 years and sees ISPRA as coordinator partner, and the collaboration of the Forestry, Environmental and Agri-Food Unit Command, the Italian Hunting Federation, the Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs, Legambiente and the Emilia-Romagna Po Delta Regional Park and the National body for Italian Cinofilia which supports the project as a co-financer.

The recovery of the Italian Partridge will take place thanks to the genetic selection activity carried out by ISPRA on a stock of Apennine origin, comparing it with historical museum samples, prior to the introduction of individuals from other countries for restocking purposes.

Program

Presentation "Atlas of Environmental Data "

As part of the Green Med Symposium, ISPRA presents a new publication which, thanks to maps, graphs and tables, will allow you to visualize the geographical distribution of the main environmental information.

Five thematic sections - geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere - to raise awareness of future challenges and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals, thanks to accurate and up-to-date scientific information.

The aim is to provide scientific information on soil, water, biodiversity, air, climate, waste, energy and the environmental impacts of human activities and, at the same time, to help raise awareness of environmental challenges.
The Atlas of environmental data integrates the EcoAtlante, the portal developed by ISPRA which offers a series of interactive cartographic paths useful for exploring the environmental data collected and cataloged in the National Environmental Information System, in line with the database of the Yearbook of environmental data, Yearbook of environmental data, which in line with the main national and international inter-thematic core sets, makes available over 300 statistical indicators on the state of the environment in Italy.

Further information

Atlas of environmental data

The flora and fauna of the Tor Marancia estate

City Nature Challenge 2023: a walk to discover the biodiversity of the Appia Antica Regional Park with the expert botanists and naturalists of ISPRA
The National Biodiversity Network (NNB) of ISPRA is among the partners of the National Academy of Sciences, an organization that this year has joined the international initiative City Nature Challenge (CNC), the great Citizen Science event on urban biodiversity that will take place from 28 April to 1 May.