News

The Traveler: Danger or Resource?

The Contribution of Bioethics to Regenerative Tourism

The role of the conscious traveler can constitute a sort of "public good." We create connections between the health of people, places, crops, animals, and knowledge.

ISPRA researcher Andrea Monaco will participate in the meeting with a presentation entitled "Inform yourself, think, travel. For sustainable and alien-free tourism, data on invasive species."

Published the Report "Ecological Networks in Regional Spatial Planning Instruments. Report 2025"

ISPRA Awarded at the PA OK! Contest for Management Innovation

The ISPRA project “Innovating Public Administration Through Knowledge – The Sustainability Report as a Platform to Educate, Measure, and Generate Public Value” was awarded within the national PA OK! Contest – Together to Create Public Value, promoted by the Department of Public Administration and implemented by Formez PA as part of the NRRP (Mission 1).

During the award ceremony, held on 29 January 2026 in Rome, ISPRA received the special mention “Excellence for Citizens” in the Management Innovation category, as the project most voted for by citizens in this area. It also received the “PA OK! Award Finalist” mention, following its selection among 275 submitted projects, ranking among the top 10 projects in the Management Innovation area (modernization, human resources management, organizational improvement).

Tandem – Discovering Circular Italy

“Natural Capital: The Economy of the Bee” is the title of the fourth episode of the podcast Tandem – Discovering Circular Italy.

Edo and Marti pedal from the Adriatic coast to the mountains of Abruzzo to understand what connects finance and biodiversity. From Pescara to Penne, all the way to Scanno, their journey leads them to meet researchers, experts, and people like beekeepers, who live every day alongside the pollinators that support our economy while asking nothing in return. A journey that reveals just how fragile and precious our biodiversity is—and how each of us can make a difference.

Territorializing the PNRR

From Niscemi to the national landslide framework: ISPRA’s contribution through data and maps

With a front extending for 4 kilometers and ground subsidence of several tens of meters along the crown, the sliding landslide that struck Niscemi in Sicily on January 25 is affecting the built-up area near the Sante Croci district and the provincial road SP10. The town of Niscemi is located on a plateau bounded, close to and along the edge of the urban area, by an escarpment. The outcropping materials consist of sands with sandstone layers, resting on clays.

The Sante Croci area had already been affected on October 12, 1997 by a large-scale landslide. The municipality of Niscemi has historically been impacted by landslide phenomena, as reported in the Italian Landslide Inventory (IFFI), which currently includes more than 684,000 landslides across the national territory. Geologists from the Sicilian Region – Hydrographic District Basin Authority of Sicily – are conducting field surveys to map the Niscemi landslide, in order to update the IFFI Inventory and the Hydrogeological Asset Plan (PAI).

ISPRA, in collaboration with the Regions and the Autonomous Provinces, carries out daily surveys of major landslide events and the damage they cause to buildings, cultural heritage, primary transport and communication infrastructure, and the economic and productive fabric, and publishes this information on the national IdroGEO platform.

IdroGEO is an easy-to-use tool, accessible even via smartphone, developed by the Institute with the aim of encouraging community involvement and raising awareness of the risks affecting local areas. Through the “Hazard Check” feature, users can search for an address or geolocate themselves on the map to identify the level of landslide and flood hazard within a 500-meter radius of a point of interest (home, business, or productive activity).

As part of its institutional mandate to collect, process, and disseminate data and maps on hydrogeological instability across the entire national territory, ISPRA publishes every three years the Report on Hydrogeological Instability in Italy, which represents the official reference framework on hydrogeological hazard and risk in the country. As highlighted by the latest report, presented last July, 94.5% of Italian municipalities are exposed to the risk of landslides, floods, avalanches, and/or coastal erosion; 19.2% of the national territory is classified as having higher landslide and flood hazard; 1.28 million people live in areas of high and very high landslide hazard; and 6.8 million people are exposed to flood risk under the medium hydraulic hazard scenario, with return periods between 100 and 200 years.

All data are made available to the country for the purposes of risk prevention and mitigation.

Within the framework of technological innovation, the Institute promotes the testing of innovative technologies for landslide monitoring, such as photo-monitoring based on the use of photographic sensors capable of documenting changes in the territory over time, as well as the use of Artificial Intelligence for the collection, analysis, and archiving of landslide-related information, and to improve the accessibility and usability of information for citizens on the IdroGEO platform through the implementation of a virtual assistant that interacts with users, providing information and answering questions on hydrogeological instability.

Press release (ita)

Hydrogeological instability in Italy: hazards and risk indicators. Edition 2024

Platform IdroGEO

Lotti 2026: One Hundred Years of Geological Research in Umbria

One hundred years after the publication of Geological Description of Umbria by Bernardino Lotti, the conference “Lotti 2026: One Hundred Years of Geological Research in Umbria”, to be held in Spoleto from 18 to 20 February 2026, aims to retrace the evolution of geological knowledge of the Umbria–Marche region and to highlight the most recent developments as well as the issues that require further investigation. Umbria, in fact, has been and continues to be a natural laboratory for geology, and from here research has originated that has developed topics of general interest, including at a global scale.

When the land disappears: the future we will not see

The Upper Valdarno, an area that includes territories within fifteen municipalities across the provinces of Arezzo and Florence, has experienced significant land consumption over the past 20 years, both permanent and reversible.

The workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss land consumption, the recent flooding events that reflect the ongoing effects of climate change, and territorial restoration projects.

Field activities under the Revive Interreg Italy-Malta project have commenced

ISPRA has begun field activities in the Gulf of Castellammare, where monitoring of stranded marine litter was carried out in accordance with the protocols of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Over 800 pieces of litter were cataloged and collected along 100 meters of beach. The next activity in this area is scheduled for spring.

The REVIVE Research Project aims to define effective intervention measures in the Italy-Malta cross-border area, with the goal of conserving biodiversity and restoring priority habitats, including sites within the Natura 2000 Network.

The project includes: the assessment of the status of habitats of interest (vermetid reefs, seagrass meadows), with a focus on the role of Invasive Alien Species and marine litter; passive and active restoration interventions based on the use of substrates or artificial structures to promote habitat recovery; and monitoring the effectiveness of these interventions. This monitoring will integrate traditional methods (such as visual censuses and scraping) with recently applied innovative techniques, such as eDNA metabarcoding. Furthermore, the role of floating marine litter in the transport of Invasive Alien Species within the study areas will be evaluated.

TAIEX-EIR multi-country Flagship workshop on the Soil Monitoring Law

The "TAIEX-EIR multi-country Flagship workshop on the Soil Monitoring Law," organized by the European Commission on the Soil Monitoring Directive, will be held on January 27 in Brussels.

Tandem – Discovering Circular Italy

“Let’s go in search of Green Jobs” is the central theme of the third episode of Tandem – Discovering Circular Italy, the podcast series that tells the story of how sustainability and beauty can grow together thanks to the circular economy.

From Milan to Turin, Edo and Marti explore how sustainability is already reshaping the world of work. In the Lombardy capital, they meet those who are rethinking design through an ecological lens, while among the farmsteads of the Novara area they discover a form of agriculture that regenerates the land instead of exploiting it. In Turin, along the corridors of a higher education institute, new questions emerge: what skills will be needed tomorrow? And how do we truly prepare for the future?

Natural Map: the map of the Umbria region is available

As part of the work on the creation of Italy’s Nature Map, the update of the habitat map and the related ecological-environmental assessments for the Umbria region is now available on the ISPRA website.

The products were developed by ISPRA following the methodological review and the update of the Legend.

The updated map includes 111 different habitat types and 48,534 ecotopes.

The cartography can be viewed on the ISPRA Geoportal or requested free of charge in shapefile format through the dedicated online form.

World Wetlands Day and the 50th anniversary of Italy’s ratification of the Ramsar Convention

On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, established by the United Nations in 1997, Italy will mark a major double milestone on 2 February: World Wetlands Day and the 50th anniversary of Italy’s ratification of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.

The theme chosen for World Wetlands Day 2026, “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage,” aims to highlight the contribution of local communities and traditional knowledge to sustainable management practices and ecosystem restoration. This integrated approach, bringing together science, culture, and territory, is essential to counter the global decline of wetlands and to strengthen the resilience of natural systems.

The Nature Restoration Law: technical evidence for the drafting of the national restoration plan

The meeting will provide an opportunity for dialogue between European and Italian experiences, with the aim of promoting the exchange of good practices and critical reflections on the operational and knowledge-related challenges that lie ahead in the coming years.

The morning will be structured into two sessions. In the first session, the meeting will host (online) speakers from several European countries, who will share their approaches and strategies for drafting their National Restoration Plans. The discussion will focus on how each country is addressing key challenges—such as setting measurable targets, integrating biodiversity and climate objectives, ensuring effective governance, and engaging stakeholders. This comparative perspective will help highlight the diversity of national contexts and the overarching European vision underpinning the Nature Restoration Regulation.

The second session will be dedicated to the Italian context. Speakers involved in the preparation of the Italian National Restoration Plan will discuss the critical issues and opportunities of the ongoing process.

First session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP CWP)

From 2 to 6 February 2026, the first session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP-CWP) will take place in Geneva, at the International Conference Centre (CICG). The ISP-CWP is a new UN-established intergovernmental scientific body focused on the management of chemicals and waste and the prevention of pollution, and is dedicated to strengthening the science–policy interface in this field.

WOLFNETxT project conference

"Research, Experiences, Best Practices. National Parks and the Wolf in Italy"

WOLFNExT is a network of National Parks that looks to the future of the wolf in Italy in light of the significant ecological changes that have driven the species' expansion into areas where it had disappeared for decades. These changes often create new interfaces, requiring appropriate and increasingly advanced operational capabilities. Last but not least, they suggest adaptive solutions and effective communication with various stakeholders.

Online the publication: "EMAS in the Construction Sector: Best Practices and Circularity"

The construction sector plays a strategic role in the country’s economic development but also exhibits significant potential for improvement in terms of mitigating its environmental impacts, particularly in construction site management.

CCS and Carbon Mineral Storage: Research, Industry, and Policies for Climate Neutrality

On the path toward climate neutrality, reducing CO₂ emissions represents a crucial challenge, particularly for highly emission-intensive industrial sectors. Alongside renewable energy sources and energy efficiency, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies are now recognized as necessary tools for achieving climate goals in the medium and long term.

Within this framework, mineral sequestration of CO₂ (Carbon Mineral Storage) is emerging as a particularly promising solution for the permanent and safe storage of carbon.

However, the maturation of these technologies requires integrated scientific progress across the entire value chain—from CO₂ capture to transport and utilisation, through to geological and mineral storage solutions—together with an adequate regulatory framework and structured dialogue among research, institutions, and industry

World Wetlands Day

World Wetlands Day, celebrated on 2 February, marks the signing in 1971 of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and aims to raise global awareness of the crucial importance of wetlands for people and for our planet.

The Ramsar Convention defines wetlands as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres” The Convention is the only international environmental treaty specifically focused on these ecosystems which, in addition to hosting and conserving a rich biological diversity of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates, provide substantial water and food resources and play a fundamental role in mitigating climate change.

"Un Solo Mare" Festival

From 11 to 15 February 2026, the first edition of Un Solo Mare will take place at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone. This new festival, produced by the Fondazione Musica per Roma, aims to celebrate the sea as a shared heritage and an irreplaceable resource.

The Festival was created out of the need to establish a space for dialogue dedicated to the 70% of the planet’s surface and 90% of its biosphere that regulates the climate, sustains life, nourishes us, and produces half of the oxygen we breathe.

Marine biodiversity and conservation, climate change and adaptation, marine exploration and technologies, the blue economy and sustainable development, and Mediterranean governance will be the major themes at the heart of the Festival.

ISPRA is organizing “The Deep Colors of the Mediterranean”, an immersive journey into the depths of the sea through images and videos collected by ISPRA. A conference-show designed for lower and upper secondary schools, aimed at discovering hidden ecosystems, understanding their fragility, and closely observing life in the deep sea.

On 11 February, the “Blue Economy between Italy and the Mediterranean” conference will feature the participation of ISPRA Director General, Maria Siclari.

ISPRA is organizing also the following conferences:

Questa è una spiaggia ecologica e tu ne fai parte!

Mare nostrum: scopriamo insieme il Mar Mediterraneo

I colori profondi del Mediterraneo

Banquette alla riscossa

Dentro i laboratori del mare. Collegamento con navi oceanografiche e basi artiche

R3 Materials -> Next Materials

Institutions, Research, and Businesses Discuss Critical Raw Materials
Relevance, Regeneration, Recycling
Will these new buzzwords inspire the governance of critical and strategic raw materials in global supply chains marked by technological, energy, and industrial transformations? And how can they be reconciled with imports and domestic mining activities?

MEET-FUNGI: the project and the 2026 initiatives dedicated to fungal biodiversity officially kick off

On 31 January 2026, the launch event of the MEET-FUNGI project will take place in Valle Camonica (Lombardy). The project is coordinated by Federparchi, with the support of Fondazione Cariplo, and involves ISPRA as a partner alongside MicoCosmo and the Valle Camonica Mountain Community.

Following the launch event, a structured programme of outreach and training initiatives will begin and continue throughout 2026. These activities will include mycological excursions, workshops, and awareness-raising initiatives, open to the public and aimed at a broad and diverse audience.

Tandem – Discovering Circular Italy

The return of mining: new sustainable extraction techniques and a legacy to keep alive are at the heart of the second episode of Tandem – Discovering Circular Italy, the podcast series that shows how sustainability and beauty can grow together through the circular economy.

Beneath Mount Amiata lies one of the richest geothermal areas in Europe: a place where the earth holds energies and materials that could shape our future. From the mountain’s slopes, Edo and Marti travel along ancient mining routes and then set sail for Elba, in search of a past that deserves to be preserved.

Tandem gives voice to the commitment of ISPRA and the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy which, through the Facciamo Circolare (“Let’s Make It Circular”) campaign, promote a more sustainable development model—one in which every daily choice can make a difference.

The census of overwintering waterbirds celebrates its first 60 years

Coordinated in Italy by ISPRA, the Wetlands International project promotes the counting of waterbirds around mid-January across the entire European territory.

From 6 to 25 January 2026, surveys of overwintering waterbirds are being carried out in more than 2,000 Italian wetlands as part of the International Waterbird Census (IWC) project. The project is coordinated by ISPRA and relies on a network of over 500 expert surveyors and around 1,500 collaborators distributed throughout the country. With more than 30 years of continuous activity across the entire national territory, the IWC surveys represent one of Italy’s longest-running research projects, and certainly the leading one in terms of geographical coverage and regularity.

The 2026 marks the 60th anniversary of the IWC censuses.

Regional Sites, an update on remediation: nearly one in two municipalities involved, over 16,000 active proceedings in Italy

Published the IV ISPRA report "The fourth report on the contaminated sites management at regional level"

The 46% of Italy’s municipalities, equal to 3,619 municipalities, are affected by at least one remediation procedure ongoing as of 1 January 2024; 70% of regional remediation procedures have been concluded without the need for remediation and/or safety measures; on average, 1,190 new remediation procedures are initiated nationwide each year.

This is highlighted in the 4th Report on the Remediation of Regional Sites published by ISPRA, which presents and analyses data relating to remediation procedures updated as of 1 January 2024. The report is based on data submitted by SNPA, the Regions, and the Autonomous Provinces for the 2024 population of MOSAICO, the national database on remediation procedures. The analyses cover 16,365 ongoing remediation procedures and 22,191 completed remediation procedures.

The first phase of genetic monitoring of the Marsican brown bear has been completed

Analysis of over eight hundred hair samples collected in the area of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park to estimate population size

The first phase of genetic monitoring of the Marsican brown bear has been successfully completed, with the aim of estimating as accurately as possible the population size of one of Europe’s rarest mammals. The activity took place within the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, where 854 hair samples were collected and will now be analyzed by specialized laboratories.

To obtain these samples, “scent traps” were set up to attract bears to rubbing posts and around berry patches—environments where they find fruit to feed on. Thanks to more than four hundred installations, genetic material was collected for biomolecular analyses, which will make it possible to estimate both the size of the population and the species’ distribution range, in historically occupied areas as well as in zones of more recent colonization.

2026 Calendar of the National Biodiversity Network

The 2026 calendar of the National Biodiversity Network is illustrated with drawings and photographs created as part of educational activities and citizen science initiatives promoted by the Network.

ISPRA project for schools: “Botanical iconography as a tool for knowledge and environmental awareness.”

“Biodiversity in Pose” project: a citizen science initiative aimed at reporting the presence of plant and animal species across the national territory.

Download the calendar in pdf 

Online Reticula n. 40/2025 - Monographic issue

Data that makes a difference: synergies and standard monitoring protocols for protected area management

The rapid decline in global biodiversity requires the availability of reliable and comparable data, collected through standardized monitoring methods, capable of providing effective support for land management policies at various scales. In this context, it is essential that biodiversity data collection be aimed not only at knowledge generation, but also at assessing the effectiveness of management and conservation measures.

Facciamo Circolare – Listen to Tandem, the Rai Play Sound podcast by ISPRA and MIMIT

Starting from December 31, on Rai Play Sound, listeners can enjoy the five episodes of the podcast “TANDEM – Discovering Circular Italy”, produced by ISPRA in collaboration with and with the contribution of MIMIT as part of the “Facciamo Circolare” campaign.

Edo and Marti are back in the saddle to lead Tandem, a journey through cities, villages, natural landscapes, and innovative initiatives that are reshaping the future of the country.

Online the report "Contaminated sites management in Italy"

Fourth report on regional data

The fourth report on the contaminated sites management at regional level, presents data on administrative and technical procedures updated to 01/01/2024. This update is based on data provided by Regional and Autonomous Provincial authorities, as well as Environmental Protection Agencies, as part of the 2024 population of MOSAICO, the national database on remediation procedures.