EU agricultural policy to protect water quality in Europe

Started the National Hydrological Water Budget Project

The National Hydrological Water Budget Project, which is coordinated by ISPRA and foreseen a total funding of 10.5 million Euros, aims at integrating the activities for the operational hydrological monitoring provided by the hydrographic offices of the Italian Regions and Autonomous Provinces (according to the Italian Prime Minister's Decree of 24 July 2002), at boosting river discharge measurements, and at implementing a uniform methodology for the management of hydrological data at national scale and for the use of these data in the hydrological water budget evaluation.

Signed the operative agreement 2021-2023 for the Marine Strategy second cycle

The Italian Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea, together with ISPRA, signed last week an operative agreement for the period 2021-2023 related to the Marine Strategy with the regional agencies for environmental protection of Calabria (Arpacal), Emilia-Romagna (Arpae) and Liguria (Arpal).

ISPRA and the LIFE project Lagoon Refresh for the World Wetlands day

Every year on the 2 February is celebrated the World Wetlands day to increase the awareness on the important role that these areas have for the people and our Planet. The wetlands, such as the lagoon, are considered among the most productive environment for their high biological diversity. ISPRA, since 2017, together with the partner of the LIFE Lagoon Refresh project, is taking care on an area of the Venice lagoon, with specific actions to restore the saline gradient, lost following the diversion of rivers, in order to increase the conservation status of lagoon habitats and the biodiversity of fish, birds, moving bottom animals and plants.

Video presentation of the project   

LIFE Lagoon Refresh project- Video of the Hydraulic and Morphological works

The water and the challenge of circular economy

An Italian strategy for the management of sewage sludge
The webinar will present the study on the sustainable management of sewage sludge carried out in cooperation with associations and the main operators in the sector.
The report examines the evolution of the water cycle in Italy from the perspective of the circular economy, considering the regulatory and technological framework, economics, key aspects and critical issues in the management of sewage sludge. It therefore formulates specific policy proposals aimed at designing an overall economically and environmentally sustainable sludge management strategy.

Published the Report "The experimental assessment of the effectiveness of the measures provided for by the National Action Plan for the sustainable use of plant protection products (NAP)"

The report highlights the results of an experimental assessment of the effectiveness of the measures provided for by the National Action Plan for the sustainable use of plant protection products (NAP - defined according to EU Directive2009/128/CE) aimed at protecting biodiversity.
The project, funded by the MATTM and coordinated by ISPRA, was carried out between 2015 and 2020 in collaboration with ARPA Piemonte, ARPA Lazio, University of Turin, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. This research was implemented by analyzing differences between conventional and organic crops in rice fields and vineyards (in Piedmont), arable land and hazelnut groves (in Lazio), starting from the assumption that organic method is more compatible with the conservation of biodiversity, as indicated in Measure 13 of the NAP Guidelines (referred to in Ministerial Decree 10/3/2015)

National report on pesticides in waters published by ISPRA

The Report provides information on the presence of residues of plant protection products in surface water and groundwater. The 2017-2018 monitoring results are presented in terms of the recovery frequency and concentrations distribution, the levels of contamination obtained by comparison with the environmental quality standards are assessed. The trend of contamination is analyzed and the most critical substances and the phenomenon of poly-exposure are examined. Finally, the regulatory framework is placed in relation to the need to reduce impacts on the environment.

European rivers are fragmented by more than one million barriers

ISPRA has participated in a study on barriers on European rivers published in the magazine Nature
Europe's rivers are fragmented due to more than a million barriers (e.g. dams), according to an overall assessment published in Nature this week. The study includes the monitoring of more than 2,700 km of waterways, from which it can be assumed that the number of reefs in Europe is underestimated by 61%.

Presentation Report Stop Pesticides 2020

On 17 December Legambiente will presents the Report 2020 on the presence of pesticides in food and provide agricultural good practices.

Interreg Alpine SpaceEco-AlpsWater Workshop

The workshop on EcoAlpsWater will be held on line the next 9 and 10 December 2020, opened to all colleagues interested in research topics on environmental DNA and metagenomics techniques.

The event  will consist of several seminars in English that will cope with the description and logic of the activities in progress in the project, results and perspectives. Overall, it will be a knowledge transfer event, in line with one of the main objectives of the project itself.

Published the new report on the Europe's seas by European Environment Agency

“Marine messages II: Navigating the course towards clean, healthy and productive seas through implementation of an ecosystem‑based approach”

The model of ecological beach

The official presentation of the Guidee "The Ecological Beach: sustainable management of the Posidonia banquette along the Lazio shorelines" is planned for next 10 June at 3 pm in videoconference with the Ministry of the Environment, Lazio Region, National Park of Circeo, Metropolitan City of Rome/Natural Monument palude Torre Flavia, municipalities of Cerveteri and San Felice Circeo

8 June - World Oceans Day

Ispra, in charge of Center INFO/RAC  of the UNEP/MAP (Mediterranean Action Plan) to support Barcelona convention for Mediterranean for the Protection of the Marine Environment, today 8 June, on the occasion of UN World Oceans Day launches a digital communication campaign with a web page and dedicated initiatives. 

Venice, 2019: the ”Acqua Alta” year. A focus on November events.

The year 2019 will be remembered for the extraordinary frequency of floodings and the extremely hight sea level recorded in the city of Venice. What happened? The exceptional event of November 12, 2019 was due to the combined effect of many meteorological components: the high astronomical syzygy tide, the unusual high mean sea level of the Mediterranean Sea in November, reflecting an anomalous general atmospheric depression over the basin, a deep small-scale atmospheric pressure minimum developed over the Adriatic, moving rapidly northward and passing over the Venice lagoon and causing local winds of about 100 m/s

Presentation of the SOER 2020, Environmental Data Yearbook and System Reports

The next 3 June, in video streaming with the Italian PM Giuseppe Conte, and David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, will be presented the three reports dedicated to the environmental situation in Europe and in Italy: the SOER 2020 (State of the Environment Report), the Environmental Data Yearbook 2019 which shows the state of the environment in Italy and the System Report which presents regional experiences.

Watch streaming live:

ISPRA TV (double channel in English and Italian) 

Facebook page Ispra (speaker' native language)

 Youtube Ispra (only in italian)

COVID-19: integrated water cycle safety and research prospects

Workshop: "Evaluation of physical effects related to sediment handling in marine-coastal areas: tools and methodologies of approach"