News

Territories and sustainable development objectives

The presentation event of the ASviS Report on Territories 2024 will be held on 13 December in Rome. The document illustrates, through data and graphs, the positioning of Regions, Provinces, metropolitan cities, urban areas and Municipalities with respect to the achievement of the 17 Development Objectives sustainability (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, but not only.

The research also includes a review of international and European experiences of territorialization of the SDGs; explores the implementation of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development and its repercussions on local authorities; analyzes territorial inequalities and cohesion policies from both a European and national point of view; identifies the natural and anthropogenic risks that our country is facing, such as heat waves, desertification and forest fires. The final chapters are dedicated respectively to a selection of good practices already implemented in the territories and the ASviS proposals on priority themes.

Strategies for the Climate Transition: cities and territories as protagonists

The conference, organized by the Cariplo Foundation, will explore concrete actions to combat climate change and strategies for communicating it, with interventions by experts and national and international case studies. The day includes insights into local projects, technical sessions and debates with journalists, researchers and activists. An ISPRA expert will also participate in the conference.

ISPRA protagonist of the Italy-China Week of Science, Technology and Innovation

The 13th edition of the Italy-China Week of Science, Technology and Innovation begins today (26-28 November – Naples, Venice) to discuss the value of science and technology in tackling the great challenges of our time. The event takes place as part of the Italy-China bilateral scientific and technological cooperation program and is promoted by the Governments of the two countries through the Ministry of University and Research of the Italian Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic Popular Chinese. The program is coordinated, for Italy, by the Idis-Città della Scienza Foundation in collaboration with the National Research Council.

Waste management and energy transition: challenges and opportunities in the new circular economy scenario

The event intends to deepen the debate on the challenges and opportunities related to waste management and the circular economy, analyzing how current needs and practices are rapidly evolving, paving the way for new business models. Furthermore, to identify best practices and winning strategies to address the challenges of the sector and understand how emerging technologies, together with innovative business models, can help transform the way we think about and manage waste.

Minerale resources and mining activities of Kazakhstan

The Foundation of Geologists of Tuscany, in collaboration with the Embassy of Kazakhstan and the Consulate of Kazakhstan for Tuscany, are organizing the event in the form of a workshop, in which personalities and stakeholders from the mining and Kazakh economy, to illustrate the activities that have allowed this country to become the leading economy in Central Asia, one of the most important countries for energy supply to Europe, a strategic partner of Italy

NET Scienzainsieme. Scientific aperitif "Alien species: what they are, why fear them and how we can stop them"

Aliens are among us. It's not a science fiction film, but our reality. What do we know about them? What can we do in our daily lives to limit its impacts? Dr. Piero Genovesi, ISPRA researcher and scientific communicator, will accompany us on a journey to discover alien species, to increase our awareness of the risks associated with their introduction and spread. Dr. will also participate in the event. Giovanni Raimondi, scientific curator of the Livorno aquarium, who will delve into the topic of marine alien species along the Tuscan coasts.

Presentation of the book "Drought, scarcity and water crises - The contribution of research to support the definition of the water balance"

On 6 December, as part of the "Più Libri Più Liberi" event, at the CNR editions stand, there will be the presentation of the volume "Drought, scarcity and water crises - The contribution of research to support the definition of the water balance", published by CNR edizioni, to which ISPRA also contributed by drafting Chapter 1 "The hydrological balance, the availability of water resources and the water balance", the paragraph dedicated to the "Water balance and water stress" and the part relating to state of the climate.
The preface of the book is signed by ISPRA President Stefano Laporta.

World Soil Day

Taking care of the soil: measuring, monitoring, managing is the theme chosen for the 2024 edition of World Soil Day
The Day aims to raise public awareness of the importance and relationship between soil and water in the creation of sustainable and resilient agri-food systems.

The aim of the 2024 Day is to highlight the importance of accurate soil data and information to understand its characteristics and support informed decision-making on sustainable soil management for food security.

This year's celebration is particularly significant as it is the tenth global celebration and, hosted by Thailand, the first celebration outside FAO headquarters, coinciding with the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention of Nations Unite on the Fight against Desertification (UNCCD) to be held from 2 to 16 December 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Proposals for soil protection

World Soil Day is celebrated on 5 December, this year dedicated to the theme "Taking care of soils: measuring, monitoring, managing". The focus is on the importance of collecting accurate information and data to understand the characteristics of soils and support their sustainable management, topics particularly close to the soil activities of environmental agencies.

They are around us, among us... the Boar

The third meeting organized by the CAI speleological group with the TAM (Mountain Environment Protection) commission of the CAI of Rome will be held on 21 November.
With their increasing presence in cities, wild boars can create risky situations for humans and wildlife. Close encounters can lead to conflicts, especially in situations where animals feel threatened or are defending their young, not to mention the risks to road traffic

Together with Barbara Franzetti, ISPRA researcher, the topic of wild boars will be addressed, not only from the point of view of biology and behavior, but also of their growing adaptation to urban environments and the dangers this entails.

Manta River Project 2 - Study for the evaluation of the quantities of microplastics in the Po

On 6 December, at the Veneto Regional Natural Park of the Po Delta, ADBPO in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome and the Daphne Oceanographic Structure of ARPAE Emilia-Romagna will present the new data on the presence of microplastics in the Po.

What will be the GeoSciencesIR's contribution to strategies for addressing the environmental challenges of the future?

GeoSciencesIR will be the first national research infrastructure entirely dedicated to geology and will represent a "bridge" between the scientific community and those who work in the area on a daily basis. But what exactly will it contain? What will be the added value? What are the main themes and innovations?

Invasive alien species: state of knowledge and management interventions

The event is aimed at the scientific community, technicians of local authorities and protected areas, and university students.

The introductory interventions will be carried out by the competent regional sector, by ISPRA for its role in the fight against invasive species and by the Lombardy Region which, as lead partner of Life NatConnect 2030, will illustrate the contribution of the project in the Po basin area.

Discovering the ancient oaks of Cerquone. The species registered in the List of monumental trees of Italy

The National Biodiversity Network (NNB) of ISPRA, in collaboration with the Castelli Romani Regional Park Authority, is promoting a day open to the public on 23 November dedicated to visiting the old oaks (Quercus robur L., 1753) present in the woods of “Cerquone”: a naturalistic oasis rich in biodiversity located within the Castelli Romani Park.
The initiative is part of the National Tree Day and has the aim of promoting knowledge of the two arboreal specimens present in the territory registered and included in the list of monumental trees in Italy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and of forests (Masaf). The list lists the specimens that stand out for their biological and ecological value, based on the age, size, morphology, rarity of the species or habitat for some animal species, but also for their importance from a historical-cultural point of view. and for their ability to characterize the landscape both in aesthetic and identity terms.

National Tree Day

The National Tree day, established by the Ministry of the Environment and recognized with art. 1 of Law 14 January 2013, n. 10, is celebrated every November 21st throughout Italy. The aim is to promote the care and valorisation of trees and to remember the essential role of forests and urban greenery for our ecosystem.
The National Biodiversity Network (NNB) of ISPRA, in collaboration with the Castelli Romani Regional Park Authority, is promoting a day open to the public on 23 November dedicated to visiting the old oaks (Quercus robur L., 1753) present in the woods of “Cerquone”: a naturalistic oasis rich in biodiversity located within the Castelli Romani Park.
The initiative is part of the National Tree Day and has the aim of promoting knowledge of the two arboreal specimens present in the territory registered and included in the list of monumental trees in Italy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and of forests (Masaf). The list lists the specimens that stand out for their biological and ecological value, based on the age, size, morphology, rarity of the species or habitat for some animal species, but also for their importance from a historical-cultural point of view. and for their ability to characterize the landscape both in aesthetic and identity terms.

COP29 in Baku: A step forward in global climate transparency

ISPRA participates in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP29, which is held this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024. ISPRA experts bring their contribution to the negotiations , offering technical-scientific support to the delegation of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) on a series of crucial topics in compliance with the commitments of the Paris Agreement and the prerogatives of the Institute which is the theme of Transparency. In particular, the definition of the new reporting for national greenhouse gas inventories, the information to be reported on policies and measures, and the expert review processes of the information transmitted, to be sent by 31 December 2024.

XIII edition of the Italy-China Week of Science, Technology and Innovation

On November 28th ISPRA will participate with a panel dedicated to the AQuaBios Project

The event takes place as part of the bilateral scientific and technological cooperation program between Italy and China. It is promoted by the Governments of the two countries through the Ministry of University and Research of the Italian Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.

Green and health are the future of our cities

On November 28th in Randazzo (Catania) a conference to talk about urban green management with particular attention to the changes introduced by the new public procurement code. There will be a dialogue between the institutions and those who work for the maintenance and creation of urban and extra-urban greenery, historic gardens, parks and landscape. The event is part of a series of events entitled "Green and health are the future of our cities" which started from Napoli, passing through Milano, Roma, Torino and Bari.

Technology to support the management of protected areas

On 4, 5 and 6 November, the activities of the PNRR DigitAP project "Monitoring of pressures acting on habitats using advanced sensors" began at the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise.

"Report the landslide" and the IdroGEO national platform for knowledge of the territory

The event, organized by ANCI, the Liguria Region and ISPRA, is an opportunity to discuss with the Municipalities on the prevention of hydrogeological risk. Knowledge and updating of information on landslides are fundamental to effective risk prevention and management policies. The use of ISPRA operational tools will be explored in depth to support risk mitigation policies, territorial planning, planning of soil protection interventions and infrastructure design, with the aim of increasing community resilience and awareness. of citizens on local risks.

Meetings on the E.I.A. Points of view on environmental impact assessment

Episode n.6 Meeting with Giuliana Galigari of SNAM
An example of how the V.I.A. that can affect daily life is the construction of the gas network and its supply. An interview with SNAM tells us about its activities and the peculiarities of the projects of the network that runs underground for thousands of km, like a vascular system that crosses the whole of Italy. There is talk of open-air and trenchless excavations, of archaeological finds shown to the population, of drones used for monitoring.

Nature map of Calabria region

As part of the work to create the Nature Map of Italy, the habitat map and the related ecological-environmental assessments for the Calabria region are now available on the ISPRA website.

With Calabria, the Nature Map has been completed on 17 Regions, reaching almost 80% of the national territory.
The map, at a scale of 1:25,000, includes 123 different habitat types.

The ISPRA documentary protagonist of the Allumiere event "Female geology. Female scientists on the move"

Saturday 30 November and Saturday 14 December 2024, MAK Museo di Allumiere
Two days dedicated to scientific reading geology for women | Scientists on the move
1st Reading | Mary Anning. An unusual life carved in stone
2nd Reading | Mary Anning. Strange creatures, those with gigantic bones from the Lyme coast.
During both events the ISPRA video documentary filmed during the scientific trekking organized on the occasion of the national mining day 2024 in the Allumiere Monti della Tolfa archaeological geomining park will be screened.

LIFE REEForest project: monitoring of grasslands in Cystoseira

At Punta Licosa, within the Santa Maria di Castellabate MPA (Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park), monitoring of the Cystoseira prairies was carried out from 4 to 8 November by ISPRA researchers. The intervention was carried out as part of WP4 of the LIFE REEForest project (Restoration of Cystoseira macroalgal FORESTs to enhance biodiversity along Mediterranean rocky REEFs), co-financed by the EU “LIFE21-NAT-IT REEForest/101074309”, aimed at restoration and habitat recovery in Cystoseira (Habitat 1170).

In particular, within the project, ISPRA carries out activities aimed at mapping the distribution and monitoring of the habitat in Cystoseira, processing high-quality images acquired using remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and other monitoring techniques along the coasts of the Park National team of Cilento Vallo di Diana and Alburni.

The forgotten soil: challenges and opportunities for rural and forestry areas

The event aims to start a dialogue on the topic of the abandonment of marginal lands and the progressive expansion of forest areas. Our objective is to evaluate together with experts the socio-economic and environmental implications of this phenomenon and discuss possible innovative strategies for the sustainable management of territorial resources.

The PNRR activities for the digitalisation of parks begin with the study of the "rebel" habitats of the Pantelleria Island National Park

From 15 to 17 October at the Pantelleria Island National Park we talked about "rebel" habitats, i.e. those habitats that resist particular extreme ecological conditions, climate change and anthropic impact.

This was done by ISPRA researchers as part of the PNRR Project "DigitAP - Digitalization of Protected Areas", starting the floristic-vegetation data collection activities on the island.

The Pantelleria Island National Park represents an excellent example of a Mediterranean environment with species and habitats protected by the Habitats Directive and numerous endemic species, i.e. species present exclusively on the island, such as Limonium secundirameum, a small plant that grows only along the coasts of Lake Bagno dell'Acqua or Limonium cossyrensis, present only along the rocky coasts of the island

Brainstorm One Planet. One Water. One Health

The Forum One Health

The event is organized with the aim of offering participants a space for independent and international discussion and to encourage discussion on issues related to the effective introduction of a holistic approach to the resolution of complex problems. By recognizing the multiplicity and interconnection between the various dimensions of environmental and health problems, transdisciplinarity offers the advantage of crossing the boundaries that separate paradigms, rigid institutional norms and anachronistic disciplinary fences.

Presentation of the Report "L'Italia che ricicla"

This year "L'Italia che Ricicla" takes place in a context of intense regulatory ferment, both at community level, with the revision of the Framework Directive on waste, and at national level, where a revision of the Legislative Decree is expected. n. 152/2006. This represents a great opportunity to shift the focus of the sector from "waste management" to "product production", creating the conditions for creating markets for secondary raw materials that express value and that allow the principles of the circular economy to be implemented all over the world within an economic system that is aligned with the environmental benefits deriving from the re-introduction into production circuits of products derived from waste.

Antarctica, ISPRA participates in the 40th Italian research expedition

Among the over 140 researchers who have arrived on the most extreme continent, there is also the geologist Saverio Romeo of ISPRA, working until mid-December at the "Mario Zucchelli" Station. This is one of the two Italian research bases present in the area which, together with the Italian-French Concordia base, have been operating within the National Antarctic Research Program (Pnra) since 1985.

Water resources are decreasing in Italy: in 2023 annual water availability decreased by 18.4% compared to the average

Sicily Region with the least rainfall, Friuli Venezia Giulia the rainiest

The ISPRA Report "National hydrological balance: BIGBANG estimates and indicators on water resources" has been published

In 2023, the total annual precipitation relating to the national territory, with almost 924 mm, corresponding to approximately 280 billion cubic metres, recorded an increase of 28.5% compared to 2022, the year in which the peak was reached with approximately 719 mm. historic low from 1951 to today. However, compared with the average precipitation over the long period 1951-2023 (almost 950 mm), that of 2023 is slightly decreasing.

Why this increase compared to 2022? Mainly due to the high volume of rainfall in the month of May 2023, estimated at almost 163 mm, around 49 billion cubic metres, which was, at a national level, more than double what on average characterizes the same month (around 23 billion cubic meters in the long term).

This is what emerges from the assessments produced by ISPRA through the BIGBANG model which provides the national hydrological balance, the quantitative picture of the water resource and, more generally, the hydrological situation in 2023, reconstructing trends and differences compared to the long-term average values ​​of 1951 -2023 and the thirty-year climatological period 1991-2020.

BIGBANG estimates show that in 2023 the contribution to aquifer recharge in Italy was 53 billion cubic meters (corresponding to 19% of rainfall), compared to an annual average of 22.7% over the period 1951–2023. The amount of precipitation that was transformed into surface runoff - that is to say that it did not infiltrate or was not retained by the ground - is estimated at approximately 66 billion cubic metres, corresponding to 23.7% of the precipitation, compared at an average annual rate of just over 25% over the long term. The share of evapotranspiration reached 59.4% of precipitation, compared to the long-term annual average which amounts to approximately 52%. This was caused by the high temperatures, higher than the reference climatological averages, which also occurred in 2023

National hydrological balance: BIGBANG estimates and indicators on water resources. Update to 2023

Model BIGBANG