Handbooks and guidelines

The Mediterranean trout, included in Annex II of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC, is a key species of aquatic ecosystems for its role at the top of the trophic networks of the Apennine, island and hill mountain watercourses.

The Guidelines are the result of a synergic action from Authors with different skills and from different Institutes. The document provides an overview of the existing tools to characterize the variability of turbidity in different marine areas (i.e. coastal, confined coastal and offshore).

On MASE’s request ISPRA has elaborated a guideline in order to define criteria to assess long term trend analysis of those priority substances that tend to accumulate in sediment and/or biota.

In the framework of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), this Guideline was developed by the National Working Group for the identification and classification of the ecological potential of heavily modified water bodies (HMWB) and artificial water bodies (AWB) for coastal and transitional waters.

These "Guidelines for the census and monitoring of macromycetes in Italy" are the result of the commitment and involvement of the many participants in the Open Science initiative of the Network for the study of mycological diversity (NMD).

The monitoring of hydrogeological risk mitigation measures, that ISPRA has been carrying out for more than twenty-five years on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), highlights that in many cases measures planning and design does not take into account adequately the typological characteristics of the hazards and the relationships between them and the elements exposed to risk in the area

One of the main activities of the Conservation Genetic Department, in ISPRA, consists in enforcing the rules of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) with the aim of identifying any illicit trades of endangered species. The genetic analyses are the basic stone in verifying whether specimens are legally owned by authorised breeders or if there are inconsistencies with the birth declarations and/or any suspected illegal collection of specimens from the wild. For these reasons, a correct biological sample collection protocol is pivotal in ensuring the reliability of the results and requires trained personnel.

These guidelines present a collection of recommendations and best practices to be used for preventing and controlling the spread of some of the most common invasive plant species in Mediterranean islands and coastal areas. Along with operational guidance, they provide an overview of the basic concepts of plant invasion biology, regulatory references, and management techniques, to disseminate knowledge and share good practices. 

The Black rat (Rattus rattus) is one of the most globally widespread invasive species, having successfully colonized all continents thanks to human transportation. The species is known for its significant impact on human activities, public health and ecosystems, and it is included in the IUCN's list of the “100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species”.

This Guideline represents the completion of the previous ISPRA Report “The Sectoral Reference Document for EMAS” to which the sheets relating to the other Sectoral Reference Documents published by the European Commission have been added. The document intends to encourage EMAS registered organizations, as required by the European Regulation itself, to make a wider and more widespread use of the Sectoral Reference Documents, issued by the European Commission in order to identify and promote the best environmental management practices, environmental performance for specific sectors and, where appropriate, examples of excellence that make it possible to determine the levels of environmental performance.

This guideline takes the reader through the topic of climate change and its close interconnection with emission sources. Starting with the “Environmental Statements” of a sample of EMAS-certified power plants which produce electrical energy from fossil fuels it examines the CO 2 , NOx, CO and SO X emissions produced in the period between 2011 and 2019. The results show how the energy sector, thanks to the implementation of an Environmental Management System, can correctly manage air emissions and continuously improve on them.

This Manual explains the criteria and methods for carrying out the detailed zonation process in river water bodies, and provides indications for the correct definition of the expected local fish communities and alien species to be used in the NISECI calculation.

This Manual, which was developed within the context of the Agreement signed by ISPRA and Consorzio CINEAS on 25/09/2020, addresses the issue of fires at waste facilities under two different aspects – the prevention of environmental damage and the management of environmental emergencies – and aims to provide the authorities and the operators with a different view as to identify practices, solutions and proposals.

The implementation of numerical models of flow and transport of contaminants in groundwater is becoming increasingly important, either in the context of remediation procedures for contaminated sites with the purpose of defining and planning interventions for the safety and remediation of groundwater, and at the basin or sub-basin scale for the characterization and management of groundwater resources.  In this context, it is of primary importance that public administrations and control bodies, as auditors or reviewers of the models themselves, have a methodological reference that guides the implementation on the one hand, and the evaluation of numerical models on the other.  

Companies involved in offshore oil and gas production activities operating on the Italian continental shelf are required to carry out environmental monitoring in order to obtain information on the actual and potential environmental impacts of Produced Water (PW) discharged in the sea for the marine ecosystem. Such activities are regulated under D. Lgs. 152/2006 (art.104) and the guidelines are a result of an ISPRA advisory group appointed by the Environmental Ministry (now MITE).

Every year seagrass wrack (from Posidonia oceanica) is deposited along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. The use of beaches for tourism purposes currently involves the removal of these deposits, which are negatively considered by stakeholders.