Events and News

ISPRA participates in the CNR's PER24 oceanographic campaign

In the second half of October ISPRA will participate in the PER24 oceanographic campaign with the Gaia Blu research vessel in the southern Adriatic Sea.
The campaign, aimed at carrying out scientific activities to evaluate the changes induced by human activity on marine ecosystems, is part of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). PER24 is multidisciplinary and involves various CNR institutes, the University of Marche and other scientific institutes. Its aim is to collect data that can improve the understanding of Good Environmental Status (GES) indicators in biotic and abiotic matrices, and of the processes that modify these GES, following the MSFD guidelines. This profound knowledge will help policy-makers, stakeholders and other operators in the public and private sector to develop intervention methods for improving the environmental state of marine ecosystems.

ISPRA partecipates to the ARTEMIS project

ARTEMIS aims to promote the restoration and conservation of seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean, thanks to the development and implementation of innovative protocols and through the use of particular financial instruments to support such interventions, such as PES (Payments for Ecosystem Services).

Through four pilot projects in the EU-MED area, ARTEMIS aims to provide tangible results for the valorization of marine natural heritage, with initiatives ranging from the transplantation of seagrass beds in damaged areas to their protection, conservation and maintenance.

ISPRA will contribute to the project as a "scientific partner", making its skills and experience available to the consortium on the restoration of Posidonia oceanica meadows, on the evaluation of the ecosystem services provided by these meadows and on the synergies between best practices and governance models which will contribute to achieving the objectives of ARTEMIS.

The Hydrographic Units in support of the PNRR-MER projects

In the field of marine protection of the seabed and the restoration of maritime and coastal ecosystems, the Navy has always been a protagonist and continues to demonstrate great presence and commitment. With the new collaboration agreement signed between the Italian Navy (MMI) - Istituto Idrografico della Marina (IIM) and ISPRA, a massive large-scale bathymetric mapping intervention is now underway along the entire Italian coasts. There are many objectives pursued within the project.
Among the most ambitious are the mapping and monitoring of coastal habitats, the updating of the national tide gauge network and the creation of a national network of offshore buoys for the observation of wave motion and marine currents, the restoration of Posidonia meadows oceanica and the use of innovative topographic and bathymetric mapping systems capable of reducing acquisition times and therefore creating new study and work opportunities.

Planet Earth Festival

Natural communities

For the third year Lucca is the theater of the Planet Earth Festival, directed by Stefano Mancuso, conceived, designed and organized by Editori Laterza.
With over 90 meetings and more than 100 guests - scientists, anthropologists, philosophers, economists, writers, artists and innovators - the event takes place from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 October 2024, in some of the most evocative places in the city.
For the second year ISPRA has granted its patronage and participates in the event with 2 interactive lessons held by our researchers.

Conference "A change in the water: the fate of seas and oceans under climate and pollution"

ISPRA is participating at the conference "A change in the water: the fate of seas and oceans under climate and pollution" that will be held in Paris. In this occasion ISPRA will present the project PNRR MER and two exhibitions “20,000 nets under the sea” and “Carrie, a brave turtle in a changing world” will be set up. The topics addressed are the impact of plastics and microplastics on the marine environment.

Pollution, an integrated sea-coast response

Level 2 emergency management meetings
As part of an agreement between MASE and ISPRA, a project was launched on operational synergies deriving from the "MiTE anti-pollution plan" and national and local planning, which address the response methods, at sea and on the coast, in the event of pollution accidental events caused by spills of petroleum products and dangerous and noxious chemical substances (HNS).

The European Night of Researchers returns on 27 and 28 September: the edition 2024 of NET - scieNcE Together

The edition 2024 of the European Night of Researchers is dedicated to Maria Skłodowska Curie, a pioneer in the field of radioactivity.

A journey into science that celebrates the first person in history to win two Nobel Prizes through workshops, events and shows organized in Italy and abroad by twelve national research bodies and universities with the NET - scieNcE Together project.
The researchers from the main public research bodies and universities in our country that make up the NET network will conduct workshops, in-person and virtual tours, games and experiments, interactive conferences to bring adults and children closer to science. During the appointments, in fact, participants will have the opportunity to interact directly with male and female scientists, participate in interactive experiments and attend live scientific demonstrations, making science a fun and engaging experience for everyone, from children to adults.

Further information; https://www.scienzainsieme.it/

Press release NET – scieNcE Together

Photo gallery

New Study Investigates Spatial Risk Exposure of Floating Marine Litter to Cetaceans and Sea Turtles

Marine debris has become a constant threat to marine species, with ingestion or entanglement being among the main threath for cetaceans and sea turtles. Understanding promptly where and when this threat is most severe is essential for identifying priorities and focusing conservation and mitigation efforts.

ISPRA participates in the NaturArte Festival

NaturArte is a green festival on wellbeing and sustainability, organized by the Sintonia and Initinere association with the patronage of the Lazio Region and the municipality of Trevignano Romano. On 21 and 22 September, workshops, laboratories, conferences, sports and initiatives will be held aimed at spreading natural well-being and a healthy and eco-sustainable lifestyle.

Launch Event: AQuaBioS - The sea farm: for organic and sustainable aquaculture

The launch event of AQuaBioS, the sea farm: for organic and sustainable aquaculture (INTERREG ITALIA – FRANCE MARITTIMO 2021 – 2027) will be held on Thursday 12 September from 10:00 am at the ISPRA headquarters in Livorno.

The AQuaBioS project promotes the development of sustainable aquaculture through the creation of a network between research centers and companies in the sector, based on the use of the natural food chain for the feeding, growth and reproduction of marine organisms of business interest, naturalistic and scientific.

Summer school of Geomorphology, Ecology and Biology in marine and insular environments

ISPRA, in collaboration with the Department of Engineering and Geology of the “G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara and the Department of Earth Sciences of Sapienza, University of Rome, organize the V Summer School of Geomorphology, Ecology and Biology in marine and insular environments - Asinara Island, 9-14 September 2024 with the patronage of the Italian Geological Society and its Marine Geology Section, of the Italian Association of Geomorphology (AIGEO), of the Asinara National Park, of the “Isola dell'Asinara” Marine Protected Area and of the Municipality of Porto Torre

Field activities have started to update the analyzes of marine sediments in the Augusta Bay

Field activities began on Monday 2 September aimed at updating the concentrations of contaminants beyond which it will be necessary to provide interventions for the recovery of marine sediments in the Augusta Bay.
ARPA Sicilia, with the coordination of ISPRA, is proceeding with the sampling of marine sediments from the seabed of the important site of Sicilian national interest.
The operations are carried out within the framework of the Agreement between the Sicilian Region, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and ISPRA which sees - in addition to the participation of the staff of the "Oceanography and Nautical Vessels" Organizational Unit of ARPA Sicily - the operational and CNR - Institute for the study of anthropogenic impacts and sustainability in the marine environment (IAS-CNR) and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS).
The detailed operational plan in fact involves the determination of the various parameters of interest present in the sediments, but also the study of the transfer of contaminants in marine organisms through specific scientific fishing campaigns and the monitoring of filter-feeding organisms such as bivalve molluscs (mussel watch).

PNRR WED – Complete mapping of the italian coast and coastal habitats launch of the WebGis platform – Cloud

The PNRR MER project is an ambitious initiative that aims to map the entire Italian coast in detail, both the emerged and submerged parts. The project's coverage area extends up to 800 meters landward and up to 50 meters depth at sea, including the boundaries of marine protected areas and Natura 2000 sites.

A crucial element of the project is the development of a WebGIS – Cloud platform, currently in beta version, which allows access to the collected data and real-time monitoring of mapping activities.

Marine alien species - CapSenHAR project

The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is constantly evolving, colonized by expanding species that arrive through natural corridors, such as the Strait of Gibraltar, and by non-indigenous or alien species that are introduced through anthropogenic activities such as maritime traffic, aquaculture and the aquarium hobby or which arrive through artificial corridors such as the Suez Canal. The success of new species may be favored by climate change and/or altered environmental conditions. Some of these may become invasive and pose a threat to the environment, cause damage to the economy or represent a danger to human health.

PNRR MER - Integral mapping of the Italian coast and coastal habitats. Intervention A16-A18 and coastline

The PNRR MER project aims to fully map the Italian coast, both the emerged and submerged parts. The area covered includes the coast up to 800 meters towards land and up to 50 meters deep at sea, extending to the borders of marine protected areas and Natura 2000 sites.

The mapping of coastal habitats is carried out via aerial flights equipped with Topographic LiDAR sensors, which create a 3D "digital atlas" of the Italian coast. This survey, which covers 7,500 km of coastline, will provide useful data for the analysis and protection of species and habitats.

The detection takes place with a specific Topographic LiDAR sensor mounted on an aircraft, flying at an average altitude of 2,800 meters. The images collected will be used to model the coast and support habitat protection and coastal defense strategies. The campaign is already underway in several regions of Liguria, Toscana, Lazio and Campania and the data will be available starting from autumn 2024.

The project aims to strengthen the monitoring of Italian marine and coastal ecosystems, providing detailed information on the morphology of the coast and supporting decisions for the protection of coastal infrastructure.

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LIFE Conceptu Maris - LIFE project of the month on the MASE website

IFE Conceptu Maris: CONservation of CEtaceans and Pelagic sea TUrtles in Med: Managing Actions for their Recovery In Sustainability”

With their movements in the open sea in the Mediterranean, cetaceans and sea turtles find themselves dealing with a growing number of threats, including plastic pollution, maritime traffic and commercial fishing.

Marine alien species - CapSenHAR project

The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is constantly evolving, colonized by expanding species that arrive through natural corridors, such as the Strait of Gibraltar, and by non-indigenous or alien species that are introduced through anthropogenic activities such as maritime traffic, aquaculture and the aquarium hobby or which arrive through artificial corridors such as the Suez Canal. The success of new species may be favored by climate change and/or altered environmental conditions. Some of these may become invasive and pose a threat to the environment, cause damage to the economy or represent a danger to human health.

More than 400 nests of Caretta Caretta marine turtle in Italy

To date more than 400 nests of Caretta Caretta marine turtles have been observed in Italy, mainly in Sicily, Calabria, Campania and Apulia Region. The activities of beach patrolling looking for traces and turtle nests are going on by hundreds of volunteers. Once identified, the nests are made safe to be protected against damages. These activities require significant time and efforts but are well rewarded by the great emotion aroused with the hatching of eggs. Life TURTLENEST Project of which ISPRA is a partner has signed more than 100 Memoranda of Understanding with administrations and protected areas interested in the adoption of indications provided by Legambiente, project coordinator, for a responsible management of beaches as potential nesting areas.

Beached Posidonia, sustainable methods for active management

The national workshop on the topic of management of beached Posidonia oceanica entitled will be held on Wednesday 24 July 2024 at the headquarters of the Cilento Vallo Diano and Alburni National Park in Castellabate. “Beached Posidonia, sustainable methods for active management”. Participating in the event are the beneficiaries of the LIFE SeaForest project "Posidonia meadows as carbon sinks of the Mediterranean", but also public institutions, scientific research and the business world, which in various capacities have developed experiences on this topic.

The project PNRR MER in the Italian Tv channel TG1

The Director General of ISPRA, Maria Siclari, was a guest this morning on TG1 to talk about the activities of the MER - Marine Ecosystem Restoration Project.

MER is the largest project on the sea as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which sees ISPRA as the implementing body and the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security as the administration in charge of the 400 million Euro financing for 2022- 2026. The MER provides for interventions for the restoration and protection of the seabed and marine habitats, the strengthening of the national observation system of marine and coastal ecosystems and the mapping of coastal and marine habitats of conservation interest in Italian waters with the acquisition of a new naval oceanographic unit, equipped with highly technological equipment capable of probing the seabed up to 4000 m and very high resolution acoustic instrumentation.

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Alien species in our seas

The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is constantly evolving, colonized by range-expanding species that arrive through natural corridors, such as the Strait of Gibraltar, and by non-indigenous species or alien species that are introduced by anthropic activities or arrive through artificial corridors such as the Suez passage; some of these species can also be dangerous to human health as they are toxic for consumption or poisonous on contact.

In order to provide support to sea users for the recognition of new species potentially observable and fishable in our seas, including those dangerous to human health, a new booklet has been created, an updated version of the 2021 edition.

Any reports that will be sent to researchers will also contribute to monitoring the distribution and spread of these species in our waters.

Ministerial Conference of the G7 Science and Technology "Health and coastal resilience of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean"

The ministerial conference of the G7 Science and Technology entitled "Health and coastal resilience of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean" took place on 11 July in the spaces of the Tecnopolo of Bologna.
The event, organized by the Ministry of University and Research in concert with the European Commission as part of the Italian Presidency of the G7, turned the spotlight on the topic of health and resilience to extreme climate events in the coastal environments of the macro-region Mediterranean and Atlantic.

From marine plankton, microorganisms capable of degrading bioplastics

For the first time, thanks to the collaboration with the University of Pisa (Departments of Civil and Industrial Engineering and Biology), Aquarium-Costa Edutainment S.p.A, Azienda Servizi Ambientali ASA SpA of Livorno, Zhejiang Ocean University (ZJOU) and the joint Sino-Italian Laboratory ZJOU-ISPRA, it has been demonstrated that the microbiome associated with plankton, reared in the ISPRA laboratories, is able to metabolise plastics used in the marine environment, in a relatively short time and at ambient temperature. These encouraging results lead to new hypotheses for the biotechnological utilisation of marine plankton, particularly in the fight against bioplastic pollution and the transformation of contaminated marine matrices (bioremediation).

International Mediterranean Sea Day

The Mediterranean is a sea of ​​wonders, history, culture and beauty to be protected and enhanced: a heritage that is celebrated on 8 July through an International Day. With the PNRR's MER (Marine Ecosystem Restoration) project, ISPRA is building a laboratory to map, restore and protect one of the richest - and most fragile - marine ecosystems on our planet with the aim of safeguarding its biodiversity and handing it over to future generations .
The mapping of coastal habitats is already being developed thanks to the LiDAR sensor, one of the pillars on which this program is based which intends to trace the seabed on 7,500 km of coast, surveying over 70 seamounts and investigating remote and unknown areas.
Another highlight: the new oceanographic vessel, the result of joint work carried out thanks to the precious collaboration with the Navy, which will be able to carry out monitoring activities in deep waters.
To support monitoring activities, ISPRA is building the Mobile Oceanographic Research Unit (UMRO), a sentinel van, to monitor the state of the sea, the field of surface currents and measurement of the depth of the coastal seabed.
The strengthening of sea level measuring stations in the lagoons of Venice and Marano Grado is also underway to predict extreme events and support coastal risk management.
All data collected will be accessible through an information platform, allowing mitigation measures to be planned to address the challenges posed by climate change in the Mediterranean Sea

Objective 30x30 - Protect 30 percent of Italian seas by 2030

"Mare Caldo" the new report by Greenpeace Italia presented

The results of the report were presented this morning in Genoa, on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, during the conference “Objective 30x30 - Protect 30 percent of Italian seas by 2030” organized as part of the “There is di mezzo il mare”, on the eve of International Mediterranean Sea Day which will take place on 8 July.

Sea Essence International Festival

Sea Essence International Festival, the international festival dedicated to the protection and valorization of the sea and its essence, will be held in Marciana Marina from 28 to 30 June.
This year's edition is dedicated to the theme of "Connections" in all its forms: cultural, environmental, economic and social.

The monk seal in the Tuscan Archipelago: past and present

As part of the "La natura al centro" Festival, a conference dedicated to the monk seal in the Tuscan Archipelago will be held on 27 June.
ISPRA researchers will illustrate the characteristics of this rare marine mammal, of which fewer than 700 specimens survive in the wild, which in recent years has returned to the waters of the Archipelago.

The evolution of Italian beaches in ISPRA monitoring of the coastal strip

The coastal structure in the updating of the ISPRA information layers dedicated to beaches

A fundamental element for the planning and management of coastlines is the knowledge of long-term coastal evolution, due to the action of the sea, anthropic activity and climate change. The Italian coastal strip plays a strategic role for the socio-economic development of the country.

The constant monitoring of the evolution of the natural and anthropic elements that determine the Italian coastal structure by ISPRA through the updating of the digitalisation and environmental characterization of the national coasts allows us to have a constantly updated picture of the Italian coastal system.

On 26 June during the event entitled "The evolution of Italian beaches in ISPRA monitoring of the coastal strip" the update of the information layers dedicated to beaches will be presented, an important step in understanding the evolution of the beach resource.

Press release and graphs

Programm

Sea and lakes: 95% of Italian bathing waters are excellent

The excellence of Italian bathing waters will also be confirmed in 2024. On the basis of the monitoring activities of the National Environmental Protection System, the classification of the stretches of coast used for bathing has been updated. The results show that 5,090 km of marine stretches (95.6% of the monitored coast) are included in the "excellent" quality class, the highest foreseen by the European classification system. If we also add the sections with a "good" classification (153 kilometres, equal to 2.9% of the total) we arrive at 98.5%. Furthermore, 32 km (0.6%) fall into the "sufficient" quality class, 44 km into "poor" quality (0.8%).

Strategy for the marine environment. Public consultation 2024

On 14 June 2024, in implementation of the art. 16 of Legislative Decree 190/2010, the public consultation has been opened for the update of the Environmental Assessment, the definition of Good Environmental Status (GES) and the definition of the Environmental Goals (Targets) of the Marine Strategy Directive (Directive 2008 /56/EC) referred to in articles. 8, 9 and 10 of Legislative Decree 190/2010, for each of the 11 Descriptors of the Marine Strategy, prepared by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security with the technical-scientific support of ISPRA, as well involving other central and local Administrations represented in the Technical Committee referred to in article 5 of Legislative Decree 190/2010.