The Venice headquarters of the National Research Council’s Institute of Marine Sciences hosted on December 18 “The Forms of Biodiversity. Actions and Systems for a New European Citizenship,” an event aimed at providing a broad overview of the topic of biodiversity, jointly organized by the CNR and the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Italy’s first research center dedicated to biodiversity, funded by the PNRR.
Opened by the greetings of CNR President Maria Chiara Carrozza and NBFC President Luigi Fiorentino, the eventwas moderated and conducted by Corriere della Sera correspondent and columnist Massimo Sideri, who stimulated the parterre of speakers to provide answers on the importance of telling and raising awareness of the concept of biodiversity, and the role that scientific research can play in its preservation.
“The protection of biodiversity, which is essential for our Planet, is one of the most pressing and complex challenges that, as a scientific community, we are called to face,” Carrozza said. “It is a highly multidisciplinary field, bringing together different expertise in the common goal of identifying new avenues, technologies and methodologies to address issues ranging from nature conservation to the fight against pollution, from the redevelopment and protection of ecosystems to improving the sustainability of the planet. A challenge that requires courage and vision, and which must go hand in hand with an ever-increasing awareness of its strategic importance for society as a whole.”
NBFC President Luigi Fiorentino highlighted the strategic nature of the national center in terms of governance, coordination, integration and complementarity among the various universities and research centers, and finally in terms of transversality on strategic actions, such as, for example, education, internationalization and communication. In addition, he highlighted, the strategic lines for the future of the Center, approved by the Board of Directors, which will form the basis for the discussion that will open with the members. The importance of looking to the future, according to Fiorentino, is also linked to the need to safeguard the more than 600 men and women researchers hired by the National Biodiversity Center under the PNRR.
A special focus was devoted to the Biodiversity Science Gateway, the digital platform created as part of the National Biodiversity Future Center’s Spoke 8 activities under CNR responsibility and in close collaboration with all project partners. Presented by Cnr-Ismar Director Mario Sprovieri together with Federica Foglini (Cnr-Ismar researcher) and Donatella Spano (Spoke Leader NBFC), the platform combines physical and digital elements to offer research services focused on the preservation and enhancement of biodiversity, with the aim of making these services visible, attractive and accessible to the whole society. “The Biodiversity Science Gateway is the major infrastructure created by NBFC to connect biodiversity science research with society, and whose preparation activities will be completed by December 2025. It is enriched with a site open to all, the Biodiversity Gateway, released today at the link https://biodiversitygateway.it/, the first Italian portal dedicated to biodiversity, which aims to represent a ‘gateway’ to the best results of research and innovation, so that they become a tangible value for citizens, innovators and institutions,” said CNR-Ismar Director Mario Sprovieri.
The event was also an opportunity to illustrate CNR’s commitment to the topic at the international level. During the meeting, in fact, two important subscriptions were formalized: one is the accession the Mission Charter “Restore our Ocean and Waters,” the EU’s mission to protect and restore the health of our oceans and waters through research and innovation. Present on behalf of the EU was Elisabetta Balzi (Head of Unit, DG RTD, European Commission), who gave a speech on “The involvement of key actors for the implementation of the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission – The Mediterranean Lighthouse and the Mission Charter.”
The second signing dealt with the Partnership Agreement “Culture of Biodiversity and Ocean Literacy,” in the presence of Magdalena Landry (director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Culture in Europe), who explained the importance of joint programs dedicated to the culture of biodiversity and the theme of Ocean Literacy: “Through this collaboration with CNR-Ismar, we intend to achieve several key objectives that are integral not only to our mission at UNESCO, but to our surrounding area. This important partnership will contribute significantly to supporting Ocean Literacy and science outreach while protecting our rich local biodiversity,” he said. During the event, the “CNR Prize for Citizen Science: Guglielmo Marconi Library,” the second edition of the award conceived by the CNR through the Planning, Programming and Central Library Unit and the Communication Unit, organized this year in collaboration with NBFC with the aim of rewarding Citizen Science initiatives in the field of biodiversity conservation, restoration, monitoring and enhancement, was also awarded. The Award Committee, chaired by Massimo Sideri, decreed as winners of the 2024 edition:
Marco Salvemini (Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II) with “STOPTIGRE,” a project that between 2020 and 2024 has made it possible to combat the presence of the Asian tiger mosquito on the island of Procida both through an intense entomological monitoring activity that involved residents, schools, local associations as well as the island’s administration, and through the planning of a targeted intervention to control insect populations;
Maddalena de Virgilio (CNR – Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources) with the project “Seaty Lab-Citizen science for the census and characterization of marine biodiversity along the urban coast.” conducted in collaboration with volunteers from the Sea Observatory in Molfetta (Bari) with the aim of censusing the city’s marine-coastal biodiversity by monitoring in particular the health status of Posidonia oceanica meadows, a marine plant at risk throughout the Mediterranean, and the dynamics of Ostreopsis ovata blooms, an alga responsible for annoying summer poisoning for beachgoers.
Both award-winning projects will receive a cash contribution of 9,000 euros each.
Information:
Mario Sprovieri
DirectorCnr-Ismar
direttore@ismar.cnr.it
Federica Foglini, Cnr-Ismar, email: federica.foglini@cnr.it
Press Office:
Francesca Gorini
Press office Cnr
francesca.gorini@cnr.it
Press office unit manager
Emanuele Guerrini
emanuele.guerrini@cnr.it
ufficiostampa@cnr.it
06 4993 3383
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