In Modena, on 7 May: the event “Alien animals and the conservation of native fauna”
At the heart of the event is one of the main threats to global biodiversity: the introduction of alien species, which can compete with, prey on, or transmit diseases to native organisms. This highlights the need to promote widespread awareness and implement targeted actions to ensure the conservation of our natural resources and the wellbeing of habitats.
The symposium is organised within the framework of the international LIFE URCA PROEmys project (URgent Conservation Actions PRO Emys orbicularis in Italy and Slovenia; https://www.urcaproemys.eu/il-progetto/), co-financed by the European Union. The aim of the project is to improve the conservation status of the native European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis).
This species is endangered due to both the disappearance or degradation of its natural habitats and the presence of invasive alien animals, first and foremost the well-known American pond slider “Trachemys scripta” . The project includes habitat restoration, control of competing alien species, and the release into the wild of Emys orbicularis individuals bred in purpose-built reproduction centres.
Two and a half years since its launch, the LIFE project has achieved significant results, including the development of an Integrated Management Plan for the conservation of Emys orbicularis, which has received a favourable opinion from ISPRA (Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research).
LIFE URCA PROEmys, coordinated by WWF Italy, brings together various Italian and Slovenian partners, including, alongside Unimore, the University of Florence, the University of Pisa, Costa Edutainment - Aquarium of Genoa, the BioNaturalist Study Centre Srl, the Lombardy Ticino Valley Park, and the Managing Authority for the Parks and Biodiversity of Central Emilia.
“Our project,” say Professor Antonio Todaro and Dr Matteo Dal Zotto, organisers of the event, “also includes training and awareness-raising activities, aimed both at enhancing the knowledge of professionals in the field and, above all, at fostering widespread awareness of the causes behind the disappearance of many native species and the challenges, including financial ones, encountered in combating this phenomenon.
In this regard, a key point of this aspect of the LIFE project is its focus on students enrolled in degree programmes oriented towards scientific communication. As future teachers, they will be able to pass this knowledge on to their own students, creating a multiplier effect. At our University, the main courses involved are the Master’s Degrees in Science Education and Communication and in Biosciences.”
The symposium will also include a presentation on another European conservation project: LIFE CLAW, aimed at protecting the native Italian white-clawed crayfish “Austropotamobius pallipes”, which is threatened by the spread of Procambarus clarkii, also known as the red swamp crayfish or “killer crayfish”.
The event on 7 May is part of the synergistic efforts between the Department of Life Sciences and the Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences at Unimore, aimed at training future professionals in the field and at the essential task of engaging and raising awareness among the public, who play a key role in biodiversity conservation and environmental stewardship.
For further information, please contact the organisers: Prof. Antonio Todaro (antonio.todaro@unimore.it) and Dr Matteo Dal Zotto (matteo.dalzotto@unimore.it) at the Department of Life Sciences.
Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng
Articolo pubblicato da: Ufficio Stampa Unimore - ufficiostampa@unimore.it