The forms of biodiversity: actions and systems for a new European citizenship

The Venice headquarters of the Institute of Marine Sciences of the National Research Council (CNR) hosted on December 18 the event “The Forms of Biodiversity: Actions and Systems for a New European Citizenship.” Jointly organized by CNR and the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC)—Italy’s first research center dedicated to biodiversity and funded by the PNRR—with the presence of Magdalena Landry, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Culture in Europe.

Discussions emphasized the importance of communicating the concept of biodiversity and the role of scientific research in its preservation. Biodiversity protection is a pressing and complex challenge for the scientific community, requiring various skills to address issues ranging from nature conservation to pollution control, ecosystem rehabilitation, and planetary sustainability.

A special focus was given to the Biodiversity Gateway, a digital platform that combines physical and digital elements to offer research services aimed at preserving and enhancing biodiversity, making these services accessible and attractive to society. The Biodiversity Gateway, Italy’s first portal dedicated to biodiversity, was launched during the event and is available here.

The event also marked the signing of a Partnership Agreement on “Culture of Biodiversity and Ocean Literacy” between CNR and UNESCO, represented by Magdalena Landry, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Culture in Europe. This collaboration aims to support Ocean Literacy and scientific dissemination while protecting local biodiversity.

Additionally, the “CNR Prize for Citizen Science: Guglielmo Marconi Library” was awarded during the event. This second edition, organized in collaboration with NBFC, recognized initiatives in biodiversity conservation, restoration, monitoring, and enhancement. The 2024 winners are:

• Marco Salvemini (Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II) for the “STOPTIGRE” project, which between 2020 and 2024 combated the presence of the Asian tiger mosquito on the island of Procida through entomological monitoring involving residents, schools, local associations, and the island’s administration, as well as planning targeted interventions to control insect populations.
• Maddalena de Virgilio (CNR – Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources) for the “Seaty Lab-Citizen science for the census and characterization of marine biodiversity along the urban coast” project. Conducted in collaboration with volunteers from the Sea Observatory in Molfetta (Bari), the project aimed to census marine-coastal biodiversity by monitoring the health of Posidonia oceanica meadows—a marine plant at risk throughout the Mediterranean—and the dynamics of Ostreopsis ovata blooms, an alga responsible for summer intoxications among beachgoers.

Both projects received a financial contribution of €9,000 each.