Search results for "Conservation"

I pantani di Anguillara (Calatafimi Segesta, Trapani): dati preliminari sulla biodiversità a supporto della tutela del biotopo

2016

Vengono presentati i risultati preliminari di una indagine multidisciplinare condotta in una zona umida nel territorio di Calatafimi Segesta in provincia di Trapani. L'area è di grande interesse per la presenza di rare specie animali e vegetali, di habitat minacciati tutelati da normative nazionali ed internazionali, ma anche perché è una delle ultime zone umide superstiti dell'entroterra trapanese. L'area ha subito in tempi recenti un pesante disturbo antropico che rischia di portare alla distruzione questo ambiente e il suo biota di pregio. Con questo contributo gli autori intendono supportare la richiesta di adeguata e urgente tutela del sito. Anguillara Ponds (Calatafimi Segesta, Trapan…

Fitting the Stocking Rate with Pastoral Resources to Manage and Preserve Mediterranean Forestlands: A Case Study

2015

Pasture practices have affected Mediterranean forest ecosystems for millennia, and they are still quite widespread in mountainous areas. Nevertheless, in the last decades, the stability of forest ecosystems has been jeopardized due to the abandonment of traditional agro-pastoral practices, so that the gradual reduction of open areas due to progressive succession processes has caused a high increase of grazing pressure by livestock and wild ungulates feeding on forest areas. This paper aims at showing a methodological approach for evaluating the effect of applying measures in order to improve the grazing value of grasslands and ecotonal patches and lower the grazing impact on native woodland…

The Management of Invasive Non-Native Trees in the Mediterranean Protected Areas: Sicily as a Case Study

2022

Invasive non-native trees (INNTs) are increasingly recognized to have negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services in protected areas. The management of INNTs is one of the major challenges to preserving native species and ecosystems, to which more and more efforts and resources are bound to be destined in the coming decades. Indeed, the combined effects of climate change and increasing disturbance factors (e.g. wildfires) are likely to aid the spread of many INNTs in the Mediterranean protected areas, as well as favouring their competitive relationships with native species. However, the effective implementation of control measures is far from being fully achieved. I assessed how…

Aggiornamento della check list degli uccelli della Riserva Naturale Orientata “Isole Dello Stagnone” (Sicilia)

2017

17 years after the publication of LO VALVO & MASSA (1999) the Check List of birds of the “Stagnone Islands” has been updated. The latest observations highlight the importance of the Nature Reserve as Important Birds Area (IBA).

Plant species richness, biogeographic and conservation interest of the vascular flora of the satellite islands of Sicily: patterns, driving forces an…

2013

The vascular flora has been investigated on about 60 of the approximately 100 islands and islets of the Sicilian archipelago. This paper provides detailed information on the number of exclusive, rare, or threatened vascular plants living on these islands and islets. Focusing on the 18 most-investigated islets, we evaluate the extent to which species richness, rate of endemism, number of alien plants, and number of terrestrial habitats have been influenced by 1) geographical setting, 2) geological history, 3) geo-pedological variability, 4) bioclimate, 5) number and patchiness of local plant communities, and 6) natural and human disturbance history and regime. Special attention is directed t…

Seasonal patterns in butterfly abundance and species diversity in five characteristic habitats in Sites of Community Importance in Sicily (Italy)

2015

Sicily (Italy) is one of the richest European regions in animal biodiversity. Butterflies offer good opportunities for studies on biodiversity , population and community ecology. Many species are strictly seasonal, preferring only a particular set of habitats. Five typical Mediterranean habitats: olive grove (conducted following organic farm management), mixed wood, ampelodesmos prairie (with dominance of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus), Mediterranean shrub and shrub at the coastal areas, were monitored for diversity and seasonal patterns in butterfly communities for 2 years. All habitats were inside protected areas indicated as Sites of Community Importance. Butterfly species richness was highe…

The role of chemical cues in the host finding behaviour of Trissolcus basalis from a Conservation Biological Control perspective

In assessing successful biological control programs by parasitoids, the knowledge of important traits, such as the host finding capability, i.e. the ability to find host and food resources, play the key role. Moreover, parasitoids in their natural environment parasitoids deal with a variable mixtures of natural cues. Some chemical cues are used by the wasps to locate their hosts, some ones drive wasps to feeding resources. The parasitoid response to these cues can fluctuate according to biotic factors and abiotic condition. This dissertation focus in details on the role of two important tools, such as selective flowering plants as food resources to add within a crop area and the traces left…

European Red List of Grasshoppers, Crickets and Bush-crickets

2016

The European Red List is a review of the conservation status of European species according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level, so that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This Red List publication summarises results for all hitherto described native European Orthoptera species (grasshoppers, crickets and bush-crickets). All Orthoptera species (grasshoppers, crickets and bushcrickets) native to or naturalised in Europe before AD 1500 (a total of 1,082 species), have been assessed in this Red List. The geographical scope is continent-wide, extending from Iceland in the…

SOILPRO: a LIFE+ project implementing soil monitoring and protection together with regional stakeholders of Sicily and Peloponnese.

2011

According to the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, the LIFE+ ENV/IT/00428 SOILPRO project (http://www.soilpro.eu) has the overall objective of slowing down the progress of soil degradation in EU Member States, and supporting local and regional authorities (LRAs) in the identification and monitoring of risk areas. The monitoring of the on-going soil degradation processes and the evaluation of different protection measures are realized through a web-based application (SMS – Soil Monitoring System), developed according to data and knowledge obtained from the different project partners. The SMS was initially applied on the whole Sicily (Italy) and Peloponnese (Greece) regions and then test…

Soil genetic erosion: a new concept for a new environmental challenge and a new soil paradigm

2018

The author proposes a new concept of soil erosion to shed new light on soil erosion an ecological environment conservation in order that politicians and administrators could pay great attention to preserve soil resources. A new concept of soil erosion is suggested by proposing ideas, explaining concepts, summarizing and case studies. The economic value should be assigned to the soil ecosystem services and the new concept of soil erosion that could be called “soil genetic erosion” is proposed. Soils are very diverse natural resources that positively affect and promote the economy of the social systems if they are maintained in good health.