Search results for "Directive"
showing 10 items of 308 documents
Modelling the Effects of Climate Change on the Supply of Inorganic Nitrogen
2009
Human-induced changes in the nitrogen cycle due to the increased use of artificial fertilisers, the cultivation of nitrogen-fixing crops and atmospheric deposition have made nitrogen pollution to surface waters a long-standing cause for concern. In Europe, legislation has been introduced to minimise the risk of water quality degradation from excessive nitrogen inputs e.g., the European Union Nitrates Directive (EU, 1991), Drinking Water Directive (EU, 1998) and Water Framework Directive (EU, 2000). Coastal regions in particular have been an important focus, since coastal eutrophication has been attributed to increased fluxes of nitrogen from the landscape (Howarth et al., 1996; Boesch et al…
Assessment of the conservation status of the mat-forming lichens Cladonia subgenus Cladina in Italy
2015
Cladina species are likely to suffer the impact of human pressure, resulting in a potential, as well as currently unknown, extinction risk for some of them. In this study, we used herbarium specimen data and literature data combined with geographic information system (GIS)-based analyses to assess the threatened status of Italian Cladina species according to IUCN criteria. A total of 485 records, reported during the period 1833–2013, were evaluated. Biological traits, habitat requirements and distribution patterns were used to infer species extinction risk. Extent of occurrence and area of occupancy have been calculated at the national scale, based on a 2 km × 2 km cell grid. The potential …
Conserving plant diversity in Europe: outcomes, criticisms and perspectives of the Habitats Directive application in Italy
2016
Habitat Directive is the core strategy of nature conservation in Europe aiming at halting biodiversity loss. In this study the results of the third Italian assessment regarding the conservation status (CS) of plants listed in the Habitat Directive (Flora of community interest—FCI) was presented. Data was collected from several sources related to plant distribution, population data, habitats and pressures. Following the official European procedure, all parameters were evaluated and combined to give the CS of each taxon in each biogeographical region of presence. A comparison between the recent Italian IUCN and Reporting assessments was performed in order to evaluate the consistency between t…
New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #16 to #20
2020
New data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3120, 3260, 6310, 9180* and 92A0 are reported in this contribution. In detail, 3 new occurrences in Natura 2000 Sites are presented and 5 new cells in the EEA 10 km x 10 km Reference grid are added. The new data refer to Italy and in particular to the Administrative Regions of Liguria, Sardinia, Sicily and Umbria. This issue of the section “Habitat records” includes an Errata corrige referring to the last released issue.
Assessing the potential of marine Natura 2000 sites to produce ecosystem‐wide effects in rocky reefs: A case study from Sardinia Island (Italy)
2019
A number of policy measures have been adopted to cope with ongoing ocean degradation. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are among them. MPAs and their coverage have increased worldwide, including in EU waters. Natura 2000 (Nat2000) sites are at the core of the EU biodiversity conservation strategy and have been established to protect habitats and species included in two EU directives. Besides their specific objectives, their potential to contribute to an ecosystem-wide conservation and their complementarity with other national and supranational initiatives (e.g. nationally established MPA networks, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Convention on Biological Diversity Ecosystem-Based A…
Zooplankton abundance: A neglected key element in the evaluation of reservoir water quality
2018
Abstract Based on our results, we propose the use of zooplankton abundance (density or biomass) as an indicator to complement the information currently being used concerning the quality of water in reservoirs. Until now, the Water Framework Directive (EU) for lakes and reservoirs has not included zooplankton because the classification of the water trophic state is based on a bottom-up model: an increase in nutrients implies an increase in primary producers and, therefore, poorer water quality. The use of zooplankton has recently been claimed due to their sensitivity to environmental changes and their control over primary producers. From our work, carried out from 2006 to 2009 (summer and wi…
Combining environmental DNA and species distribution modeling to evaluate reintroduction success of a freshwater fish
2019
Active species reintroduction is an important conservation tool when aiming for the restoration of biological communities and ecosystems. The effective monitoring of reintroduction success is a crucial factor in this process. Here, we used a combination of environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques and species distribution models (SDMs) to evaluate the success of recent reintroductions of the freshwater fish Alburnoides bipunctatus in central Germany. We built SDMs without and with eDNA presence data to locate further suitable reintroduction sites and potentially overlooked populations of the species. We successfully detected eDNA of A. bipunctatus at all reintroduction sites, as well as several a…
New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #21 to #25
2021
New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3170*, 6110*, 91E0*, 9320, 9330 are reported in this contribution. Specifically, one new occurrence in Natura 2000 sites is presented and six new cells are added in the European Environment Agency 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Sardinia, Sicily and Umbria.
Macrophyte assessment in European lakes: Diverse approaches but convergent views of ‘good’ ecological status
2018
Graphical abstract
Checklist of gypsophilous vascular flora in Italy
2018
Our understanding of the richness and uniqueness of the flora growing on gypsum substrates in Italy has grown significantly since the 19th century and, even today, new plant species are still being discovered. However, the plants and plant communities, growing on gypsum substrates in Italy, are still a relatively unknown subject. The main aim of this paper was to elaborate a checklist of the Italian gypsophilous flora, to increase knowledge about this peculiar flora and for which conservation efforts need to be addressed. Through a structured group communication process of experts (application of the Delphi technique), a remarkable number of experienced Italian botanists have joined togethe…