Category: News

“Hic sunt leones“ is an expression used in cartography to describe unexplored, unknown territory. Similarly, the Hic Sunt Lupi project aims to understand the causes of a hitherto unknown situation: the wolf’s return to Salento (Italy).

Partners of this project are Regione Puglia, CNR-IRET, and the Sapienza University of Rome, which will implement it with the support of LifeWatch Italy, the National Biodiversity Future Center and the University of Salento.

In recent years, people have spotted several wolves in the Salento area. However, gathering data and understanding the situation better is crucial before taking any measures to manage this phenomenon. Where do they come from? Have they crossed with dogs?

Thanks to this project, researchers will start investigating and answering these and other questions. Data collected throughout the project will be hosted and made accessible to the scientific community through LifeWatch Italy web services, such as its Data Portal and MetaData Catalogue. Moreover, the Italian Node of the Research Infrastructure will also support citizens’ engagement thanks to its Citizen Science platform, where data coming from people’s observations will be collected, validated and hosted.

Why this project matters

“The wolf has a crucial role in local ecosystems” – explains Francesco Cozzoli, CNR-IRET researcher. Its presence can help renature heavily anthropised habitats in Salento. Also, it controls the populations of wild or feral animals like wild boar. Although it can be a catalyst for ecotourism, the presence of large carnivores can create management issues.

Francesco De Leo, researcher at the CNR-IRET, says it’s crucial to comprehensively understand the local situation: “The wolf is a mammal that adapts to changes in its environment, including its diet and habits”. This knowledge will be the foundation for an informed and effective management plan.

Therefore, the Hic Sunt Lupi project will systematically monitor the Salento area to determine the wolves’ demography, distribution and diet, mainly through photo-trapping and scat collection. This phase is aimed at mapping wolves’ population in the area. Furthermore, studying their genetics will help to understand their origin, most likely the nearby Apennines. Also, the analysis will provide information on their family structure and the degree of hybridisation with domestic dogs, thanks to molecular analysis technologies and spatial modelling.

“In an era in which human beings have colonised a large part of the habitats of wildlife, the issue of coexistence with large predators, such as bears and wolves, arises with increasing urgency. The latter has started re-populating Salento and its presence is arousing curiosity and concern. In order to find a solution, we need to put aside prejudices and ideologies and rely on research, on science. This is why I strongly wanted this project.” – says the regional Councillor for Environment, Anna Grazia Maraschio – “The first step we can take is to know, in as much detail as possible, its presence in the Salento area, so that we have the necessary tools for any assessment”.

We are excited to announce the launch of the sRedList platform. A collaboration between the sRedList working group and LifeWatch Italy, sRedList aims to simplify the work of experts in the process of assessing threatened species by providing reliable support and advanced analysis tools. sRedList offers easy and interactive access to different types of analysis, such as calculating range and expansion or reduction trends using observations already online or uploaded by the user, extracting the list of countries where the species is present, calculating trends in forest cover within the species’ range, and more.

For more details on how to use sRedList, please consult the documentation, the quick guide or the video tutorials available on the platform itself.

Prepare for a journey that celebrates the wonders of biodiversity, the importance of ecosystem services, and the future of sustainable tourism. From October 15th to 18th, this immersive experience organized by the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Italia, sponsored by LifeWatch Italy, CNR-IRET, and UniSalento, promises a unique opportunity to witness Italy’s natural wonders in a responsible and conscious manner.

This event, titled “Ecological Transitions: A Journey with LTER Network from Mar Piccolo to Salento Lagoons” is designed to connect two significant Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Italian sites over three days: Mar Piccolo in Taranto and Acquatina in Lecce. The transitional nature of these environments inspires a path that traverses from the sea to the land. Participants have the option to complete all or some of the bicycle journeys or to join specific events listed in the program.

Alongside researchers from the LTER Italia network, participants will encounter people and projects, exploring the various meanings of words like ecology, sustainability, and transition. They will listen to the stories of ecological research and its potential connections with the history of the places they pass through.

To participate in the bicycle stages, please fill out the form.

Registration to individual events is mandatory, please contact:

carmela.caroppo@cnr.it (Taranto/Mar Piccolo)

ilaria.rosati@cnr.it (Lecce/Acquatina)

Event Schedule:

15/10 at 18:30: Visit to the Euromediterraneo CetaceiKETOS Center (TA). Free guided tour and discussion on cycle-archeology.

16/10 at 9:00: Gathering at the Convento dei Battendieri, Taranto. Presentation of LTER research in Mar Piccolo. Walk along the Via Mellifera: 5 km, max 40 participants. Cost: €10.

16/10 at 16:30: Gathering at the Monti farm, Oria (Br). Exploring regenerative agriculture and permaculture for sustainable land use.

17/10 at 10:00: Gathering at Agriturismo Masseria Piutri, Torchiarolo (Br) for discussions on territory, research, ecosystems, transitions, and food.

18/10 at 9:30: Gathering in front of the University of Salento. Visit to the Acquatina site (LE) and insights into LTER activities, participation in biodiversity exploration and conservation activities (e.g., bioblitz). Activities conclude at 13:00.

On 17th of March, the workshop “Approaches towards findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) zooplankton trait data as stepping stones to improved functional ecology” will take place, organised by Jessica Titocci and Ilaria Rosati from CNR-IRET and LifeWatch Italy, in collaboration with Dr. Kieran Murphy (ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science), Dr. Brian Hunt (University of British Columbia), Dr. Patrick Pata (University of British Columbia).

The workshop will discuss the challenges of implementing FAIR principles and analysing zooplankton trait data. To achieve this goal, researchers in this field are invited to submit their abstracts for presentation at the workshop before 30 September 2023 at the following link: https://meetings.pices.int/meetings/international/2024/zps7/submissions

The workshop’s main objective is to assess the current status of trait-based research on zooplankton and explore future possibilities. The workshop will also focus on sharing and implementing FAIR principles and best practices to ensure that zooplankton trait-based data are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.

 The preferred abstract topics for this workshop are:

•   Zooplankton functional ecology
•   FAIRness of zooplankton trait based data
•   Trait data collection and management
•   Novel frameworks and analytical methods and e-science tools in zooplankton trait-based studies

The event will begin with informative presentations and interactive, hands-on sessions. During these sessions, the speakers will present various digital services and semantic resources developed to promote the harmonisation and interoperability of zooplankton functional trait data.

More information at https://meetings.pices.int/meetings/international/2024/zps7/news

On the occasion of World Biodiversity Day and the recent exhibition at CNR “Anthropocene: Earth on Fire,” seven national experts will come together to discuss one of the most dramatic transformations characterizing our era. Their aim is to stimulate reflections on the critical relationship between human activities and the marvelous diversity of life forms on our planet. The event, open to all, will take place in the courtyard of Palazzina Canonica (Riva dei Sette Martiri 1364/A, Venice). No reservation is required, but inquiries and communications can be directed to biodiversity@cnr.it. Following the roundtable discussion, interested participants will have the opportunity to take a guided tour of the Anthropocene exhibition.

The live streaming of the event will be available from 2:30 PM on the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP_HyIwb4LU

Click here for further information and to download the event poster.

*In case of bad weather, the event will be held at the CNR-ISMAR headquarters (Tesa 104 – Arsenale, Castello 2737/F, 30122 Venice, Italy).

Photo by canmandawe on Unsplash.