Contacts

The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, is the oldest university in Western World (https://www.unibo.it/en). UNIBO is involved in a very large number of projects as H2020 (more than 350, 98 as lead beneficiary), Horizon Europe (86), LIFE (14, 5 as lead beneficiary) and Interreg (25, 5 as lead beneficiary), plus many national projects funded directly or indirectly by the European Union. The funded projects create networks with over 3.000 partners, 1.600 of which are private (data updated to 2022). Cooperation between university and Industry plays an important part of the activity, including patent developments.

In LIFE NatuReef, UNIBO will participate with the Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences (formally: Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali - BiGeA; https://bigea.unibo.it/en/), which have three seats in Italy (Bologna, Ravenna and Fano), and with the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering (formally: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica, Ambientale e dei Materiali - DICAM; https://dicam.unibo.it/en/en/). UNIBO-BiGeA, with the support of the Research Division, will coordinate the project. UNIBO-BiGeA will lead the WP1 (Project management and coordination), the WP4 (Design and implementation of the biogenic reefs), while UNIBO-DICAM will be specifically involved in WP3 (Design and construction of the basal limestone reef). However, both departments will provide relevant contributions to WP2 (Habitat and biodiversity baseline, monitoring, evaluation and KPI) and to all the other WPs.

LIFE NatuReef project page at the partner website.

The Municipality of Ravenna (from now on RAVENNA) is a public authority whose mission is to guarantee a good livelihood to ABOUT 159.000 inhabitants, living in its area located in the northeast of Italy (https://www.comune.ra.it/). The municipality organizes the public services and stimulates the social and economic development of the area. The municipality manages and/or owns 37 km of coastline and 4.000 ha of protected natural areas (wetlands, forests) along the Adriatic coast with the presence of pinewoods intertwined to large wetlands flooded with freshwater. RAVENNA is in charge of their maintenance and management both for conservation and fruition means. The area is part of the Regional Park Delta del Po, counting 8 Natura 2000 sites. Its Environment, Territory and Civil Protection department deals daily with the enforcement of natural areas and seashore management. Other departments will be involved to support the technical activities: the Urban Planning, the Public Infrastructure, the Geographical Information, the Tourism and the European Policies. The Environment department specifically deals constantly with the protection and management of the seashore, planning and realizing the interventions to defend the coast and preserve the dunes and other natural coastal environments, carrying out several important coastal defences actions every year. The municipality of Ravenna is fully committed to reach the EU climate adaptation and mitigation targets and in March 2012 signed the Covenant of Majors. Today the Institution is engaged in revising it considering the new targets established by the new 2050’s goals, writing a Municipal Climate Adaptation Plan, including coastal defence planning, adopted within December 2020. The Municipality is also responsible for the medium-long term urban planning in coastal areas.

In LIFE NatuReef, RAVENNA will lead the WP3 (Design and construction of the basal limestone reef) and will provide relevant contributions to the WP2 (Habitat and biodiversity baseline, monitoring, evaluation and KPI) WP4 (Design and implementation of the biogenic reefs), WP5 (Dissemination, communication and public engagement), and WP6 (Sustainability, replication and exploitation of project results).

LIFE NatuReef project page at the partner website.

Proambiente S.c.r.l. (https://www.consorzioproambiente.it/en/) is a mixed public-private consortium, including Italian CNR (National Research Council), the University of Ferrara and 11 SMEs located in the Emilia-Romagna Region. Its mission is to develop Industrial Research and promote Technology Transfer in the field of environmental issues. The activities of Proambiente focus on environmental monitoring and remediation in the components of air, water, soil, cultural heritage and anthropogenic activities. These actions are carried out through the development of advanced and innovative services, as well as through the construction of new sensors, tools and platforms. Proambiente staff represents a highly skilled and dedicated team made up of 9 researchers, with expertise in different scientific areas (electronic engineers, physicists, chemists, marine geologists, agronomists and computer scientists).

Proambiente deals with various ecological issues in marine, river and transitional environments thanks to a strong know-how, increased through the years by the cooperation with the CNR institutes and the industry.

In the frame of marine geological / geophysical monitoring, the expertise was acquired in the development and extensive use of marine Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV). Proambiente's fleet is formed by: S.Wa.P.'s ASV prototype (Shallow Water Prospector), OpenSWAP – ASV products (TRL9 - OPEN-Shallow Water Autonomous Prospector – www.openswap.it) and several ASV prototypes developed for the NAIADI Project, Proambiente will be able to adapt instrumentation already available on the market, or to create a new customized one.

In LIFE NatuReef, PROAMBIENTE will lead the WP2 (Habitat and biodiversity baseline, monitoring, evaluation and KPI) and will provide relevant contributions to the WP5 (Dissemination, communication and public engagement), and WP6 (Sustainability, replication and exploitation of project results).

LIFE NatuReef project page at the partner website.

The Management Body for Parks and Biodiversity - Po Delta (http://www.parcodeltapo.it/it/index.php) has been managing the Protected Areas of the Po Delta regional macro-area since 1 January 2012, including the Regional Park established in 1988, as well as the regional nature reserves, some of the nature reserves state and other protected areas for the purpose of biodiversity conservation. Over the years, the Authority has managed to direct the many human activities towards greater sustainability and is also concerned with attenuating conflicts between social and economic actors and reconciling the development of the territory with the safeguarding of the naturalistic heritage of the area. The organization has a consolidated and successful experience in the management of international projects, in particular in the field of environmental protection and conservation of biodiversity.

The capacity and scientific knowledge of the environment have grown over the years thanks to the contribution of universities and numerous scholars. The organization also works for the protection of biodiversity, through the execution of numerous scientific studies and surveys to increase naturalistic knowledge and is engaged in the work of dissemination and environmental education to transmit the value of biodiversity conservation to the new generations.

In LIFE NatuReef, DELTA_PO will lead the WP6 (Sustainability, replication and exploitation of project results) and will provide relevant contributions to the WP2 (Habitat and biodiversity baseline, monitoring, evaluation and KPI), WP3 (Design and construction of the basal limestone reef), WP4 (Design and implementation of the biogenic reefs), and WP5 (Dissemination, communication and public engagement).

LIFE NatuReef project page at the partner website.

Fondazione Flaminia (https://www.fondazioneflaminia.it/) is a private non-profit foundation born in 1989 thanks to local public and private bodies to carry out promotional and support activities for the development of the University, of scientific research and of higher education in Ravenna and in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy. Since 2015 Flaminia has also an “Innovation Center”, called CIFLA, accredited under the regional High Technology Network finalized to the transfer of knowledge and technological innovation from research activities to enterprises. Flaminia has 24 local partners that supports its mission and activities consisting in favoring the connection, integration of the scientific and cultural structures of the territory; developing activities in the research field, in any public and private sector, in the production and contracting sectors, and stimulation of synergies between the University and the business world. Additionally, FLAMINIA-CIFLA mission is the transfer of knowledge and technological innovation from research activities to enterprises and promotes education and information activities on environment, marine environment and blue growth, coordinating several projects.

In LIFE NatuReef, FLAMINIA will lead the WP5 (Dissemination, communication and public engagement) and will provide relevant contributions to the WP2 (Habitat and biodiversity baseline, monitoring, evaluation and KPI), and the WP6 (Sustainability, replication and exploitation of project results).

LIFE NatuReef project page at the partner website.

Founded in 2008, the Reef Check Italia (RCI; https://www.reefcheckmed.org/italiano/) association is a non-profit and non-governmental organization, leading the Reef Check Med network (https://www.reefcheckmed.org/italiano/) and partner of the worldwide Reef Check Foundation. It is also a member of the European Citizen Science Association and the Italian Association of Scientific Divers. RCI is devoted to developing and promoting marine citizen science projects, aiming to raise public awareness and substantially contribute to marine species and habitat conservation. RCI develops and promotes several protocols to assess the health status of marine environments through community-based monitoring. RCI developed and is managing the "Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring" (U-CEM) protocol for the Mediterranean Sea. This citizen science initiative involves more than 690 trained volunteers, from different European countries (Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Croatia), in monitoring distribution and abundance of 43 selected key marine species. The target taxa were chosen by scientists from a combination of two or more criteria, including ease of identification, inclusion in international lists of protected species, being threatened by human impacts and sensitive to the effects of climate change occurring in the Mediterranean subtidal habitats. Protocol application provides scientifically sound data, raises public awareness and enhances the collaboration between coastal management authorities and dive centres through a participatory approach. RCI manages the U-CEM database and its web-based Geographic Information System (WebGIS), which consists of a rapidly growing data set, already overcoming 50'000 observations carried out in > about 5’00 surveys in 6 Mediterranean countries, now available also through the EMODnet Biology and OBIS biodiversity portals. Based on the data collected through the U-CEM protocol, RCI developed the MedSens biotic index  MedSens index converts the data collected by trained volunteers into an effective monitoring tool for the Mediterranean subtidal rocky coastal habitats. RCI promotes and carries out dissemination activities, organises courses, events and conferences, and, as a registered publisher, issues books and manuals on marine biodiversity conservation.

In LIFE NatuReef, RCI will be associated with FLAMINIA and within the WP5 (Dissemination, communication and public engagement) it will provide opportunities, skills and advice to engage citizens in community-based monitoring of the intervention and surrounding areas, by using already existing standardised Citizen Science protocols and developing upgrades for the specific habitats. It will also manage data collected by volunteers and collaborate in organising field events (BioBlitzes).

LIFE NatuReef project page at the partner website.