ERSE Ecological Research and Services for the Environment is a Tuscany Company of experts in Environmental Biology and Natural Sciences. ERSE works throughout the national territory.

BEST Project

Addressing Joint Agro- and Aqua-Biodiversity Pressures Enhancing Sustainable Rural Development (Interreg V-A Greece-Italy 2014/2020): Development of a Monitoring Protocol for Assessing Biodiversity Threats Due to the Presence of Invasive Alien Species and the Related Action Plan for Biodiversity Conservation

LOCATION

Puglia

TYPE

Management plans

CLIENT

Regione Puglia

BEST logo

In general terms, the BEST project—Addressing Joint Agro- and Aqua-Biodiversity Pressures Enhancing Sustainable Rural Development (Interreg V-A Greece-Italy 2014/2020)—launched by Regione Puglia, aimed to:

  • conserve, protect, promote, and develop the natural and cultural heritage,
  • protect and restore biodiversity and soils,
  • promote ecosystem services, including through Natura 2000 and green infrastructure,
  • promote innovative technologies to improve environmental protection and efficient resource use in waste and water sectors, with particular regard to reducing land consumption and air pollution.

One of the main environmental emergencies is represented by the progressive invasion of alien (i.e., non-native) species, which the international scientific community considers the second cause of biodiversity loss on a global scale.

 

An ‘alien’ species refers to a species, subspecies, or lower taxon introduced outside its natural current or historical distribution area. An alien species becomes ‘invasive’ when its introduction and/or spread threatens biodiversity, causes significant damage to human activities, affects human health, or has serious socio-economic consequences.

 

Deepening the knowledge base is an essential and preparatory activity for studying the causes, invasion mechanisms, and management strategies (containment and/or control of spread). Monitoring is the key tool for defining the state of knowledge and providing correct and timely identification of invasive alien species, as well as for obtaining periodic assessments of their evolutionary trends, conservation status, reproduction, and spread. It helps to identify the biodiversity threats associated with these species and evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies already implemented.
This knowledge also forms the basis for defining effective intervention strategies to counter the negative impacts of invasive alien species on ecosystems, through the development of an Action Plan capable of defining objectives aimed at ensuring biodiversity conservation and the corresponding actions required to achieve them.

For this purpose, a highly technical and scientific activity was carried out to develop a monitoring protocol aimed at assessing the biodiversity threats posed by invasive alien species present in the Puglia region and subsequently identifying the correct and effective strategies to address these threats and ensure biodiversity conservation, through the preparation of an action plan.

The outcomes of this work included:

  • a preliminary survey of the knowledge base of alien species present in the Puglia region through bibliographic and document analysis and/or previous studies, followed by the systematic organization of data on a cartographic basis (50 selected species);
  • a monitoring protocol, defining general and specific objectives with related monitoring actions, identifying the species to be monitored aggregated into macro-categories, the methods, variables to be recorded, the temporal scale, and frequency of the same variable’s monitoring, along with the human resources to be employed and the equipment to be used, including an estimate of the related costs;
  • an illustrative sampling plan aimed at estimating the area occupied by the species in question on a sample basis;
  • five detailed monitoring plans, applied to five exemplary species with territorial distribution in Puglia (Opuntiap., Callinectes sapidus, Trachemys scripta, Micropterus salmoides, Carpobrotus sp.pl.), including a three-year timetable and an estimate of implementation costs;
  • an action plan for each of the five species, identifying concrete and effective management strategies to address the threats posed by invasive alien species, with an analysis of the pressure factors and threats to biodiversity conservation, and the definition of general and specific objectives. The action plan outlines the actions to be undertaken based on the different species, identifying their implementation timelines, the stakeholders involved, indicators, priorities, and costs.

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