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Looking at the different students padlets, I noticed a desire to show us the beautiful Nature of each country, and for me this is a very good thing. Some student decided to present a limited protected area and others preferred to present an entire country, as I did.
I appreciated the effort made to explain the positives and the problems of our bioareas. In the end I have come to the conclusion that all the biodiversity is threatened by climate change and above all human action.
I believe that each of us should, in our small effort to do something to conserve biodiversity and contribute to the dissemination of issues related to it, how to talk about climate change and the species of animals and plants to be protected for our planet and for future generations.

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The Forni Glacier is the largest valley glacier in Italy, located in northern part of Italy, in the Alps and part of the Stelvio National Park. But it is facing a dramatic end. In the space of just over a century, it has lost almost half its surface. In the mid-nineteenth century it covered an area of ​​about 20 square kilometers, but today it extends for just over 10 square kilometers.

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ALIEN SPECIES: A CASE STUDY ON MONTECRISTO ISLAND

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ALIEN SPECIES: A CASE STUDY ON MONTECRISTO ISLAND

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An important case study is the European project LIFE "Montecristo", whose actions to contain the black rat (Rattus rattus) and ailanthus (Ailanthus altissima) allowed to obtain incredible results in the protection of species and habitats of community interest.

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Un importante riconoscimento per il progetto Montecristo 2010

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An alien species which cause serius damages in Italy is the palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, a beetle originating from tropical Asia, which has spread to Africa and Europe, reaching the Mediterranean in the 1980s. From the 2004-2005 period, when the palm weevil first appeared in Tuscany and then almost simultaneously in Liguria and Sicily and then spread rapidly throughout the peninsula, palm trees on the Italian territory have known the worst threat of their centuries-old history if you think that in Sicily alone, over 30,000 specimens have already been lost.

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ALIEN SPECIES IN ITALY: A SERIOUS PROBLEM

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ALIEN SPECIES IN ITALY: A SERIOUS PROBLEM

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Italy counts 3000 terrestrial species of which 1645 animal species and 1440 plant species. Vertebrate species introduced by man cause extremely relevant impacts. Among the invertebrates, 1300 allochtonous species of which 1220 terrestrial and 156 of both animal and plant species of freshwater habitats. Mostly arthropods of which 90 % are insects.

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List of invasive species in Italy - Wikipedia

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The Gray squirrel and Red squirrel are both found in Italy, the first is an aliene species, the second one is an indigenous one. They are competing primarily for the food, as the Gray squirrels eat much more acorns than the red squirrels and are able to find and consume part of the seed reserves accumulated by the latter.

The Gray squirrel has a strategy of seed storage and mushroom consumption quite different from the Red squirrel. For this reason the substitution of the indigenous species with the American species could have negative effects on the composition and the functioning of the woods.

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Overfishing - With 10% of all the world's known marine species housed in less than 1% of the total surface of the oceans - the Mediterranean is a treasure trove of biodiversity and contributes in an essential way to safeguarding food security and the well-being of local populations. Fishing in this region is of great socio-economic importance, employing hundreds of thousands of people. Yet, if the monitored fish resources are examined, the fish harvest is well above the levels of fishing sustainability: according to European Union estimates, over 93% of the species being evaluated in the Mediterranean are in fact subject to excessive exploitation.

Bluefin tuna is a large predatory fish found in the western and eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the catches take place in the Mediterranean and this is the most important bluefin tuna fishery in the world in terms of catches and fish quality.

Bluefin tuna fishing has a millennial history in the Mediterranean and has entered a phase of rapid and intense decline in the last 10 years of the twentieth century, when the new practice of breeding / fattening wild tuna has multiplied without control to mainly feed the Japanese sushi market. This generated a perverse spiral, with huge levels of IUU fishing (Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated).

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Carabus olympiae is a beetle belonging to the Carabidae family and included in the Habitat Directive 92/43/CEE. The species is endemic to the Biella Alps, in northern Italy. After its discovery, the species was the object of an intense collection by the collectors who reduced its consistency until it was considered extinct. In the 2012-2015 period, thanks to a LIFE European Programme  (LIFE Carabus - www.lifecarabus.eu) aimed to conserve this species, its population started to increase and now it is stabilized.

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FOOD WEB OF AN ITALIAN DECIDUOUS FORESTS

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FOOD WEB OF AN ITALIAN DECIDUOUS FORESTS

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Italian Appennine mountains are mainly constitute of deciduous forest, and this is an exemple of the food web they provide.

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An  example among insects and in particular beetles, is that of skin beetles, family Trogidae, and burying beetles, family Silphidae. The species belonging to these families both feed on birds carrions, so have the same ecological niche, but Trogidae feed on the feathers and skin of the dead animal, whereas Silphidae feed on decaying organic matter.

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The stoat, Mustela erminea  shares the genus with the weasel, and in fact is very similar to it. It is a small mammal, and at first sight it is very difficult to distinguish it from Mustela nivalis where the ranges of the two species overlap.

Usually it is pushed much further north of the weasel, and often it can be sighted on meadows and mountain pastures or on rocks up to the limit of the glaciers.

Like the weasel, it is a proud hunter that feeds on micro-mammals (mice, voles, shrews), small reptiles, amphibians and small birds. It can also successfully attack rabbits and hares. In winter the fur changes, and the ermine is always white except for the tip of the tail, which remains black. In summer, however, the coat is brown and very similar to that of the weasel.

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Drosera rotundifolia is a carnivorous plant that we can hardly found in italian peat bogs. This plant is particularly well adapted to oligotrophic environments, and it finds its nutrients in the insects it catches on these leaves.

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Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions. In addition to weakening the plant by sucking sap, they act as vectors for plant viruses and disfigure ornamental plants with deposits of honeydew and the subsequent growth of sooty moulds.

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In the Apennines forests it is common to find ticks (Acari - Ixodida), which are ectoparasites (external parasites), living by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds and sometimes reptiles and Amphibians.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick)

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Another animal which inhabits the beech forests is the northern goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, a raptor of the family Accipitridae.

The goshawk is a specialist in hunting in the woods for birds and medium-sized rodents. Pigeons, crows, jays, tordele, but also hares, dormice and squirrels all fall into the diet of this bird of prey.

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1) In the beech forests of the italian Appennines lives the Marten (Martes martes). This beautiful fawn mustelide and the size of a cat, manages to chase his prey climbing with skill on the trunks and branches thinner and stand out phenomenal leaps. Like its prey of choice (squirrels and dormice, in fact), even the marten has a long tail that acts as a barbell to allow it to remain in balance during these acrobatics.

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Theme 2: Theme 2: Exploring biodiversity

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Theme 2: Theme 2: Exploring biodiversity

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Theme 3: Threats to biodiversity in a changing climate

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Theme 3: Threats to biodiversity in a changing climate

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2.1: Grey Wolves in the Yellowstone National Park

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2.1: Grey Wolves in the Yellowstone National Park

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I think the decision to reintroduce grey wolves into the Yellowstone National Park is because the increased elk population was overgrazing the deciduous, woody species such as aspen and cottonwood.
I think the correct answer is the third, because wolves have the role of super-predators and help to regulate this population and give a balance in this delicate ecosystem.

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VASCULAR PLANTS
For terrestrial plants, intensified livestock farming, especially intensive grazing activities have the worst impacts. For aquatic species, direct habitat loss caused by draining for development, agriculture and pasture is the main threat.

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SAPROXYLIC BEETLES
The species in this group are very dependent on the dynamics of tree aging and wood decay processes. The major threat to this group is logging and wood harvesting; therefore these beetles require sensitive conservation management of tree populations irrespective of their situation.

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AMPHIBIANS
The main threat to this group is the loss and degradation of suitable breeding habitat mainly due to urban development and agricultural activities through excessive water withdrawal and water pollution by agrochemicals.

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REPTILES
Approximately 5% of the reptile species that occur in Italy are considered threatened at the European level. Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation especially due to agricultural intensification and urbanization are the main threats to this group.
INTERESTING: At least 32% of the reptile species in Italy may be threatened by human persecution and control, especially snakes and vipers.

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MAMMALS
Mammal populations are highly threatened mainly by agricultural and forestry effluents and noise pollution. Hunting, trapping, logging and wood harvesting also pose serious threats to mammals in the country.

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Of the 2,059 species assessed that occur in Italy, the groups comprising the highest number of species are vascular plants, terrestrial molluscs, butterflies and saproxylic beetles.

11% are considered threatened and

At least 10% are Near Threatened at the European level

2 species are already Extinct.

Many of these species are endemic to Europe and are found nowhere else in the world.

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Hers is a link to keep you update about the situation of our Protected Areas and Natura 2000 sites, and the number of living things we are currently protecting in Italy....

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Protected Planet is the online interface for the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), and the most comprehensive global database on terrestrial and marine protected areas.

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In the national parks there are most of the habitats important for the life of the 56.000 species of animals in Italy, the European country with the largest variety of living species. 98% are insects and other invertebrates.
Within the Natura 2000 network, in Italy we have...

2335 Sites of Community Importance (SCI);

1981 Special Conservation Zones (SCZ);

613 Special Protection Area (SPA).

In Italy we have...

871 Protected Areas which include 27 Marine Protected Areas and 2 Submerged Parks.

Among these, very important is the Ligurian Sea Cetacean Sanctuary "Pelagos", aimed at protecting these large, particularly threatened, animals.

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HOW DOES ITALY PROTECT ITS BIODIVERSITY?

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HOW DOES ITALY PROTECT ITS BIODIVERSITY?

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The main policy instrument for the conservation and the improvement of the status of species and habitats in Italy is the National System of Protected Areas. The Natura 2000 network—which consists of Special Protected Areas (SPA), Sites of Community Importance (SIC) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), as developed under EU Directives "Birds" and "Habitats", is one of the major conservation policy mechanism. Currently, in Italy the Natura 2000 network, net of overlaps, is represented by 2,589 sites, for a total net area of 6,391,381 hectares, of which 5,817,599 hectares are terrestrial, accounting for 19.3% of the national territory.

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Natura 2000 - Environment - European Commission

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Natura 2000 is the largest network of protected areas in the world. It offers a haven to Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats.

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Our rich biodiversity is under serious threat, and is likely to be irretrievably lost, mainly due to:
1) Destruction, degradation and fragmentation of habitats;
2) Introduction of invasive alien species;
3) Overexploitation of the natural capital.

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MAMMALS
The Marsican brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus ) (Italian: orso bruno marsicano), also known as the Apennine brown bear, is a critically endangered subspecies of the brown bear, with a range restricted to the Abruzzo National Park, and the surrounding region in Italy.

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REPTILES
The endemic species and subspecies of reptiles is very rich, especially in Sardinia and Sicily regions, but also in the smaller islands. For example we can mention the dwarf algiroid (Algyroides fitzingeri Wiegmann, 1834) with a restricted range to Sardinia and Corsica.

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AMPHIBIANS
The northern spectacled salamander, Salamandrina perspicillata (Savi, 1821) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found only in Italy.

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FISHES
The marble trout, Salmo trutta marmoratus (Cuvier, 1829), is characteristic and exclusive of the Italian and Slovenian sub-alpine Adriatic fluvial basins.
This species is considered "Least Concern" (LC) for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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The Italian fauna is estimated at more than 58,000 species, of which about 55,000 species of invertebrates, mostly belonging to the class of insects, and 1,258 vertebrates. More detailed information regarding the latter also show significant rates of endemisms, particularly amphibians (31.8%) and bony freshwater fishes (18.3%).

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Abies nebrodensis (Lojac.) Mattei, the Sicilian fir, is a fir native to the Nebrodi and Madonie mountains in northern Sicily.

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Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests

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The Italian flora has a great richness: the groups of mosses and lichens are among the richest in Europe, while higher plants include 6,711 species, or 144 Pteridophytes, 39 Gymnosperms and 6528 Angiosperms.
So, the Italian vascular flora includes almost 7,000 species, of which 16% are endemic species! At the quantitative level, the greatest number of species is found in the regions characterized by greater environmental variability and those with larger territories: Piedmont (3,304 species), Tuscany (3,249), Veneto (3,111), Friuli Venezia Giulia ( 3.094), Lazio (3.041), Abruzzo (2.989).

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Pino loricato, (Pinus heldreichii H. Christ 1863):
it's an italian endemism of the Pollino National Park, in southern Italy.

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The Italian Peninsula extends from the region of the Po River southward for some 600 miles (960 km); it has a maximum width of 150 miles (240 km). To the east lies the Adriatic Sea, to the south the Ionian Sea, and to the west the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian seas. The Apennines, a volcanic mountain chain subject to frequent earthquakes, extends the length of the peninsula; lowlands are mostly along the coasts. The peninsula comprises much of Italy and includes the independent republic of San Marino as well as Vatican City.

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Extremely rich areas of endemic species are above all the high mountains isolated between hills of lower altitude such as various alpine areas, the Apuan Alps, the central Apennines, the Gargano and the Calabrian, Sardinian and Sicilian reliefs (especially the slopes of Etna at high altitude)

For example: the Capo Palinuro cowslip (Primula palinuri Petagna), endemism of southern Campania and Basilicata regions.

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The natural environment in Italy can be divided into six regions: The Italian Alps, the Po Valley, the Apulian foreland, the Tyrrhenian foreland, the islands and the Apennines. The latter region is also divided into northern, central, southern and Calabrian Apennines. While mountain valleys, glaciers and high peaks dominate the Italian Alps, the Po Valley geographically located below is one of the most fertile regions of Italy. The 652 km long Po River is the main lifeline of the entire region and, in combination with a favourable climate, is responsible for excellent agricultural conditions.

The Apennines consists mainly of limestone and dolomite. A particularly appealing is the change of vegetation at higher altitudes, where hard-leaf plants give way to extensive meadows and heaths. The Apulian foreland is also dominated by limestone offering large areas of pasture and romantic shores. The Tyrrhenian foreland, which stretches from Florence to Naples and is home to the cradle of Roman civilisation, is of an exceedingly volcanic nature. While, Mount Etna aside, karsified limestones characterises Sicily, Sardinia is very calm geologically attracting visitors with mountainous regions varying in form and lots of gorgeous sandy beach.

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Italy is one of the richest biodiversity countries in Europe, both animal and vegetable, with a very rich population of endemic forms. Italy, for example, is the state of Europe with the highest number of plant species with seeds.

This richness of species has more than one cause:
1) During the Pleistocene glaciations, the Italian territory remained largely free of ice, which allowed the fauna and flora to survive, something that did not happen in the central-southern areas of the continent, on the other hand, the withdrawal of the great glaciers has left a glacial relict fauna in some mountain locations. 2) The Italian territory extends on about 10° latitude, therefore, while remaining in the context of temperate climates without extremes of heat, cold or aridity, the climatic difference between the north and south of the country is not at all negligible, going from the nival climes of the Alpine peaks, to the cool, semi-continental climate of the Po Valley, to the Mediterranean climate of the central-southern coasts and the islands.
3) A final explanation of why Italy has such a diverse population resides in the environmental heterogeneity produced by the mainly hilly and mountainous nature of the territory, which has caused a proliferation of ecological niches, close in space but very diversified.

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1) Tirrenian Islands

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2) Appennine Mountains

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3) Maritime and Ligurian Alps