Biodiversity Conservation & Biomonitoring
Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life present in the Biosphere. In other words, the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life. Biodiversity supports everything in nature that we need to survive: food, clean water, medicine, and shelter.
But as humans put increasing pressure on the planet using and consuming more and more natural resources, we risk upsetting the balance of ecosystems and losing biodiversity. An average 69% decline in global populations of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians was recorded since 1970. The 2019 landmark Global Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services reported 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction—the highest number in human history.
Three-quarters of the land-based environment and roughly 66% of the ocean environment have been significantly altered. More than a third of the world's land surface and nearly 75% of freshwater resources are now devoted to crop or livestock production. Climate change worsens the impact of other stressors on nature and our well-being. For example, ecosystems are impacted by air pollution, particularly sulphur and nitrogen emissions, and ground-level ozone as it affects the ability of living beings to function and grow. Emissions of both sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides deposit in water, on vegetation and on soils as “acid rain”, thereby increasing their acidity with adverse effects on flora and fauna. Nutrient overloads in aquatic ecosystems can cause algae blooms and ultimately a loss of oxygen, and of life. As ecosystems are impacted, so is their biological diversity. Eventually, human populations are also affected by these dynamics. Harmful concentrations of pollutants may directly enter our drinking water, notably through ground water seepage. Affected vegetation also has negative consequences on capturing carbon and thereby reducing the impacts of climate change. Humans have overfished the oceans, cleared forests, polluted our water sources, and created a climate crisis. These actions are impacting biodiversity around the world, from the most remote locales to our own backyards.
Conservation of biodiversity, and its evaluation through biomonitoring programs, is considered a key component for ecosystems health and human well-being. Biodiversity is an all-encompassing concept that describes the magnitude of ecological diversity. Biodiversity is the wide range of life associated with different types of frameworks for biodiversity. The warnings to biodiversity involve: habitat fragmentation, deforestation, and other alterations due to human activities leading to biodiversity reduction and eventually to extinctions. The increase of invasive species, also due to climate change, can represent another threat to biodiversity, altering the balance between native and allochthonous species. People have become increasingly aware of these threats, and preventive ecosystem protection has become an essential component for our sustainability objectives. Reversing the degradation of biodiversity will help countries in achieving a number of targets under various Sustainable Development Goals, such as those on life on land (SDG 15), life below water (SDG 14), and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12).
Biodiversity Conservation is also the focus point in the EU strategy for 2030. Recently, the European Parliament adopted the so-called “EU nature restoration law”, aiming at achieving the EU’s international commitments, in particular the UN Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity framework. The commission underlined that restoring the ecosystem is key to combating climate change and biodiversity loss. The strategy aims to put Europe's biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030 and contains specific actions and commitments. This is a comprehensive, ambitious, and long-term plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems.
Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, several disciplines such as cellular biology, physiology, microbiology, zoology, ecology, hygiene and physical-chemistry can support biodiversity conservation and biomonitoring activities.
But as humans put increasing pressure on the planet using and consuming more and more natural resources, we risk upsetting the balance of ecosystems and losing biodiversity. An average 69% decline in global populations of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians was recorded since 1970. The 2019 landmark Global Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services reported 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction—the highest number in human history.
Three-quarters of the land-based environment and roughly 66% of the ocean environment have been significantly altered. More than a third of the world's land surface and nearly 75% of freshwater resources are now devoted to crop or livestock production. Climate change worsens the impact of other stressors on nature and our well-being. For example, ecosystems are impacted by air pollution, particularly sulphur and nitrogen emissions, and ground-level ozone as it affects the ability of living beings to function and grow. Emissions of both sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides deposit in water, on vegetation and on soils as “acid rain”, thereby increasing their acidity with adverse effects on flora and fauna. Nutrient overloads in aquatic ecosystems can cause algae blooms and ultimately a loss of oxygen, and of life. As ecosystems are impacted, so is their biological diversity. Eventually, human populations are also affected by these dynamics. Harmful concentrations of pollutants may directly enter our drinking water, notably through ground water seepage. Affected vegetation also has negative consequences on capturing carbon and thereby reducing the impacts of climate change. Humans have overfished the oceans, cleared forests, polluted our water sources, and created a climate crisis. These actions are impacting biodiversity around the world, from the most remote locales to our own backyards.
Conservation of biodiversity, and its evaluation through biomonitoring programs, is considered a key component for ecosystems health and human well-being. Biodiversity is an all-encompassing concept that describes the magnitude of ecological diversity. Biodiversity is the wide range of life associated with different types of frameworks for biodiversity. The warnings to biodiversity involve: habitat fragmentation, deforestation, and other alterations due to human activities leading to biodiversity reduction and eventually to extinctions. The increase of invasive species, also due to climate change, can represent another threat to biodiversity, altering the balance between native and allochthonous species. People have become increasingly aware of these threats, and preventive ecosystem protection has become an essential component for our sustainability objectives. Reversing the degradation of biodiversity will help countries in achieving a number of targets under various Sustainable Development Goals, such as those on life on land (SDG 15), life below water (SDG 14), and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12).
Biodiversity Conservation is also the focus point in the EU strategy for 2030. Recently, the European Parliament adopted the so-called “EU nature restoration law”, aiming at achieving the EU’s international commitments, in particular the UN Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity framework. The commission underlined that restoring the ecosystem is key to combating climate change and biodiversity loss. The strategy aims to put Europe's biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030 and contains specific actions and commitments. This is a comprehensive, ambitious, and long-term plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems.
Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, several disciplines such as cellular biology, physiology, microbiology, zoology, ecology, hygiene and physical-chemistry can support biodiversity conservation and biomonitoring activities.
Professors of the PhD board
Prof. Giovanni Fulvio Russo (Ecologist)
Prof. Roberto Sandulli (Zoologist)
Prof. Pier Paolo Franzese (Ecologist)
Prof. Valeria Di Onofrio (Hygienist)
Prof. Vincenzo Pasquale (Microbiologist)
Prof. Angelo Riccio (Atmosphere Physics)
Prof. Palma Simoniello (Comparative anatomy)
Prof. Elvira Buonocore (Ecologist)
Prof. Luigia Donnarumma (Zoologist)
Prof. Gaetana Napolitano (Physiologist)
Prof. Agnieszka Piernik (Geobotany)
Prof. Alfredo Ciccodicola (Molecular Biologist)
Current PhD students
Adele Cocozza di Montanara
Rossana Romano
Current PhD Projects
...
Contacts
For more information you can contact the Coordinator of the research cluster Prof. Roberto Sandulli, e-mail: [email protected]
Prof. Giovanni Fulvio Russo (Ecologist)
Prof. Roberto Sandulli (Zoologist)
Prof. Pier Paolo Franzese (Ecologist)
Prof. Valeria Di Onofrio (Hygienist)
Prof. Vincenzo Pasquale (Microbiologist)
Prof. Angelo Riccio (Atmosphere Physics)
Prof. Palma Simoniello (Comparative anatomy)
Prof. Elvira Buonocore (Ecologist)
Prof. Luigia Donnarumma (Zoologist)
Prof. Gaetana Napolitano (Physiologist)
Prof. Agnieszka Piernik (Geobotany)
Prof. Alfredo Ciccodicola (Molecular Biologist)
Current PhD students
Adele Cocozza di Montanara
Rossana Romano
Current PhD Projects
...
Contacts
For more information you can contact the Coordinator of the research cluster Prof. Roberto Sandulli, e-mail: [email protected]