Programma della conferenza

The Strait of Sicily (central Mediterranean Sea) is identified as a biodiversity hotspot able to provide multiple ecosystem services, supporting human life at different scales. However, the Strait of Sicily is one of the most threatened areas in the Mediterranean basin. Anthropogenic pressures are degrading its natural capital and the ability to provide ecosystem services, negatively affecting human well-being. In this context, the present study aimed to implement a multimethodological assessment framework to assess natural capital and ecosystem services in the Strait of Sicily, tracking changes over time. Combining Environmental and Ecosystems Accounting and conventional ecological indicators, the ecological and economic value of natural capital and ecosystem services was assessed.

The Eco-exergy method, coupled with the Shannon diversity index, was implemented to account for the complexity and organizational level of demersal natural capital stocks, monitoring changes in the last fifteen years. In addition, spatial and hotspot analyses were applied to identify areas exhibiting high natural capital and diversity values. Moreover, a set of environmental variables was investigated to link the decline of natural capital to environmental stressors.

The outcomes showed a decline in demersal natural capital stock and diversity, which is closely linked and discussed in relation to the observed trends of environmental variables in the investigated period. In addition, two ecological areas valuable for conservation purposes were identified.

Subsequently, the “System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Ecosystem Accounting” framework was applied to assess a set of ecosystem services provided by the Strait of Sicily, both in biophysical and monetary terms. Extent, condition and ecosystem services flow & use were assessed. Among ecosystem services, food provisioning, carbon sequestration, and nursery function were assessed. The method of willingness to pay for habitat conservation was also applied. Results will be useful to policymakers in charge of developing strategies to achieve impelling conservation actions and sustainability goals.

Rivers are dynamic systems which provide essential ecosystem functions (e.g., nutrients retention, climate regulation) and services (e.g., water supply, fish production) benefiting humans.

Many river ecosystems have been impacted by anthropogenic activities, for instance the construction of dams can degrade the hydromorphological conditions such as habitat loss and thus reduce biodiversity and alter ecosystem functioning.

As required by the EU Water Framework Directive, restoration river programs aim to reverse negative trends due to impacts, eliminate degradation causes and reinstate essential key processes.

In collaboration between UNIGE (Italy) and UFZ (Germany), a transdisciplinary methodology was developed and tested to assess the success of river restoration in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the Ecker stream in Germany. This work was made possible by the Antonio Moroni award funded by SItE.

The analyses conducted within the European RESTOLINK project involved dividing the stream into three sections: a reference upstream reach (control), a middle section with an old weir (impacted), and a downstream site where an old weir has been replaced with a step-pool structure (restored). In each reach, classical methods to asses rivers status through biodiversity measurements are supplemented by biophysical quantification of the natural capital and ecosystem functions through emergy analysis. The latter is based on a donor-side perspective, able to value an ecosystem as production cost in terms of resources exploited to generate and maintain biomass and trophic network. Natural capital is then calculated in the three river sections to obtain a unique system measure to assess restoration efficacy and complement ecological status evaluations. Biophysical measures can be then converted into monetary terms in order to better communicate obtained results also to managers and integrating them into monitoring plans.

Mangroves represent one of the most biologically and ecologically important ecosystems in the world, providing habitat and food for various terrestrial, estuarine, and marine species. Furthermore, they have an estimated economic value of at least $1.6 billion per year as they provide several ecosystem services, including fisheries enhancement, coastal protection, carbon storage and sequestration, and promotion of tourism and recreational activities. However, in the Maldives, knowledge about mangroves is scarce and their importance is still underestimated. The aim of our project is to study these ecosystems and conduct the first ever survey of all mangroves in the Maldives to improve the understanding of their unique ecosystems in order to take more action to protect them from human impact. In our recently published paper, we reviewed all information on mangroves in the Maldives and found that mangrove ecosystems have been documented on 108 islands (9% of all Maldivian islands) with 14 different mangrove species. However, the number of studies is limited and the number of islands with mangroves is potentially higher. In this context, in our last expedition, we explored the mangroves of Laamu and Thaa Atolls. We explored 9 mangrove areas and found two more islands with mangroves unreported in literature. For each mangrove habitat, the different macro-types of mangrove habitat, i.e. fringing, lake-based, embayment, and swamp-based, were documented, and water parameters, including temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen level were assessed. Furthermore, mangrove species were visually identified, and leaves samples were collected for identification with DNA barcoding. As the Maldives are experiencing an increasing demand for areas for agricultural expansion and coastal urban development and has recently been classified as critically endangered by the global assessment of IUCN, this work can push the authorities to ensure an effort in the management, protection, conservation, and restoration of these ecosystems.

Following the launch of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) by the United Nations in 2021, ecosystem accounting has become a prevalent means of incorporating natural capital value into policymaking processes. Nevertheless, the reliability of such a tool depends on the accuracy and reliability of data at the level of individual ecosystems. This aspect is of particular importance when applied to deltaic environments, where aquatic ecosystems provide different and distinct bundles of ecosystem services (ES).

The present study aims to evaluate the diverse sets of ES delivered by four transitional wetlands, representing the aquatic ecosystems of the Po delta (Italy), based on empirical data gathered from primary sources. The results demonstrate that wetlands exhibit considerable variation in their qualitative and quantitative values, contingent upon their specific uses, management practices, and ecological characteristics. Coastal, closed lagoons and saltworks are primarily utilized for provisioning and cultural ES with direct market value, while other ES are of lesser monetary significance. In contrast, the value of regulating ES (i.e. water regulation) is prevalent in the inner wetlands.

Although primarily utilized for productivity purposes, the wetlands of the Po Delta exhibit distinct sets of ES according their specific features and differ in total ES value. By providing a detailed understanding of the ES provided by different wetland types, this study highlights the importance of tailored management practices to maximize the ecological and economic benefits of these critical ecosystems. The findings indicate a clear need for ecosystem-level studies in deltaic environments as a foundation for the scaling up of ecosystem accounting at regional and national levels.

European islands are hotspots of biological and cultural diversity. Compared to the mainland, they are more vulnerable to climate change, tourism development, uncontrolled land use changes and financial crises. Although ecosystem services assessments have been conducted worldwide in various geographical areas, islands -especially small and medium size ones- remain underrepresented.

SMILES (Enhancing Small-Medium IsLands resilience by securing the sustainability of Ecosystem Services) is a COST action that aims to provide a platform for coordinated interdisciplinary research on several aspects of mapping and assessing of ecosystems services in small/medium European Islands. The goal is to synthesize and strengthen the knowledge base for the conservation of island realms and contribute to their sustainable development. One of the expected output of SMILES is a comprehensive database of natural capital for all small and medium size islands.

The approach to achieve this result involved building a metadatabase that links islands to existing datasets of natural capital. First, we adopted a definition of natural capital to create a list of its components. Then, we compiled a list of islands (ranging from 1 km² to 10,000 km²), which included about 6,000 islands, considering all overseas territories, the entire Mediterranean basin, and more than 3,000 islands belonging to three countries (Russia, Norway and Denmark).

A novel approach to this evaluation was the inclusion of marine natural capital associated with the islands. By combining ecological zones, geographical factors and political borders, we delineated a buffer area around each island that can be considered part of its marine natural capital.

The final result is a global metadabase, available on COST action website that allows user to identify biodiversity and natural capital hotspots, island with natural heritages sites, or protected areas that can be prioritized in future conservation efforts.