The Aquarium of Cala Gonone, designed by American architect Peter Chermayeff, in collaboration with the architect of Macomer Sebastiano Gaias is integrated in a natural and unique landscape within the Marine National Park Gulf of Orosei, making it one of the most beautiful aquariums in the world.

The Aquarium is a center of education and teaching applied to encourage a responsible attitude and awareness towards the environment and emphasize the importance and its biodiversity. The aim is also to enable a future international accreditation structure, as a reference point in the Mediterranean for the study, research and rescue of marine mammals and dangerous species.

The Acquario di Genova hosts about 1.250.000 visitors each year. With its 10.000 square meters and its 63 exhibition tanks it is the largest indoor aquarium in Europe, and one of the most attended cultural institutions in Italy.

The task of choosing which species and environments to present takes into account their environmental importance or how they can arouse curiosity and positive emotions in visitors. Therefore the Acquario di Genova can be considered a sort of messenger for animals, plants, seas, ecosystems and countries aiming at teaching either the respect towards sea environment or to inform about its problems and safeguard.

Bioversity International, Bioversity for short, is the operating name of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and the International Network for Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP). Bioversity is the world's largest international research organization dedicated solely to the conservation and use of agricultural biodiversity. It is non-profit and independently operated.

The main tasks of the National Centre for the Study and the Conservation of Forest Biodiversity of Verona (CNBFVR) are studies on taxonomy, systematics, ecology and monitoring of terrestrial invertebrates and the conservation of their habitats. Moreover, the Centre conducts studies on the role of dead wood in forest ecosystems and implements actions aimed at the conservation of the saproxylic fauna. The CNBFVR does not only operate in the scientific field but provides also answers to the needs of society, providing information to politicians on changes of biodiversity in relation to climatic change and to pollution. The CNBFVR, is a governmental structure of the Central Office for Biodiversity in Rome (National Forestry Service) and carries out advisory scientific functions for the invertebrates and the conservation of forest habitats, within European conservation networks such as Nature 2000, ICP-Forest, LTER.

The Centro Studi Naturalistici is an environmental organization, working in the South of Italy, whose activities can be divided into 4 areas:

• Management of 2 natural oasis, of the Wildlife Centre and of the Natural Observatory of the Gargano National Park ;
• Research and conservation projects for endangered and priority habitats and species (among which 4 LIFE Nature projects)
• Information and environmental education activities to raise public awareness on the importance of biodiversity and the protection of natural habitats
• Lobby activities.

The Comunità Montana is a local authority that works in social-economic development, safeguard of the order hydro-geological, forest and environmental of the mountain areas of Garfagnana. From 2000 it began a run of recovery, safeguard and exploitation of the agricultural biodiversity and livestock local, in collaboration with the University of Pisa, University of Florence, CNR (National Research Centre), ARSIA (Regional Development and Innovation in agriculture and forestry agency) and Tuscany Region. In 2008 it inaugurated the local office of the Regional Germplasm Bank of Tuscany situated in "Centro la Piana" in Camporgiano (LU). You will be able to find more information by visiting http://www.cm-garfagnana.lu.it/menu-superiore/1034.

One of the key aims of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica is to promote the conservation of European herpetofauna. The Conservation Committee is the primary mechanism for doing this. Key approaches used are: • Habitat assessments • Assessment of species status • Developing a Committee with a broad geographic representation • Exchange of knowledge and experience through regular meetings of the Conservation Committee • Exchange of knowledge with European herpetologists and worldwide through consulting, conservation actions, meetings, email exchange etc\ • Working with and providing expert representation to the Bern Convention • Expert input to Bern Convention Expert Group and the Bern Convention Standing Committee

The SEH, through its Conservation Committee, is an active member of the European Habitats Forum.

An initiative of Bioversity International. A series of events in eight countries to be held in 2010 has already been established and implementation plans have been shared with the Secretariat. Bioversity is an international research organization dedicated solely to the conservation and use of agricultural biodiversity.

Italian-based certification body that provides a standard for Environment-friendly cosmetics that includes reference to endangered species, the use of organic ingredients, and environmentally sound production and processing agents.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is an intergovernmental organization where Member Countries negotiate agreements and debate policy related to agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and nutrition within the context of global needs, priorities and change. FAO works to alleviate poverty and hunger by promoting sustainable agricultural development, improved nutrition and food security. One of its global goals is the sustainable management of natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

FAO main meetings and workshops planned in 2010

Formica's Onlus is a non-political and non-profit association. Its activities are aimed at protecting and enhancing the environment and nature, with particular reference to promotion and development of knowledge of the quality and the characteristics of foods in relation to humans and animals health.

GiottoConsulting is a company that offers consulting services in the field of wine and wine-making. Thanks to its laboratory it is also able to provide to the costumers a complete service of wine analysis tests, also concerning cuts, additions and clarifications. Finally, with its agricultural tools and machinery, it can realize for the costumers all the agricultural operations needed during the cultivation of the vineyard.
Our philosophy
A great wine cannot be produced in the winery. The raw materials for the wine are created in the vineyard so it is here, from earth, that the wine derives its own, individual features. The winery procedures, guiding the restless young wine towards maturity, are closely related to the practices carried out in the vineyard: so we work to discover and become aware of all the things and processes hidden behind every environment. We want to understand its secrets and present it in its best appearance. The aim is to give voice to qualitatively unique wines that have to be sustainable not only for the territory of which they are ambassadors, but also for the people who take care of them, spending their time and resources. To do this we need a careful study that ranges from geology to microbiology, from the ecology and the physiology of the vine to tasting analysis, together with marketing considerations and the evaluation of all economical aspects.

The Global Crop Diversity Trust is the sole global response to the funding crisis affecting the long-term conservation of crop diversity. Crop diversity, though often overlooked, is in fact one of the most important forms of biodiversity for human survival. It is, after all, the biodiversity we eat. The Trust currently works in 89 countries, supporting the conservation and availability of crop diversity for food security worldwide.

The Trust is perhaps best known for its engagement in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, built high in the Arctic to hold duplicates of all crop collections, providing an insurance policy for the world’s food supply.

Hotel Sostenibile is a company that provides consulting services and business organization for the hotel and tourism industry, specializing on issues of energy conservation, water, waste recycling and sustainability. Stems from the awareness that a degraded ecosystem loses its appeal for tourists and tour operators are "employees" of the environment because it creates profits and livelihood. Team Hotel Sostenibile is composed of a group of professionals such as architects, engineers, hoteliers and companies with skills and expertise in providing solutions to saving energy, water, waste recycling and sustainable practices.

The IPPC – the International Plant Protection Convention – and its 176 member countries help to protect biodiversity by preventing the introduction and spread of pests of plants. The IPPC serves as a framework for the management of invasive species through the development of international standards for phytosanitary measures (i.e. any legislation, regulation or official procedure having the purpose to prevent the introduction and/or spread of quarantine pests). Standards have been adopted to provide guidance on how to carry out inspections, surveillance and eradication programmes to eliminate pests. Likewise, the IPPC is working to manage high risk pathways for the introduction of invasive alien species through the development of standards. Some standards have already been adopted, such as the international movement of wood packaging material and other standards are under development to address pathways such as soil and growing media, sea containers, air craft, waste and seeds. The International Phytosanitary Portal (IPP) (https://www.ippc.int) provides a means for countries to cooperate and to share information regarding potential threats.

Since 2000 Kontiki Incentives is proposing its expertise in organization events, meetings and incentives organization. In 2008 Kontiki Incentives specialized in organizing green events certified according to the green meeting guidelines by the BSI standards and launched S-TEAM® - Solidarity Team Building: team building realized in cooperation with environment or social association such as LIPU with a deep sense of social responsibility where participants get involved in different activities with the aim to improve life quality in the local community.
Kontiki Incentives is SITE Green member of Site Italy and GMIC Member.

Le Scienze Web News - LSWN (online scientific magazine) is located near Rome. LSWN aims to give a significant contribution to the diffusion of a scientific culture based on reliable sources of information. LSWN upholds sustainable development as well as the protection of biodiversity. LSWN is technical partner of Unesco for DESD (Decade of Education for Sustainable Development) 2005-2014.

Legambiente, the most widespread environmental organisation in Italy, launches every year several national initiatives and campaigns to involve citizens, media, politicians and schools on the most relevant environmental issues: from biodiversity, to nature conservation, from protected areas management to sustainable development, from renewable energies to climate change, from environmental education to volunteering, from waste management to eco-crimes.

Following the spirit of the tenet "Think globally, act locally", the activity of Legambiente is based on the work of 1.000 local groups and co-ordinated through 20 regional committees and a national headquarter in Rome. Recognized by the Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea as “Association of environmental interest”, our association is also a member of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the IUCN, and many others international networks.

The Regional Museum of Natural Sciences of Aosta Valley plays a strategic role in the diffusion of scientific and naturalistic culture which is reached through the promotion of scientific research, in collaboration with universities, research centres and scientific associations, the collection and preservation of naturalistic specimens, the production of scientific publications and the promotion of educational initiatives.
The museum is currently closed for repairs of the structure and for renewal of preparations.

Il Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali della Valle d'Aosta gioca un ruolo strategico nella diffusione della cultura scientifica attraverso la promozione di attività di ricerca, in collaborazione con università, centri di ricerca e associazioni scientifiche, la collezione e la conservazione di reperti naturalistici, la produzione di pubblicazioni scientifiche e la promozione di iniziative didattiche e divulgative.
Il Museo è attualmente chiuso per lavori di restauro e rinnovo delle collezioni.

The Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali/Natural Sciences Museum of Trento is a public institution operating in the field of Natural Sciences, within the specific context of the local Alpine environment (Trentino Province, Italy). The Museum is particularly active in the area of science communication and dissemination. It hosts successful temporary exhibits and a number of diverse and lively educational initiatives. It also dynamically participates in international scientific research, and it owns important and attractive collections and databases on the Alpine Nature.

Il Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali è un ente pubblico che opera nel campo delle Scienze Naturali, con particolare attenzione al territorio alpino e all'ambito trentino. Nelle proprie sale il Museo propone esposizioni di storia naturale. Il Museo promuove la cultura scientifica con l’obiettivo di renderla accessibile al grande pubblico, e presta particolare attenzione al proprio ruolo educativo. Perciò ha sviluppato una rete di istituzioni museali e centri di ricerca diffusa nel territorio trentino che persegue l’innovazione della didattica, della divulgazione e delle metodologie di educazione permanente.

The NOC 32 “Laboratorio Biologico delle Madonie” works in order to improve and to support the activities that are compatible with environmental conservation and capitalization of the vegetation and cultures of the “Parco delle Madonie”.

The team works to improve native plant seeds, traditional farming and its modification in organic farming. In addition the Noc 32 wants to recovery demaged areas of the “Parco delle Madonie” thanks to land reclamation.

Oasi Zegna traces its roots back to the 1930’s when the Italian industrialist Ermenegildo Zegna, planted around the family woolen mill in Trivero (in Piedmont, in the Province of Biella, northwest Italy) - Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna – about 500,000 conifers, rhododendrons and hydrangeas, since he was firmly convinced that environmental protection and social responsibility were inseparable.

In 1993 the new generations of the family launched Oasi Zegna, that today is a protected area which extends for 100km2. First example of environmental patronage, Oasi Zegna enhances the relationship between human being, mountain culture and nature.

Oasi Zegna is an outdoor laboratory where through several eco-friendly activities, people and especially young people, are taught to approach to nature consciously.

Click here to discover all the activities developed by Oasi Zegna

The Mare nostrum exhibition, in the Olbia Costa Smeralda International Airport, is a synthesis of a long lasting and passionate search on the biodiversity and the changing of underwater Mediterranean environments.

PAN Parks welcomes the declaration of the International Year of Biodiversity as we also look to the opportunities triggered by natural succession and ecosystem dynamics to protect global biodiversity. In PAN Parks Wilderness areas, the priority is protecting ecosystem dynamics and supporting the protection of biodiversity - ecosystem dynamics link.

Many examples of this could be provided so a page on our website will be devoted to providing a collection of case studies, interviews, articles on the relation of wilderness and biodiversity and the PAN Parks efforts to protect biodiversity through wilderness protection.

“Parco Lombardo della Valle del Ticino” hereinafter called Parco Ticino, is located in the Lombardy region in the Provinces of Milan, Varese and Pavia. It was established in 1974 through a popular initiative to defend the river and the natural environment of the Ticino river valley. The Consortium managing the Park consists of 47 Municipalities and 3 Provinces.

It controls a territory of more than 91.600 hectares, covering natural and agricultural lands (the remnants of the ancient forests), and urban areas. The Park has a high degree of biodiversity, recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The aim of the Park is to preserve ecosystems and natural areas as well as to protect the environment from the social and economic pressures of the communities that inhabit it, as the park is located in one of the most populated areas in Italy. The Ticino river forms part of the last natural corridor linking the Alps with the Mediterranean Sea.

Mont Avic Natural Park was established in October 1989 for the purpose of preserving the natural resources of the upper valley of Champdepraz (Aosta Valley region, NW Italy), an area which contains extremely interesting landscapes and environments hardly touched by human activity. In May 2003 the Park was extended to include the upper valley of Champorcher, an area of great natural interest thanks to the wealth of flora and high density of typically alpine animal species, as well as outcrops of calcschist, vast meadow areas and numerous alpine lakes. The main objectives of Mont Avic Natural Park are to protect, promote and restore the area’s landscape and historical, environmental and natural resources. Since 2002, the Park area has been classified as a SIC/ZPS site and forms part of the Natura 2000 network.

The Department of Valorisation of Natural Resources and Protected Areas of the Province of Prato is in charge of the protection and enhancement of natural areas and conservation of endangered species of flora and fauna. These actions are performed through the coordination of the protected areas network and through the management of the sites of the European ecological network named “Natura 2000” occurring on its territory.

Since its foundation in 2008, Reef Check Italia Onlus has been dedicated to saving marine biodiversity with a focus on marine protected areas. In particular, the organization works on the conservation of two ecosystems – tropical coral reefs and Mediterranean sea rocky reefs. By acknowledging that monitoring the state of coastal areas is essential to ensure conservation of this priceless heritage, Reef Check Italia Onlus organizes a network of volunteer recreational scuba divers and students from school from several degree. Divers and students are trained to monitor and report on the health of the Mediterranean coastal marine habitats and coral reefs both underwater and along the coastline. The network covers the entire Italian coastal profile, with some collaboration with other countries of the Mediterranean basin.

Fin dalla sua fondazione nel 2008, Reef Check Italia Onlus si dedica al salvaguardia della biodiversità marina con una priorità verso le Aree Marine Protette. In particolare l’organizzazione opera nella conservazione di due ecosistemi – i reef corallini tropicali e i reef rocciosi del Mediterraneo. Riconoscendo che il monitoraggio dello stato delle aree costiere è essenziale per assicurare la conservazione di questo inestimabile patrimonio, Reef Check Italia Onlus ha organizzato una rete di volontari subacquei e studenti di scuole di vario ordine e grado. I subacquei e gli studenti sono addestrati per monitorare e riferire sullo stato di salute degli habitat marini costieri del Mediterraneo e delle scogliere coralline sia sott’acqua che lungo le spiagge. La rete copre tutto il territorio marino costiero italiano ma ha avviato collaborazioni con altri peasi del bacino mediterraneo.

The Province is the intermediary local government between the 45 local Municipalities and the Emilia- Romagna Region (which represents the regional government).

It represents over 500.000 inhabitants, operating administrative, political and coordinating competences, promoting the interests and needs of the population. In wielding its authority on a vast area, the Province targets a well-balanced social, cultural, economic and environmental development for its community.

More information can be found by clicking here.

The Aosta Valley is a mountainous autonomous region in north-western Italy. It is bordered by France to the west, Switzerland to the north and the region of Piedmont to the south and east.

Activities (in French)

Uomo e territorio PRO NATURA is an Italian charitable organisation and is partners of Pro Natura National Federation, the oldest Italian environmental organization (member of IUCN, member of EEB). We are a non-profit organization which stands up for the conservation of the nature heritage on many different levels, e.g. via special species protection projects, renaturation measures, conservation projects and lobbying governments to influence land use, policies that will allow nature to adapt to the challenges of climate change, nature protection, sustainable farming and a diverse and vibrant rural economy associated with locally branded produce and eco-tourism as well as political lobbying activities or environmental education. Uomo e Territorio PRO NATURA conservation programme is not only about making the countryside better for wildlife – but also about making the countryside better for people.