LIFE MODERn (NEC)

Current levels of pollutant emissions in the European Union pose risks to human health and ecosystems, as well as exposing member countries to the risk of infringement and the payment of heavy fines. To address this emergency, European Directive 2016/2284 (NEC Directive) was issued, which establishes commitments to reduce atmospheric emissions of pollutants associated with human activities, through a system of monitoring and reporting of measured data. In addition, member states are required to monitor the adverse impacts of air pollution on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The current Italian monitoring network consists of 4 freshwater sites and 6 forest sites.

It is in this context that the LIFE MODERn (NEC) project-New Monitoring System to detect the effects of pollutant emission reductions resulting from the adoption of the NEC directive – was born, with the aim of improving the system for assessing the impacts of air pollution and climate change on forest and freshwater ecosystems in Italy.