Launch of a LIFE Project: IRET to Monitor Forest Ecosystem Disturbances through Leaf Chemistry and Biodiversity Indicators
A new LIFE project has been launched, with IRET tasked to monitor disturbances in forest ecosystems using leaf chemistry as an indicator. This method provides insights into the actual nutritional conditions of plants. Alongside this analysis, the Institute aims to test new biodiversity indicators, with a focus on validating their effectiveness, particularly in relation to disturbances caused by air pollution.
Current pollutant emission levels in the European Union pose a serious threat to human health and the environment.
In 2015 alone, it was estimated that about half a million premature deaths were attributable to exposure to PM2.5, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. Furthermore, recent research from Harvard University suggests a link between long-term exposure to air pollutants and higher mortality rates from Covid-19.
With Directive 2016/2284/EU, known as NEC (National Emissions Ceilings), Europe has mandated reductions in anthropogenic air emissions and the monitoring of air pollution effects on ecosystems. Specifically, the NEC Directive requires Member States to ensure the monitoring of air pollution impacts on forest and aquatic ecosystems through a network of monitoring sites.
Two monitoring networks are currently active in Italy: ICP Waters (http://www.icp-waters.no/) and ICP Forests (http://icp-forests.net/). With its high level of functional biodiversity and diverse environmental, landscape, and climatic conditions, Italy serves as an intriguing case study for applying the NEC Directive.
Bruno De Cinti, a forest researcher at IRET, explains:
“To effectively promote fauna monitoring within the ICP Forest context, data collection must be feasible even for personnel without specific training in the field. This requires the use of indicators independent of direct observation and listening, such as recorders that capture audible and ultrasonic sounds.”
This is where the LIFE MODERn-NEC Project (“New Monitoring System to Detect the Effects of Reduced Pollutant Emissions Resulting from NEC Directive Adoption”) comes into play. The project, coordinated by the Carabinieri Command for Forest, Environmental, and Agri-Food Units (CUFAA), involves collaboration with CNR, CREA, ENEA, the Universities of Camerino and Florence, TerraData, and Legambiente.
Key Objectives of LIFE MODERn-NEC:
- Strengthening the existing monitoring site network and expanding it with additional sites representative of Mediterranean forest and aquatic ecosystems;
- Introducing and testing a new set of indicators and developing protocols to evaluate air pollution impacts on biodiversity;
- Raising public awareness about pollution sources and their environmental impacts;
- Fostering dialogue among EU Member States to promote common strategies and solutions.
Four CNR institutes are involved in the project:
- IBE (Institute for BioEconomy),
- IRET (Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems),
- IREA (Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment),
- IRSA (Institute of Research on Water).
Paolo Colangelo, a researcher at IRET and part of the biodiversity monitoring group, highlights:
“IRET will focus on evaluating the potential use of biodiversity monitoring protocols for animals, particularly bats, birds, and soil arthropods. Additionally, an innovative investigation technique will be applied, analyzing DNA fragments in the soil to identify the presence of animals within the sampling area.”
The project began in October 2021 and will run until September 2025.
For more information and updates, visit the official project website: www.lifemodernec.eu.