To mark Biodiversity Day, we celebrate the value of nature and the extraordinary variety of species that surround us. From the Mediterranean scrub to marine ecosystems, every environment harbours a precious heritage that must be protected through informed choices and concrete actions.
Coastal biodiversity acts as a bridge between land and sea: the Mediterranean scrub helps to protect the coastline and promote environmental regeneration.
To mark this occasion, we would like to highlight an example of ‘local’ conservation, which has its roots in and is developing within the local area at our CRIMAC – Calabria Marine Centre, part of the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn.
As part of a project run by the Amendolara Pro Loco, funded by the Calabria Region (PR Calabria ERDF ESF+ 2021–2027), SZN staff are involved in a major project to protect Poterium spinosum, an extremely rare plant species characteristic of the coastal Mediterranean scrubland in the upper Ionian coast of Cosenza. The propagation of the species through seed collection and the germination of new seedlings is one of the initial stages of the project, which is progressing very successfully.
Protecting biodiversity also entails: integrated conservation measures, a focus on environmental resilience and the protection of rare species that reflect the identity of our region.
