Description of the partner organisation

ISPRA is a governmental research institute established by the Ministry of Environment. It provides advice on sustainable use of the marine environment, monitoring & control. It is active in several fields relevant to the NETCET project: ecology & conservation of protected species, designation & management of MPAs, fishery research & management, pollution monitoring, etc. Experts from ISPRA have an extensive experience in International projects funded by the EU and other IGOs. Besides its technical competences, ISPRA has close relationships with national relevant Authorities, such as the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Forestry (in charge of Fisheries). ISPRA branches are in Lazio, Veneto, Campania, Sicily and Tuscany. In particular, the Branch office in Chioggia (Venice) will be in charge of the coordination and implementation of NETCET.

Description of the activities

Given its institutional role and skills in coordinating international effort toward conservation & management of protected species, ISPRA will coordinate WP7. In this context, in cooperation with SINP, it will facilitate the definition of Adriatic common strategies for the conservation of sea turtles & cetaceans and will assist the consultation among NETCET partners & relevant Authorities. Given its expertise on ecological risk assessment, ISPRA will identify mitigation measures for human activities negatively impacting sea turtles & cetaceans, using WP4 data. Within WP3 & WP4 it will coordinate, with BW, Actions 3.4&4.1 that include: the organisation of a workshop on monitoring methods; the preparation of standard protocols for aerial & photo-id surveys for this region; the implementation of a standardised & coordinated  monitoring programme of accidental captures & mortality of these species by fishery activities; and the GIS mapping of species distribution & high risk areas.  ISPRA will play a fundamental role in transferring know-how, both as scientific skills and integrating science to management & policy. ISPRA has extensive experience in monitoring cetacean populations, having carried out many monitoring programmes in Adriatic, Ligurian & Tyrrhenian seas and the Sicily Channel. These projects have been usually finalised in guidelines, management plans &/or plan of actions &/or peer-reviewed publications. Based on its scientific expertise & on its assets, particularly the two offices in Veneto (Chioggia & Venice) & the R/V ASTREA, ISPRA will concur to NETCET, also guaranteeing a direct link to relevant Authorities.

Address

ISPRA branch in Chioggia
Località Brondolo
30015 Chioggia (Venice)

Rome headquarters
via Vitaliano Brancati 48,
00144 Rome, Italy

Link to the Institutional websites

http://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it
http://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en?set_language=en