International education on nature protection and restoration for the Erasmus+ BESTNATURE project in the Protected Areas of Southern Italy

The first BESTNATURE Field Week (BFW) of the Erasmus+ project “Boosting EU Biodiversity Strategy by empowering high education curricula and green skills for nature protection and restoration”, which took place from 22 to 28 September 2024 in the Pollino National Park, the Argentino State Reserve and the Reserve of the Mouth of the River Crati, has represented a unique opportunity to bring students from different European countries in protected areas of southern Italy and show them applied monitoring activities for biodiversity conservation. The project, coordinated by the Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB) of University of Tuscia in collaboration with the Alma Mater Studiorum of Bologna (Italy), Carabinieri Biodiversity Group (Italy), University of Passau (Germany), University of Graz (Austria), University of Applied Science of Carinthia (Austria) and E.C.O. Institute for Ecology (Austria), aims at training skilled students to the objectives set by the European Biodiversity Strategy. Since last year, the partnership has been developing innovative teaching models and methods on the main themes of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration, targeted to all levels of university education, from Bachelor to PhD. In particular, the partners are collaborating on constructing and implementing an innovative blended education and training course “Theory and Application in Biodiversity Conservation”, consisting of two modules.

The first BFW, which saw the students’ involvement in biological and ecological monitoring activities carried out in Protected Areas, completes the theoretical training, implemented through an e-learning course on the same topics, available on the e-learning UnitusMoodle platform. The students, about 30 from different levels of university education, came from Italy, Germany and Austria and were trained by professors, researchers, Protected Areas’s managers, and Carabinieri Biodiversity Group, discovering biodiversity and ecosystems in the Protected Areas located in Southern Italy, specifically in Calabria and Basilicata. In addition, the following people intervened: UNESCO World Heritage experts, professors, lecturers, and students from other Italian (University of Basilicata) and foreign universities (University of Nevada). The different monitoring techniques, both traditional and innovative, address the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem from different perspectives, to provide students with an interdisciplinary framework to acquire transversal skills that are fundamental to achieving the objectives of the European Biodiversity Strategy 2030.

The monitoring techniques in which the students engaged were: the installation of microphones for acoustic landscape characterization (soundscape analysis), installation of soil insect traps (pitfalls), camera traps, birdwatching, vegetation surveys for plant community analysis, creation of test plots to describe forest composition and structure, monitoring riverine environments by sampling bio-indicator organisms (macroinvertebrates), sampling of environmental DNA from soil and water (eDNA), remote sensing and acquisition of data on the structure of vegetation by flying drones with LiDAR (Light Detection and ranging) sensors, woody cores sampling for dendrochronological analyses and sediment cores extraction in wetlands for ecological reconstruction of the environment linked to past human-environment interactions.

The proposed activities included visits to several museums located in the area, including the Geo-Paleontological Museum of Rotonda (PZ), the Sea Museum of the Crati River Mouth Reserve (Cassano all’Ionio, CS), and the EcoMuseum of the Pollino National Park (Rotonda, PZ). This made it possible to discuss the role of museums in engaging citizens on the themes of biodiversity conservation. The data collected during the week of surveys will be analysed by the students under the guidance of the lecturers via webinars, to draw up a final report where each student will be engaged in at least two lines of monitoring, to develop interdisciplinary skills. The reporting activity, preparatory to the granting of training credits, started on the last day, during a direct discussion between lecturers and students (mentors and mentees). The variety of ecosystems, from one of the southern components (Pollinello) of the Unesco World Heritage Site “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe” to dune and river ecosystems, also enabled the students to come into close contact with a vast array of techniques for monitoring biodiversity in complex Mediterranean landscapes.

The multi- and interdisciplinary approach adopted to assess ecosystem health and biodiversity has enabled students to understand the importance of monitoring to ensure the effectiveness of protected area management. Indeed, the BESTNATURE project aims to provide future professionals and researchers with advanced skills in biodiversity monitoring and sustainable ecosystem management. By passing the exam, students will become part of an international network that can contribute to current and future challenges of ecological transition.