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Together with the Carabinieri Command of the Forest, Environmental and Agri-food units (CUFAA), Maremma Regional Park and Arcipelago Toscano National Park we are currently finalising the detailed allocation of activities for each fieldwork day.
We will share the complete programme as soon as it is confirmed. In the meantime, please check the draft programme of the monitoring lines below and feel free to contact us for further information:
Professor Gianluca Piovesan and Dott. Michele Baliva: piovesan@unitus.it, m.baliva@unitus.it
Detailed draft Programme below:
• 7 April: arrival, accommodation arrangements, and introductory sessions on the planned research topics. Field activities are scheduled only in the afternoon.
• 8–11 April: field monitoring and research activities across the selected sites (see map).
The detailed programme is currently being finalised, but the main research and monitoring lines will include:
• Camera traps and acoustic wildlife monitoring
• Science communication activities
• River monitoring
• Effective protected areas management and land-use
• Remote sensing (satellite, drone, terrestrial LS)
• Land cover and forest types mapping using remote sensing
• Forest plot assessment with QField
• Vegetation mapping
• Forest structure assessment and forest plot surveys
• Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling and metabarcoding
• Dendroecology
These activities will be distributed across several Mediterranean environments to ensure exposure to different ecological contexts.
Below is a short ecological overview of the main sites currently planned:
Feniglia Dune System – A protected Mediterranean coastal dune and pine forest landscape between the Orbetello Lagoon and the Tyrrhenian Sea. It includes dune systems, pine woodlands, transitional scrub and secondary successions, wet forest and lagoon habitats, offering strong opportunities for research on coastal dynamics, forest succession, dune stabilization, and biodiversity monitoring.
Maremma Regional Park – One of Tuscany’s most important protected areas, characterized by a mosaic of ecosystems including dunes, wetlands, Mediterranean forests, river mouths, pastures, and uplands. The area is particularly suitable for ecosystem monitoring, vegetation and land-use mapping, wildlife management, and conservation studies.
Poggio Tre Cancelli Strict Nature Reserve – A mature forest reserve with minimal human disturbance, dominated by deciduous and sclerophyllous woodland. It is especially valuable for studies on forest structure, long-term ecological processes, biodiversity conservation, and wildlife monitoring (including large mammals).
Montecristo Island (to be confirmed based on the weather forecast) – A highly protected and remote Mediterranean island. If access is confirmed, it will provide opportunities for biodiversity conservation research, remote sensing applications in island systems, environmental DNA sampling at land–sea interfaces, acoustic monitoring, ancient trees and ecosystem restoration, and science communication in strictly protected contexts.
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