Newsletter 02 - August 2011

We ACT! News from the partners

• Adaptation: let's learn from Crematogaster
  In recent decades, the attention of the scientific community has increasingly been directed to study the solutions adopted by the flora and fauna to survive in modern urban settings. The main aim is to understand how they have changed over the time their habits and their DNA to survive changes induced by climate and human impacts. There are many examples of what scientists have called urban evolution, the "natural selection that occurs in the most unnatural environment of the world: the cities that never sleep".
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• Workshop on “Local impact assessment of climate change”: results and future steps.
  In the framework of the Life Project ACT - Adapting to Climate change in Time, the last 12th and 13th May 2011 ISPRA organised a workshop on Local Impact Assessment of climate change in order to provide to the municipalities of Ancona, Bullas and Patras support and coordination to the implementation of their local impact assessments.
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• Ancona Local Impact Assessment: Ancona early warning system
  A large and deep landslide interested on 13th December 1982 the northern area of the Ancona city, the “Montagnolo” hill started to slide towards the sea (Figure 1).
  The event involved, about 180 millions of cubic meters of soil and rock; it damaged private houses and strategic buildings and infrastructures, about 3000 people were evacuated. The railway and the main road were blocked, the gas and water supplies were interrupted.
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• Patras Local Impact Assessment: why we choose biodiversity
  The area with biodiversity interest in Patras is the Mountain Panahaiko. The area of Panahaiko falls under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Patras as well as two neighboring Municipalities. To a large extent the area is a Natura 2000 site with the code name “Mountain Panahaiko” with the code GR 2320007. This area includes a wealth of important environmental elements such as Forest areas, rivers streams and wetlands.
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• Bullas Local Impact Assessment: in its final stage
  Actions done by the Local Adaptation Board in a close collaboration with ISPRA are in the final stage. Last July 8th the last preview was provided, previously reviewed by the technical personnel of ISPRA with indications to be followed by the Board to complete the work.
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• Bullas: winner of the Awards of Sustainable Development 2011
  The Monitoring Commission of the Social Pact for the Environment chose the winners of the IV “Awards of Sustainable Development” of the Region of Murcia.
  The Commission of Monitoring of the Social Pact for the Environment, La Comisión de Seguimiento del Pacto Social por el Medio Ambiente, leaded by the secretary general of the Agriculture and Water Department, Mr. Francisco Moreno, selected the winners of the “Awards of Sustainable Development” addressed to honor the enterprises, institutions and groups which have developed environmental efforts beyond those required by the law.
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