EGU25-4820, updated on 14 Mar 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4820
EGU General Assembly 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Building the Future of Biodiversity: Italy's National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) Initiative
Donatella Spano1,2,3, Carlo Calfapietra4,3, Massimo Labra5,3, Alberto Di Minin6,3, Simonetta Frachetti7,3, Gianluca Sarà8,3, Maria Chiara Chiantore9,3, Gian Marco Luna10,3, Lorena Rebecchi11,3, Francesco Frati12,3, Maria Chiara Pastore13,3, Andrea Galimberti5,3, Hellas Cena14,3, Gloria Bertoli15,3, Isabella Saggio16,3, Luigi Bubacco17,3, Riccardo Coratella3, Simone Mereu18,2,3, and Giuseppe Brundu1,3
Donatella Spano et al.
  • 1University of Sassari, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Sassari, Italy (spano@uniss.it)
  • 2CMCC Foundation – Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change, Italy
  • 3NBFC - National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
  • 4Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, (TR), Porano, Italy
  • 5Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
  • 6Institute of Management, Scuola Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
  • 7Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
  • 8Department of Earth and Marine Science, Ecology Lab, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
  • 9Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
  • 10Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology - National Research Council (IRBIM-CNR), Ancona, Italy
  • 11Department of Biological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio, Emilia, Italy
  • 12Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
  • 13Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
  • 14Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
  • 15Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, MI, Segrate, Italy
  • 16Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin” Sapienza, University of Rome, Roma, Italy
  • 17Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
  • 18Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Bioeconomia, CNR-IBE, Sassari, Italy

This presentation provides an overview of a recent initiative and large investment in biodiversity undertaken in Italy. It focuses on establishing the Italian National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), the first National Research and Innovation Center dedicated to biodiversity, funded through European Union funds—NextGenerationEU. The NBFC includes key actions to monitor biodiversity, enhance conservation efforts, restore ecosystems, and value terrestrial, marine, and urban biodiversity. To deal with such a complex roadmap, the NBFC is designed following the Hub&Spoke model. It comprises 6 thematic Spokes dedicated to the sea, land and wetlands, and cities, with two crosscutting spokes dedicated respectively to training, communication, knowledge sharing, innovation, and policies through international connections. A primary objective is to encourage data sharing among various institutions, organizations, and countries to foster international collaboration in biodiversity protection. The NBFC is working to create a national digital platform for data analysis and biodiversity informatics, as well as collecting biodiversity data and acting as a digital twin for monitoring and conservation. This digital platform will connect biodiversity to ecosystem functions and services. This multilevel digital platform is a vital resource for the national and international scientific community, policymakers, and organizations responsible for protecting biological diversity in various environmental contexts. All actions undertaken by the NBFC are based on the Nature-based Solutions approach, providing a wide range of options for biodiversity restoration and management. Additionally, Citizen Science initiatives contribute to the NBFC's objectives by raising public awareness about the need to understand, monitor, conserve, and restore biodiversity. The NBFC's activities also aim to promote human health and well-being. In line with the One Health approach, healthy ecosystems are essential for resilience to diseases, food security, and improved quality of life. Through this initiative, Italy aims to strengthen its commitment to safeguarding biodiversity while promoting sustainable development and ecological resilience.

How to cite: Spano, D., Calfapietra, C., Labra, M., Di Minin, A., Frachetti, S., Sarà, G., Chiantore, M. C., Luna, G. M., Rebecchi, L., Frati, F., Pastore, M. C., Galimberti, A., Cena, H., Bertoli, G., Saggio, I., Bubacco, L., Coratella, R., Mereu, S., and Brundu, G.: Building the Future of Biodiversity: Italy's National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) Initiative, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-4820, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4820, 2025.

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