Decisive in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to secure the critically endangered Sicilian fir, Abies nebrodensis
Roberto Danti, coordinator of the LIFE4FIR project, was a guest of Story Time, a program of the Radio Italia 5 schedule.
During the interview Roberto presented the LIFE4FIR project and its objectives, underlining the enormous importance of protecting biodiversity and Abies Nebrodensis.
The LIFE4FIR project and the safeguarding of Abies Nebrodensis were featured at the 117th edition of the SBI congress. For the occasion, the poster ‘Manual pollinations among individuals of Abies nebrodensis‘ (Schicchi et al.) was produced and presented.
Researchers from the LIFE4FIR team presented the project, objectives, and ongoing activities at the 31st edition of the IHC, which took place in August in Angers.
During the event, an oral presentation titled ‘Strategies for the conservation by biotechnological approaches of Abies nebrodensis, a relict conifer of Sicily‘ (Wead et al.) was held.
At the same time, the e-poster ‘In vitro germination of mature embryos from Abies nebrodensis, an endangered species in Sicily‘ (Jouini et al.) was also presented.
Roma Tre University hosted the first International Plant Translocation Conference in June 2022 (here is the program). The conference provided a unique opportunity for biologists from around the world to share their experiences, successes, and challenges in the recovery of threatened botanical species.
For the occasion, the abstract “Translocation of species for conservation: the case of Abies nebrodensis in Sicily – Schicchi et al.” was prepared, followed by an oral presentation of the same.
On 17 May 2022, the beneficiaries of LIFE4FIR met for the progress meeting of the 30 months of the project, which has entered its second half (2019-2023).
The meeting was organized in the Domenico Lanza Room of the Palermo Botanical Garden. The activities carried out were presented and the progress of the technical and dissemination activities discussed, as well as the monitoring of the financial aspects.
During March-April 2022 the trees of the natural population were propagated by grafting, in order to set up the clonal orchard.
Thanks to the protocol developed within the LIFE4FIR project, a much higher success and survival rate of the seedlings was obtained compared to previous experiences.
The room dedicated to the seedbank and the cryo-bank was set up at the MAN (Museum of Abies nebrodensis) in Polizzi Generosa.
Instrumentation and safety devices were installed and the seed bank went into operation at the beginning of 2022. Seeds batches are progressively added to the collection stored at -18 degrees Celsius. The cryobank is expected to be fully operational in Spring 2023.
Il programma LIFE festeggia 30 anni! LIFE4FIR ha organizzato due eventi per festeggiare il programma e promuovere le iniziative a tutela dell’ambiente.
Il 16 maggio 2022, è stato organizzato, presso la sala consiliare del Comune di Polizzi Generosa, un open day dedicato alla sensibilizzazione di giovani, studenti e comunità locali sulle tematiche ambientali e sulla conservazione dell’Abies nebrodensis (qui il programma della giornata).
Roberto Danti (IPSP-CNR), Rosario Schicchi (UNIPA-SAAF) e Puppuccio Bonomo (Ente Parco Madonie) hanno illustrato il progetto LIFE4FIR e le opportunità per l’ambiente offerte dal programma LIFE alle diverse scolaresche che hanno partecipato all’open day.
All’evento hanno preso parte anche alcuni rappresentanti delle istituzioni pubbliche locali: Gandolfo Librizzi (Sindaco di Polizzi Generosa), Angelo Merlino (Presidente Ente Parco delle Madonie) e Mario Candore (Dirigente Dipartimento Regionale Sviluppo Rurale e Territoriale della Regione Sicilia).
Al termine delle presentazioni presso la sala consiliare, il gruppo si è diretto verso il popolamento di Abies Nebrodensis curato dal progetto LIFE4FIR per conoscere dal vivo le attività in corso a tutela della specie a rischio estinzione. Più di 100 studenti hanno partecipato all’escursione!
La giornata si è conclusa con una visita al vivaio Piano di Noce ed un pranzo organizzato e servito dai ragazzi della Scuola Alberghiera di Bagheria.
Il 17 maggio 2022, presso la Sala Domenico Lanza dell’Orto Botanico dell’Università di Palermo, si è tenuto il Workshop ‘Strategie innovative per la conservazione ex situ di Abies nebrodensis’ (qui il programma dell’evento).
L’obiettivo dell’evento è stato coinvolgere ricercatori, amministratori di aree naturali, professionisti interessati alla biodiversità e studenti universitari, illustrando le procedure sviluppate per l’implementazione della biobanca (banca del seme e criobanca) e le attività a favore della conservazione dell’Abies nebrodensis, grazie a misure ex situ ed ad un approccio innovativo.
The LIFE4FIR Project was presented at the VIII conference of the Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva, held in Vigo in February 2022, through the poster “Conservation genetics of the endangered Nebrodi fir: estimating the effective population size, inbreeding and hybridization – Arista et al.”
The LIFE4FIR project consortium organized a technical course on the grafting of Abies Nebrodensis at the Piano Noce nursery on 18 November 2021, where the IBE-CNR experts gave a theoretical and practical lesson to the technicians and workers of the Region and the Madonie Park Authority.
The course was designed with the aim of providing brief basic notions on the vegetative propagation of conifers and the practice of grafting the Madonie fir, in order to promote the conservation of the species through the creation of a clonal arboretum.
Here are some photos taken during the event.
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