Member:
The Institute Centrale per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica Applicata al Mare (ICRAM) - Italia

ICRAM ongoing projects
April 2005, Roma, Italy

The Institute Centrale per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica Applicata al Mare (ICRAM) joined IUCN in February 2000. ICRAM's mission consists in contributing to the care and protection of the sea and its resources. This is achieved through scientific consulting and research activities regarding marine management, conservation and awareness building. ICRAM provides the Italian Ministry of the Environment the necessary scientific support for the protection and defence of marine resources. ICRAM opened in 1988 a library which is specialized in braches of learning related to sea fishery, aquaculture and monitoring of coastal water, sediments and environments. It contains over 3000 volumes and currently subscribes to about 100 periodicals (for a total collection of more than 800 annual volumes).

The main projects that this institution is working on are:

Guidelines for the zoning and management of marine protected areas. Funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment.
The project involves the formulation of a standard protocol on the requisites of the preliminary studies necessary for the establishment and zoning processes of new marine protected areas as well as the studies necessary for the revision of existing zoning schemes. The protocol is elaborated in strict collaboration with personnel from the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Protection of the Territory. The procedural and methodological standards necessary in the planning process of new marine protected areas are formulated by taking into consideration:
a) the need to converge conservation, environmental awareness and economic and social development
b) the application of the most modern hypothesis of adaptive management.

Research program for the set-up of a "regional plan for the conservation of fish resources" - PR ICRAM 278 - CORIS - Funded by the Ligurian Region.
The project involves the identification of habitat and settlement periods of juvenile fish species of commercial interest in coastal waters of the Ligurian region. The study also involves the creation of a calendar of juvenile arrival and concentration in coastal waters, a knowledge based instrument that is important for the management of the Ligurian coastal zone and for the formulation of regulations involving artisanal fisheries.

Evaluation of the efficiency of marine protected areas: the "spill over effect" and its possible effect on fisheries - SPILL OVER - Funded by the Italian Ministry for the Alimentary Politics.
The study is centred on the effects of protection measures on fish assemblages with particular emphasis placed on the phenomenon of biomass exportation (both in terms of juvenile and adults) from marine protected areas to their nearby waters.

Guidelines for the handling, recovery, release, first aid and rehabilitation management of marine turtles - TARTARUGHE - Funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment.
The project is centred on elaborating national guidelines necessary for the formulation of a draft legal instrument concerning marine turtle handling and rehabilitation. A special working group has been set up, composed of experts from organisations involved in marine turtle conservation, in order to formulate the abovementioned national guidelines. The project is developed in support of the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Protection of the Territory in matters concerning marine turtle management and conservation.

Capacity building of Italian Coast Guard personnel on issues concerning marine protected species and marine protected areas -The program is centred on conducting specific training courses and seminars, directed at the Italian Coast Guard personnel along the Italian coasts and operating out of the main Coast Guard Academies on issues concerning the protection and monitoring of marine biodiversity and the conservation of marine protected species and marine protected areas.

Study on monk seal habitat and presence in the Libyan Cirenaica coast - LIBIA - Co-funded by the RAC/SPA of Tunis.
The project is focused on evaluating the presence of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) and its coastal habitat in Libya and in support of the future establishment of marine protected areas. The activities are conducted within the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding between UNEP-MAP RAC/SPA, EGA (Environment General Authority- Libya) and ICRAM.

European Topic Centre on Nature Protection and Biodiversity - Funded by Environmental European Agency.
The project involves the set-up of a consortium for the establishment of a European Topic Centre for the protection of Biodiversity (ETC/BD), coordinated by the Museum of Natural History, Paris. The tasks currently undertaken by ICRAM within the ETC/BD involve:
- Maintaining and assuring the quality of EEA priority data flows
- Integrating the Mediterranean marine habitats into the EUNIS Habitat Classification
- Development of specific marine indicators, tackling biodiversity loss and understanding spatial change)
- Cooperation and partnership

Completion of the technical-scientific data collection for the preliminary studies of the future marine protected areas of Isola Gallinaria, Arcipelago Toscano, and Pantelleria and technical support in the zoning revision processes of established MPAs - PR ICRAM 319 - NUOVE AMP - Funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment.
Collection of technical-scientific data sets necessary for the completion of the preliminary studies required for the establishment of the marine protected areas of Gallinaria Island, the Tuscan Archipelago and Pantelleria island. The project also foresees specific technical scientific support to the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Protection of the Territory for the zoning revision of already established MPAs.

Interesting links:

Institute Centrale per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica Applicata al Mare (ICRAM)
Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio