Winter School in Interdisciplinary Biodiversity

Biodiversity is one of the most cited terms in the contemporary discourse, and yet its meaning strongly depends on the speaker’s background of knowledge and role in society. None of these is self-sufficient for the conservation and management of biodiversity in the present times. The winter school on biodiversity has been offered for two editions, with the main intent to provide definitions and tools for the understanding and management of the different components of biodiversity as observed by the biologist, the climatologist, the social scientist, the economist, and others.

Programme overview

Loss of biodiversity affects the functioning of natural ecosystems and threatens human well-being. In the current times of a global biodiversity crisis, the word ‘biodiversity’ has become pivotal for conservation and management. Yet, biodiversity is often used only as a catchphrase in political, societal and even scientific debates.

The loss of biodiversity or its increase is not a simple sum of recordable data. Rather, it is a complex result of quantitative and qualitative aspects, socio-ecological systems, cultures, anthropogenic drivers, and assets. This is the reason why a deep understanding of biodiversity is difficult to reach. Thus, communication can fail, and decision-making is often less efficient than needed. This winter school aimed to assist students in building an all-round idea of biodiversity, which includes content and competencies from the humanities, natura,l and social sciences in a fruitful interaction. If we look at the planning for the restoration law, it seems that to preserve habitats is not sufficient anymore.

How did the European Union reach this huge conclusion? Because, according to this law, quantifying biodiversity in agricultural areas will require measuring three different biodiversity indicators

1. The grassland butterfly index
2. The organic carbon stock in soils
3. The percentage of agricultural land with highly diverse landscape features.

What are the other possible systems for the measurement of biodiversity? What is biodiversity? What are the different biological levels of biodiversity? How can it be measured nowadays, and its changes determined with respect to the “natural” state of the environment? What are the ecosystem services provided by the biota and their effects on human health, food production and energy supply? How is biodiversity conservation regulated by law? Our Winter School aimed to investigate and discuss all these questions through an interdisciplinary approach so that students were able to listen to the biodiversity of others, feeling it as complementary to their own.

This programme has been organised in the Venetian lagoon, a unique treasure chest of biodiversity. Participants of the first edition visited a natural protected area by boat, and had the chance to get an insight into the MOSE system and its technical, landscape, environmental and social implications, while participants n the second edition had a guided tour of the Natural History Museum in Venice.

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Inclusive opportunities

The programme enrolled a restricted group (30 people) of young researchers, graduate or postgraduate students, who have been selected by a Teaching Committee based on strict selection criteria.

Tuition costs, including field visits, were covered for all selected students. 

Accommodation has also been arranged at a student residence in Venice in double rooms, and costs were covered for 24 of the highest-ranking applicants. Travel costs to and from Venice were also reimbursed for 12 of the highest-ranking applicants.

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Faculty

• Corrado Battisti (Torre Flavia LTER Station, Rome)
• Edy Fantinato (Ca' Foscari University)
• Silvia Francescon (ECCO Climate)
• Diego Fontaneto (CNR)
• Federico Magnani (University of Bologna)
• Stefano Mammola (CNR)
• Valentina Marcheselli (Ca' Foscari University)
• Paolo Montagna (CNR)
• Pietro Daniel Omodeo  (Ca' Foscari University and UNESCO Chair ‘Water Heritage and Sustainable Development’)
• Marta Picciulin  (CNR)
• Sabrina Tamburini (Ca' Foscari University)
• Christian Toson (CNR)

Keynote Speaker

• Isabel Sousa Pinto (University of Porto and IPBES)

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Partner institutions

This programme was organised by Ca' Foscari University, in collaboration with the CNR Ismar, and funded by the National Biodiversity Future Center.