Projects
Internationals
HORIZON EUROPE project - Effects of rewilding in forests and agricultural lands on carbon sequestration and diversity (WILDCARD) - Grant number: 101081177. Referente: Giorgio Alberti. Funding body: European Commission. Link: www.wildcard-project.eu
The project, coordinated by Universtity of Udine, is, for the first time, systematically assessing the impacts of two major rewilding approaches on carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation at the European scale. Running until 2027, WILDCARD combines field observations, remote sensing (e.g. Lidar data) and computer simulations of shifts in vegetation cover with economic, societal, and political analyses. The goal is to identify hotspots of rewilding in future climate and land use scenarios, as well as their overall impact at multiple time scales. WILDCARD mainly focuses on two aspects of rewilding: proforestation (halting forest management to allow for spontaneous forest development) and natural rewilding following agricultural land abandonment.
LIFE SEED FORCE - Using SEED banks to restore and reinFORCE the endangered native plants of Italy – LIFE20 NAT/IT/001468. Contact person for the University of Udine: Valentino Casolo. Lead partner MUSE Trento.
SEEDFORCE is a project comprising 19 partners from Italy and 3 from France, Malta, Slovenia, which aims at the reproduction with subsequent reintroduction or reinforceement in Natura 2000 sites of 29 plant species of the habiat directive annex and at risk of extinction, through germplasm banks. The University of Udine is responsible for the genotyping of all project species and for the conservation actions of Eleocharis Carniolica, Eryngium alpinu, Liparis loeselii and Marsilea quadrifolia.
Nationals
PRIN - Roots in armour: Formation and functions of iron plaques at the root-soil interface of wetland plants (ROOTARMOUR). Referente: Marco Contin (WPs 1.2, 2.1). Link: https://www.raer.unito.it/projects/rootarmour. Funding body: MUR.
The project investigates the role of root iron plaques in rice paddy fields. Assessing the effects of phosphorus availability and dissolved organic matter on the iron plaque, the project employs advanced techniques to study spatiotemporal changes in oxygen, phosphorus, and root morphology and iron plaque formation and dissolution. The goal is to unravel plaque-related functions influencing P plant uptake, microbially-mediated Fe cycling, and organic matter turnover.
PNRR – iNEST - Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem, Spoke 1 - “ECOSYSTEMS FOR MOUNTAIN INNOVATIONS”, coordinated by the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. The HydroLab research group – University of Udine is involved in Research Topic 1 (RT1) “Safety and quality of life in mountain environments” – Sub-topic B “Mountain habitat”, Sector 5: Understanding and mitigation of geo-hydrological risks. Contact person: Federico Cazorzi
Funding body: MUR Link to the dedicated website: https://www.consorzioinest.it/
The project aims to define best practices, develop guidelines for the management of river basins, and identify intervention priorities for existing hydraulic-forestry (SIF) structures. This will be based on updated knowledge of the operational status of the infrastructures and ongoing morphological changes in mountain basins through the use of Remote Sensing techniques.
PRIN 2022 - Back to the future: REtrospective and prospective dendrogenomic insights in silver fir Adaptation to face the ClimaTe crisis (REACT). Contact: Valentino Casolo. Principal Investigator Marco Carrere University di Padova, others Andrea Piotti (CNR Firenze).
The project aims at understandign the phenotypic and genomic signature of Abies alba adaptation, along a biogeogrphical and climate gradient and resistance against climate-related stressful conditions throught an individual targeted genotyping and in-depth dendrophenotyping by the analysis of wood anatomical traits and nonstructural carbohydrate content.
PRIN 2022 - RE-SHAPE UP - Rain Exclusion Sensitivity in High Altitude Plants and Ecosystems: Upscaling Perspectives”, Contact: Francesco Boscutti. University of Udine Lead, University of Parma.
Climate change is having a strong impact on Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems. Although warming has been extensively studied in these environments, there has been little research into the effects of precipitation regime shifts, triggering extreme drought events (EDEs) on cold ecosystems. The project RE-SHAPE UP aims at detecting ecosystem-level responses to EDEs, occurring at different times during the growing season, on plant species in two main alpine grassland communities occurring above the timberline. It will follow an upscaling approach from species to community- and ecosystem-level, to better understand the detailed mechanisms underlying general observations on ecosystem processes. The project will rely on field experimental manipulations, coupled with a functional trait-based approach.
PRIN 2022 - REWILD-FIRE Rewilding policies for carbon sequestration under increasing fire risk. Contact: Giorgio Alberti. Link: https://rewild-fire.com/.
Rewilding strategies, such as natural reforestation on marginal lands or renaturalization of forests where human action has been interrupted, provide opportunities to increase the amount of carbon stored by forest ecosystems. On the other hand, rewilding may also increase fire hazard and loss of Carbon through wildfire emissions. The REWILD-FIRE Research Project aims to assess trade-offs between increased biomass carbon and potential carbon losses from wildfire emissions and compare choices regarding the spatial planning of reforestation and proforestation throughout the Italian Alps. Combining field observations, remote sensing, and vegetation modelling with policy strategies scenarios, the project will inform policy makers of the contribution of forest nature-based solutions to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in mountain regions. The project will also investigate the effect of alternative planning choices to rewilding and identify which ones can better support carbon dioxide removal.
PRIN 2022 – Cleopatra. Circular economy and sustainable agriculture: hydroxyapatite from biowastes as smart nanofertilizer. Contact: Luca Marchiol. https://prin2022cleopatra.uniud.it
The Cleopatra project is a collaborative effort between researchers from the University of Udine, the Free University of Bolzano in Italy, and the Institute of Nanotechnology CNR in Lecce, Italy. The project focuses on exploring the potential of using nano-hydroxyapatite derived from biowastes to produce nanohybrids that can serve as effective and eco-friendly P nanofertilizers.
PRIN 2020 – (NASA4SHA) – Fault segmentation and seismotectonics of active thrust systems: the Northern Apennines and Southern Alps laboratories for new Seismic Hazard Assessments in northern Italy. Principal Investigator: Riccardo Caputo (University of Ferrara) Contact person: M. Eliana Poli (WP5: Paleoseismology)
This research project, conducted in collaboration between UniFe, UniMi-Bicocca, UNIPV, UniCt, INGV, and OGS, aims to investigate the active compressive systems of Northern Italy (Northern Apennines and central-eastern Southern Alps) in relation to seismic hazard assessment (SHA).
The project has two main objectives:
-
To define, through a multidisciplinary approach, the 3D geometry and seismotectonic parameters (i.e., maximum credible rupture, slip rate of possible aseismic structures, magnitude-frequency distribution) of these low-deformation-rate compressive systems;
-
To publish a prototype Fault Displacement Hazard Assessment (FDHA) for selected areas.
These new analyses represent an important contribution of the NASA4SHA project to risk reduction strategies in a densely populated and economically significant region of Italy.
National Seismic Microzonation Project: study of active and capable faults (ACFs) - https://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/pubblicazione/indirizzi-e-criteri-la-microzonazione-sismica/
Seismic Microzonation studies aim to improve knowledge on the alterations on the topographic surface caused by seismic shaking, providing useful information for territorial governance, emergency planning and post-earthquake reconstruction. In particular, the Research Group of the University of Udine is responsible for studying the surficial effects linked to capable faults (i.e. faults that are capable of breaking and/or coseismically deforming the topographic surface) at the front of the eastern Southalpine chain and in the northern Apennines
Progetto CARTOGRAFIA GROLOGICA NAZIONALE (CARG) - Realization paper 084 Vittorio Veneto.
The CARG Project provides the creation and computerization of the 636 geological and geothematic sheets at the 1:50,000 scale that make up the entire national territory. In particular, UNIUD is currently involved in the realization of the 084 Vittorio Veneto Geological Sheet (scientific coordinator prof. C Stefani, UNIPD), for which it is responsible for the realization of the Structural model both at surface and at depth.
PRIN 2020 – EYELAND – A crowd-sensing geospatial database for the monitoring of rural areas
A crowd-sensing geospatial database for monitoring rural areas. Scientific coordinator: University of Tuscia, Viterbo
Partner institutions: University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, University of Bologna, Polytechnic University of Marche
Contact person: M. Sigura
The project focuses on the creation and testing a system for the collection and distribution of Groud-Truths to support the analysis of the territory through remote sensing. Different kinds of data regarding land cover, agricultural practices, rural structures and infrastructures, various land(scape) features, are gathered by means of new approaches -like mobile crowd sensing- and citizen science.
PNRR National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) - Contacts: Francesco Boscutti (WP 4.1), Giorgio Alberti (WP 4.2).
The National Biodiversity Future Center carries out research and promotes the development of solutions to monitor, preserve and restore functional biodiversity, in order to counteract the anthropogenic impact, the effects of climate change and to support ecosystem services. The Center supports research and innovation activities for the enhancement of biodiversity through circular economy and restoration economy processes capable of protecting environmental resources and ensuring the well-being of the person.
The main objective is the creation of an extensive network of universities and research centers in order to identify the major drivers of biodiversity loss and promote a more sustainable development. THe CNR is one of the 8 involved executors of the project, to which the University of Udine is affiliated.