SUMME_One Health
Sustainable Management of Marine Ecosystems: a One Health approach for the Gulf of Gabès, with a comparative analysis of the Gulf of Gela
The Mediterranean Sea, a crossroad between Southern Europe and Northern Africa, becomes the stage for a shared challenge between Italy and Tunisia: pollution. In an unprecedented initiative, the two countries join forces to assess the presence of emerging pollutants in the Gulfs of Gela in Sicily and Gabès in Tunisia, with the aim of initiating a decontamination process through the construction of nano Biofilters that can ensure a good environmental status and promote sustainable development to protect the Mediterranean for future generations.
The Gulf of Gabès, a vital part of Tunisia’s coastal waters, represents a rich and productive ecosystem, unlike the eastern Mediterranean basin known for its poor fertility. However, it faces similar environmental threats to the Gulf of Gela, highly vulnerable due to past industrial pollution. Both sites host vulnerable habitats and are crucial for marine biodiversity.
Our project will conduct a detailed analysis of the marine ecosystem, including the evaluation of climate models, the influence of climate change on pollutant circulation, and variations in marine habitats. We will follow the principles of One-Health, examining the interconnectedness between human, animal, and environmental health. We will identify the main threats to the ecosystem, with particular attention to contamination and ecotoxicology, exploring different classes of emerging pollutants and their effects on marine species and organism physiology.
The use of modeling methodologies will allow for a precise assessment of the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities. We will actively involve local communities and other stakeholders in decision-making processes and conservation planning, promoting environmental awareness and creating economic opportunities.
PARTNERS
Referent:
Programme: Interreg VI-A NEXT Italia-Tunisia
Acronym: SUMME_One Health
Duration: January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2027
Budget: 1.290.198,00 €
Budget IRBIM: 460.000,00 €
Areas of Research:
TEAM
Cinzia Vita Badalucco
Technical Collaborator
Mazara Del Vallo
Francesca Falco
Researcher
Mazara Del Vallo
Mariangela Giglio
Administrative Officer
Mazara Del Vallo
Isabella Panfili
Technologist
Ancona
Massimiliano Pinat
Technologist
Ancona
Maria Timenkova
Technologist
Messina
Antonino Titone
Technologist
Mazara Del Vallo
Research Projects
Referent:
Antonietta Specchiulli
Environmental monitoring of the Acquarotta canal - Lesina lagoon
Referent:
Giuseppe Scarcella
Support the operation and functioning of RCG Med&BS, overcome national approaches and achieve the expected results from coordinated regional work on fisheries data collection.
Referent:
Germana Garofalo
To provide key information on the biodiversity and marine ecosystems of the Central Mediterranean Sea - Strait of Sicily, the ecosystem services provided, human activities and pressures due to humans and climate change.
Referent:
Alessandra Campanelli
Monitoring of offshore platforms in the Adriatic Sea aimed at verifying effects following the discharge of production water from offshore platforms into the sea and the absence of hazards to water and aquatic ecosystems.
Referent:
Michela Martinelli
NAUTILOS was created with the goal of complementing and expanding existing observational instruments and services in the EU, and enabling the collection of marine data with greater spatial resolution, temporal regularity, and length than currently available.