Italy's diverse mountain regions are made up of the Alps in the north and the Apennines, which traverse the length of the peninsula. The Alps, formed through tectonic activity over 770 million years ago, have been subject to extensive scientific investigation and today provide valuable insights into the Earth's crust and the processes shaping it. The Apennine Mountains, although less imposing in elevation, contribute to Italy's physical geography and climate. These mountain ranges support diverse ecosystems and are crucial spaces of research to better understand ecological dynamics, assess climate change impacts, and develop conservation strategies.
While Italy’s mountainous regions offer exceptional opportunities for scientific research and a wealth of ecological and environmental significance, they are also sites of marginalisation and ecological distress. Like many others, Italy’s marginalised mountainous regions pose connectivity and accessibility challenges, and can make it difficult for communities to access basic services such as healthcare, education, and transportation. Despite these obstacles, these areas hold profound socio-economic importance, drawing tourists, contributing to the local economy, and serving as crucial water catchment areas that support downstream communities and agricultural activities.
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Notable Projects
The below projects actively support research and life in Italian marginalised mountain areas. MARGISTAR believes that their efforts are worth highlighting and invites you to follow these projects online or connect with their representatives within the MARGISTAR consortium.
Meet MARGISTAR's Italian Members
Dr Alberto Doretto
Researcher at University of TurinAlberto is a river ecologist and works as researcher at University of Piemonte Orientale as well as at the Alpine Stream Research Center in Ostana (Italian Cottian Alps). His research focuses on evaluating the response of stream macroinvertebrates as bioindicators of the river ecosystem to natural environmental gradients and anthropogenic pressures in alpine rivers. In particular, he is interested in examining the ecological consequences of hydro-morphological alterations; especially the excessive accumulation of fine sediment due to sediment flushing operations from dams, and flow intermittency as a consequence of global change.
Cristina Dalla Torre
Researcher at the Institute for Regional Development at Eurac ResearchCristina has a background as an environmental economist and is currently a PhD student in rural economy at the University of Padova. Her research seeks to identify transformative actions and practices towards just and sustainable futures, understand how interacting global and regional changes affect collective resource governance in mountain regions, work with mountain communities and stakeholders to catalyse transformations with a trans-disciplinary approach, and contribute to re-define ethical and mutually benefitting relationships between science and society. Aside from working in academic settings, Cristina is committed to enable thriving mountain communities and habitats by being active in associations and in non-governmental organisations.
Elisa Ravazzoli
Vice Head of Center for Climate Change and Transformation at Eurac ResearchElisa coordinates the research group "Space and Society" since 2018. She holds a BA in Sociology, a MA in Geography and Territorial Processes and a PhD in Economics from the University of Bologna. By education, she is a systemic thinker and enjoys working in inter and transdisciplinary research projects. Her specific research interests relate to: spatially situated social practices, social innovations, local and regional development processes, transformative actions towards sustainability and community resilience.
Dr Giorgio Vacchiano
Assistant Professor at University of MilanGiorgio is an Assistant Professor in Forest Management and Planning at University of Milan.
Dr Matteo Vizzarri
Researcher at University of MilanMatteo is a researcher of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the University of Milan.
Dr Nicola La Porta
Researcher at Fondazione Edmund MachNicola obtained a degree in Forest Sciences in 1989 at the University of Florence and a PhD in Forest Pathology at the University of Bologna in 1995. He did two years of scholarship at the CNR of Florence and spent a period of 3 months at the University of Wageningen with a scholarship from the MIUR. He then spent 4 years at the University of Helsinki, winner of an EU Human Capital and Mobility project and a Return Fellowship at CREA in Montanaso Lombardo.
Prof Roberto Tognetti
Full Professor at University of MoliseRoberto Tognetti received a M.Sc. in Forest Science from the University of Firenze and a Ph.D. in plant ecophysiology from Trinity College, Dublin. He is full professor of forest ecology and management. His research focuses on forest ecophysiology, studying the interactions between climate change, environmental disturbance, and functional ecology, integrating ecosystem processes and ecological indicators over a range of spatial and temporal scales. He was the chair of the EFI (European Forest Institute) Project Centre on Mountain Forests (MOUNTFOR) and the COST Action CA15226 Climate-Smart Forestry in Mountain Regions (CLIMO).
Stefano Bruzzese
PhD Student at University of TurinStefano Bruzzese is a PhD Student in Rural and Forest Policy and Economics.
Dr Valentino Marini Govigli
Junior Assistant Professor at University of BolognaValentino is a Junior Assistant Professor at the Department of Agri-Food Sciences and Technologies of the University of Bologna. He holds a PhD in Forest and Cultural ecology, a MRes in Ecology and Environmental Management, and a BAE in Economics. His fields of expertise are socioeconomics of agro-forest goods and services, consumer behaviour and stakeholder preferences, intangible ecosystem services assessment, social innovation brokerage and multi-actor engagement. Valentino has more than eight year of experience in applied agro-forestry research. Currently he works in the H2020 Project FOODLAND and LOWINFOOD, exploring best practices for food nutrition and sustainable farming in African food value chains through behavioural and experimental economics.
