Da anni l’Università di Catania, l’Università di Malta, il Ministero per Gozo e la Regione Siciliana hanno consolidato una stretta collaborazione con l’obbiettivo di proteggere e tutelare l’ambiente.
Priority Axis III – Protecting the environment and promoting the efficient use of resources
3.1 Contribute to halting the loss of biodiversity by maintaining and restoring ecosystems and protected areas
For many years, the University of Catania, the University of Malta, the Ministry for Gozo and the Sicilian Region have consolidated a close collaboration with the aim of protecting and safeguarding the environment.
In implementing the ex situ conservation strategy of genetic resources, the Germplasm Banks of the University of Catania and the University of Malta have collected and stored seeds and plants (in collection fields) of Mediterranean taxa of Habitats of the Directive 92/43/EEC.
The Germplasm Banks of the University of Catania, the University of Malta and the Centre for Germplasm Conservation in Marianelli have carried out various in situ conservation initiatives of threatened and structural species of Habitats of the Directive 92/43 / EEC.
The SiMaSeed project is a project funded by the Interreg Italy-Malta 2014-2020 programme – Priority Axis III – Protecting the environment and promoting the efficient use of resources. Specific Objective 3.1.
SiMaSeed “Protecting biodiversity in Sicily – Malta Natura 2000 sites through Seed Banks and population reinforcement”, is coordinated by the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences of the University of Catania.
Thanks to cross-border collaboration, SiMaSeed develops actions to safeguard biodiversity through the conservation of spontaneous flora and its use in habitat restoration, in public parks and in the nursery sector, in Sicily and Malta.
These objectives are achieved by adopting two conservation strategies, ex situ and in situ, aimed respectively at the long-term conservation of seeds in germplasm banks (ex situ conservation), the propagation of target species and the strengthening of natural populations of threatened species (in situ conservation) in Natura 2000 network sites, the European ecological network of areas dedicated to the conservation of threatened or rare species and habitats at a community level.
