Events

The meeting was aimed at presenting the Sea Marvel project to the Associated Partners, sharing its specific objectives and analyzing the project design in its various work packages, in order to identify the contact persons for each organization and begin to imagine the areas of collaboration consistently with the planning of activities and the mission of each.
Prof. Iuri Peri, project manager, after welcoming the guests and introducing himself, asks Prof. Adriana Vella to present herself as coordinator/project manager for PP2, followed by the introduction of the two project partner team members (representatives of the University of Catania and the University of Malta). Subsequently he gives the floor to all the associated partners who present themselves and in particular:
LIFE, ISPRA, AMP Ciclopi, AMP Pelagie, Ministry of the Environment of Malta, Ministry of Economic Development of Malta, Ministry of Education of Malta, R.N.O. Oasi del Simeto,
Department of the Environment of the Municipality of Catania.
Prof. Peri briefly presents the project and underlines the importance of the partner network to ensure not only the success of the project, but ultimately increase the social impact of its results on both Sicilian and Maltese territories.
Prof. Adriana Vella, project manager in Malta and coordinator of the research activities of the project, reiterates the urgency to find solutions and the responsibility of each with respect to the numerous threats to the environment and the conservation of biodiversity. Climate change, human footprint, excessive exploitation of natural resources, just to name the main causes. In introducing the activities that the University of Malta will carry out in partnership with the University of Catania, she underlines the targets of Sea Marvel in terms of expanding knowledge of the phenomena through field research and innovative youth training in biodiversity investigations using molecular tools, considering various environmental variables involved, and raising awareness with stakeholders and in schools.
Dr. Clara Monaco of the University of Catania introduces some of the additional innovative elements of the project, in terms of methodology regarding information and awareness actions, such as bottom-up multi stakeholder approach, citizen science, the creation of a code of conduct for monitoring carried out through the new communities of sentinels of the sea.
Dr. Noel Vella of the University of Malta introduces the areas that will be investigated by explaining the objectives and ultimate aims of the research: in the case of alien species to be identified in Natura 2000 areas and in neighboring fishing areas, before these become “Invasive” in order to find solutions to mitigate the risk and, in the case of plastics and microplastics, not only to find useful solutions to mitigate the risks, but also to increase the impact of awareness campaigns.
Finally, Dr. Joseph Vella exposes another innovative element of the project, that of the management of the collected data, and how the integrated approach and methodology that will be used is functional to increasing awareness and the ability to read complex phenomena.
During the session dedicated to questions and answers, Prof. Peri clarifies that the associated partners will not benefit from direct funds nor will they be asked for financial support, but will benefit from the staff made available by the Universities, the materials purchased by them, as well as the project output and results. To this end, everyone will be contacted shortly to organize individual B2B meetings with each associated partner.
The slides of the presentations transmitted during the meeting are attached to these minutes.
Below a screenshot of the event.