ATTIVITÀ DI MONITORAGGIO AMBIENTALE FINALIZZATE ALLA PROTEZIONE E ALLA CONSERVAZIONE IN ALTA LANGA ​

The problems related to the loss of biodiversity together with the degradation and reduction of habitats are one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. In the face of the evident environmental crisis, various international (Berne, Washington, Bonn, etc.) and Community (Birds Directive, Habitat Directive, etc.) and national (Legge Quadro sulle aree protette, norma 157/92 etc.) standards have been promulgated in recent decades for the protection of the environment. These standards consider that environmental monitoring should be used to ensure the protection and safeguarding of biodiversity. The study carried out in alta Langa at an agricultural company (Piampicollo Selvatico) has used the technique of environmental monitoring with the aim of identifying the possible presence of species and habitats of conservation interest to be able to request the competent bodies the protection of the territory and its borders with respect to the multiple environmental pressures which threaten its integrity, such as hunting, expansion of intensive and high-use cultivation methods of biocides, etc. Given the limited time available and the limited budget, the study focused on the detection of some taxons compared to others. My activity within the project, during my internship period, was to participate in the development of some samples. In particular, the monitoring activities I have followed have covered the surveys of the avifauna, the herpetoefauna, the phototrapping of the mammalofauna and the investigation on the flying deer (Lucanus cervus). The results have led to the reporting of all species deserving of environmental protection according to international, national and regional standards and international and local Red Lists. The report however returns the results of all the observations made during the activities allowing the development of checklists for the different groups of species under consideration. I have also carried out some elaborations on the data collected by means of phototraps in order to describe the behaviour of the mammalian species present in relation to the period of daily activity.