With the grant of
Ministry of the University and Scientific and Technological Research Ministero dell'UniversitĂ e della Ricerca
Conservation of Biodiversity The extinction of species is a natural phenomenon but today the rate of extinctions has been dramatically accelerated due to an ever more widespread degradation of the natural environment. The actual extinction rate on a global level is between 100 and 1000 times greater than the background rate of extinction.
It is estimated that between 12,000 and 15,000 species live in the Mediterranean Sea; of these only around 6,000 have been recorded to date.
The loss of biodiversity reduces the productivity of ecosystems and affects the natural life support systems.
The living species in an ecosystem are intimately tied in a dynamic equilibrium. When a species disappears, the equilibrium is lost and the ecosystem has to establish a new equilibrium. If the species that are lost are many, or if a keystone species disappears, the structure of the ecosystem is drastically modified. A forest can turn into a desert; a desert can develop into a forest.
Realized by
Maritime Admiral Michelagnoli Foundation NGO non-profit Fondazione Marittima Ammiraglio Michelagnoli Onlus - Taranto - Italy
All the ecosystems supply numerous services to man, services that in traditional economic theory are not considered as costs. Environmental economics has calculated that the value of the services provided by the living resources to man amounts to around 33 trillion dollars annually.
Photo archive "Mare Nostrum" , property of Fondazione Michelagnoli & Giuseppe Pignataro (international champion) www.fondazionemichelagnoli.it English version translated by Dr Adrian Mallia - Adi Associates Environmental Consultants Ltd - Malta
Biodiversity is a very precious commodity that needs to be conserved. It is a universal heritage and guarantees effi- cient life support systems and other services provided to all of humanity by natural ecosystems. In agreement with
National Interuniversity Consortium For Marine Sciences - Italy Co.N.I.S.Ma. - Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario di Scienze del Mare