The research days: a report

It has been two very intense days but, at the same time, interesting and engaging. On Monday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 24, the great annual conference for the presentation of the scientific activities carried out by the Park Authority took place at the headquarters of the Protected Areas of the Cottian Alps in Salbertrand. It was an opportunity to present the results of the Alcotra Aclimo and BiodivTourAlps projects, collaborations with universities and research institutes, and the monitoring activities conducted by park rangers and the staff of the Parks of the Cottian Alps.

Wide Participation

The topics addressed, certainly not appealing to the general public, generated an adhesion far exceeding expectations, with nearly a hundred participants and a strong presence of young faces among both the speakers and the audience present and via videoconference. This is further evidence of the attention surrounding the world of environmental conservation and the work of Parks as institutions capable of producing high-value scientific research and protecting and disseminating the ecological specifics present in the territory.

Alpine Lakes and Wetlands

Thanks to excellent coordination work by Barbara Rizzioli and the Biodiversity Area of the Cottian Alps Parks, the days were organized around big themes. Monday morning was dedicated to water and in particular to the results collected during the Alcotra Aclimo Project on the quality of habitats in wetlands and alpine lakes within the Natura 2000 site Cima Fournier and Lago Nero. In general, the topic also connects to the management of pastures and forests, discussed in other interventions, due to the profound changes caused by the climate crisis on increasingly extreme atmospheric phenomena.

Tourism and Protection

In the afternoon, the focus of the talks shifted to the integration of tourism activities in the mountains with the needs of environmental conservation, as per the objective of the Alcotra BiodivTourAlps project where the Park Authority is a partner. In this context, the first results obtained from ongoing research along the Assietta road, in the Gran Bosco di Salbertrand Natural Park, on the impact of people and motor vehicles on wildlife and air quality in the area were presented. Beyond more structured projects, throughout the day, presentations were made by researchers from university and research institutes who have initiated specific scientific studies on beetles, lepidoptera, and syrphids within the territories managed by the Protected Areas of the Cottian Alps to measure their health status in relation to the global changes affecting their habitats. Among new species identified and others rediscovered after being considered extinct, many new findings were presented throughout the day.

The Story of the Parks

Tuesday, on the other hand, was dedicated to the study and monitoring activities conducted internally by the staff of the Park Authority. It is difficult to summarize in a few lines the volume of information, data, and curiosities presented, but it is enough to list the species observed and analyzed in the territories of Valsusa, Val Chisone, and Val Sangone: spiders, bats, moths, ungulates, and a vast assortment of birds including over 150 species ringed at the Val Troncea station, alpine galliformes, some rarities like the Stone Curlew and the Gray Wagtail or birds of prey such as the golden eagle and the bearded vulture.

In conclusion, the active and heartfelt participation in the conference by scholars, researchers, students, nature guides, and simple enthusiasts is certainly a strong stimulus for all the staff of the Park Authority to continue a complex activity, amid economic constraints and bureaucratic complications, which fortunately is appreciated and taken into consideration by a large number of people. It is a way to share the results – as well as the satisfactions and frustrations – of a job that transcends the narrow confines of the profession to embrace a broader dimension filled with curiosity and passion.