ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS AND THEMATIC MAPPING

Module BOTANICAL ASPECTS

1) Knowledge and understanding: Acquisition of knowledge regarding essential legislation for environmental assessment; acquisition of the main methods currently in use for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and Appropriate Assessment (AA) for sites protected under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), utilizing representation and assessment tools—such as indices, matrices, and cartographic representations—focused on flora and vegetation.

2) Applying knowledge and understanding: Learning the fundamentals of conducting and developing environmental assessments, with particular attention to plants, habitats, and ecosystems.

3) Making judgments: Critical ability to examine plans and projects subject to assessment; ability to evaluate and understand impact factors and to devise possible solutions for mitigation or reduction, potentially including restoration and rehabilitation actions using native plant species to the project area.

4) Communication skills: Ability to describe environmental assessment topics and specific case studies using correct terminology and effective presentations.

5) Learning skills: Enhancement of learning capabilities through all available resources—such as texts, presentations, publications, and images—and through group work on projects sourced from relevant websites (e.g., Ministry of the Environment, Sicilian Region Environmental Assessment Portal, etc.).

The teaching is based on lectures supported by presentations "Power point" containing information  on the issues addressed. moreover, there will be exercises on the topics dealt with in the form of case studies  and surveys in the field with the teacher

Environmental assessment: general and the relevant legislative framework. The threatened flora and red lists. The vegetation as an indicator of the state of the environment .The species and habitats of community interest. The impact assessment: guidelines. The environmental impact assessment: guidelines. The strategic environmental assessment: guidelines. Techniques for the identification of the impacts (thematic mapping, matrices). Measures to minimize the impacts. Renaturation interventions and environmental restoration. Study Cases. The vegetation mapping in environmental assessment

1. Massimo Aleo  2012 – Valutazioni ambientali Le procedure di VAS, VIA, AIA, e VI nel governo del territorio Grafill ISBN 13 978-88-8287-464-7 

2. Valutazione di piani e progetti aventi un.incidenza significativa sui siti della rete Natura 2000 -  Guida metodologica alle disposizioni dell’articolo 6, paragrafi 3 e 4 della direttiva Habitat. 92/43/CEE – Commissione Europea (file pdf)

3. Informatore Botanico Italiano n 40 supplemento 1. Flora da conservare (pdf file fornito dal docente)

4. INTERPRETATION MANUAL OF EUROPEAN UNION HABITATS EUR 28  2013 EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG ENVIRONMENT (file pdf)

5. Blasi et al. 2010. Manuale italiano di interpretazione degli habitat (Direttiva 92/43 CEE) consultabile al link http://vnr.unipg.it/habitat/index.jsp

Oral exam. It is permitted to organize oneself into working groups which, starting from a project to be evaluated, provided by the teacher or proposed by the students themselves (taken for example from the VIA VAS website of the Italian Ministry of the Environment), allows the topics of the course to be addressed on a concrete case. For this purpose it is necessary to prepare a "power point" presentation which with images facilitates understanding of the topics covered by exemplifying for example. the places affected by the project, species and habitats involved, evaluation matrices, etc. The presentation may provide an opportunity to ask questions on the topics covered in the course. Particular attention must be paid to regulatory references on environmental matters