Potenza, 28 May – Today saw the presentation in Potenza, in the Aula Magna of the University of Basilicata, of the results of the AgroBioDiversity project, in the context of the "Biodiversity in Val d'Agri" conference organised by eni and the University of Basilicata (Unibas), in cooperation with the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei and Shell and with the patronage of the Basilicata Region. The presentation was followed by a round table discussion to develop the debate - starting fro the issue of the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity - concerning the challenges and opportunities for the development of the territory of the Val d'Agri. Participating in the discussion, along with eni, the representatives of the  regional council of Basilicata and the Val d'Agri National Park, was, among others, Gaetano Benedetto, Co-director General of the WWF Italia.

The commitment of eni to operate in a way that integrates the conservation of biodiversity in its operating activities is mainly realised through projects in eco-sustainable environments. AgriBioDiversity, which was launched in the Val d'Agri in cooperation with Shell, ha a particular relevance, both because it is in Italy and because it is a pilot project.

The project aims to evaluate the state of biodiversity in the High Val d'Agri area and the potential impact of petroleum and antropic activities, the identification of the appropriate measures top mitigate the eventual impact and the recovery and valorisation of local biodiversity.

The approach that has been followed for the development of the plan took as its reference point the guidelines set out by the Energy Biodiversity Initiative (EBI), an initiative that was launched in 2001 by the oil industry and leading non-governmental organisations in the area of the protection of biodiversity. The project team included staff from the Environmental Department eni's exploration & production division, a large group of researchers from the University of Basilicata, the Laboratorio di Genetica e Servizi (LGS) of Potenza and Fauna & Flora International and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, two international that took part in the EBI.

The research project evaluated the state of biodiversity in the High Val d'Agri considering the historic trends of socio-economic pressure in relation to the recent arrival of the oil industry, The survey was conducted at both the overall and single operating site level. Account was also taken of the claims of local factors and made use of simple, sensitive, measurable and replicable biodiversity indicators that show how changes to the state of nature in both space and time. Evaluations were made of the impact on biodiversity of representative sites (flow-lines, well stations, oil pipelines and oil storage) and, after making field validations of biodiversity indicators, both a biodiversity monitoring protocol  and appropriate biological mitigation was proposed for the mountain area of major naturalistic interest. The process was fully integrated in eni's environmental management system.
The direct and indirect impact attributable to the production of crude oil were evaluated after having separated them from other local activities associated with the use of natural resources.
From this project indications also emerged about how to orientate the use of financial resources for measures with a neutral net or positive impact on biodiversity.

The results show that in the last 50 years the habitat of the high valley has undergone a gradual ecological fragmentation related to more intensive agricultural  use, the expansion of infrastructure, the cementification of the Agri River and the widespread urbanisation of the area. On the other hand, the mountain areas that have been subject to lesser antropic pressures, still display numerous areas with high levels of biodiversity. In some of these areas the increased pressure for pasture interacts negatively with efforts to recover areas of well stations and the paths for oil pipelines.
The results of the project suggest that maximum attention be given to the biological  conservation of the mountain areas which in the last 50 years have resisted ecological fragmentation, cementification and soil removal.

In these areas the quality of the components of biodiversity are strictly connected to ecosystemic services (e.g. fresh water, aria, pasture, the climate and carbon dioxide) the economic value of which will tend to increase in the near future. By adopting the guidelines deriving from the monitoring of biodiversity it is possible to foresee the regeneration of the meadows affected by industrial activities in the space of just a few years, while the biological mitigation of the sites in beech woods will require a higher level of cooperation from the stakeholders before a definitive recovery can be expected to the pre-ante state foreseen at the end of the cycle.

In the context of the process of cooperation between eni and Unibas, in full respect of their reciprocal autonomy for action and judgement, an important role has also been played by the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), from its Viggiano offices, which has the objective of creating, promoting and difussing awareness through research activities, training, information and the spread of technological progress, in cooperation with local players, mainly in this case, the University, and in close contact with the network of excellence of which FEEM has always been a part. The proficuous relationship of cooperation between FEEM and Unibas began from the start on the basis of the general logic that informs the activities of FEEM in the area of Lucania: to provide support for local and regional institutions, with special regard for areas directly related to scientific research and its diffusion.