Project on ecological connectivity of the SE Sicily-Gozo

SIMBIOTIC is an environmental restoration project aiming at enhancing the ecological connectivity of the SE Sicily-Gozo transboundary migratory route through ecological restoration, improved area management, integrated environmental planning and policy and enhanced local environmental consciousness.

Restoration interventions will be designed based on an assessment of local plant, animal and habitat components, an analysis of landscape changes and the identification of priority connectivity areas.

The SIMBIOTIC project will be jointly implemented by the Institute of Earth Systems of the University of Malta, the Ministry for Gozo, the Botany Department of the University of Catania and the Comune di Pachino.

The 2-day Meeting, which concludes today, is launching the project. The sessions which are scientific and management-based focus on the work-packages which make up the project. The Lead Partner delegates and project partners will trace together the project road-map for the next two years.

Photo – left to right: Dr Louis F. Cassar, Project Leader- Simbiotic, Director Institute of Earth Systems, University of Malta, Professor Richard Muscat, Pro-rector for Research and Innovation, University of Malta, and Prof. essa Anna Guglielmo, University of Catania.