IT25 CC EC - Plant Biodiversity: Conference

The last part of the dissemination day was the conference which took place at the Aula Di Martino of the Botanic Garden. The conference was opened by the welcoming speech of Prof. Rosario Schicchi, the Director of the Botanic Garden and Professor of Botany at the University of Palermo.

After the introductory speech by our Erasmus+ project coordinator, Monsieur Prof. F. Tondeur, it was the experts' turn.  Dott. G. Maurici, Head of the Territory and Environment Department and Director of the Madonie regional natural park,

Dr. M. Airò, Researcher at Research Centre for Defence and Certification Prof Loredana Randazzo, from IS Majorana gave three very interesting speeches on Bioversity and its Conservation, with a special focus on Sicily and its territory.

Then, it was the turn of the students' voice.

The Italian students presented the six pedagocial actions carried out during the year and the common action (the making of a video about a natural site to be preserved),

while the partner students witnessed about their motivation to be part of the project, told about their experience in Portugal and reported about the week in Italy.

The coordinators of the Italian teams ended the conference with an evaluation of the week. They focused the attention on how our island needs to preserve its historical, cultural and linguistic heritage just as much as it needs to develop a strategy to protect its biodiversity, and, thanks to the project, hoped to have arisen young people's awareness of the need to ensure the sustainability of the individuals, societies and countries they represent. They expressed their gratitude to the students, the main actors of the change, to our partners which acted as guides for their students, to the families, to the teachers who contributed to the success of the Congress, to the experts and to all the people who showed the interest of the territory for the project but also for a common action.

Thanks the conference the participants and audience members gained a deeper understanding of biodiversity, its importance for ecosystems, and the current threats it faces (e.g., climate change, habitat loss, invasive species).

The conference also brought together experts, teachers, students, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and a shared sense of responsibility and giving an inspiration for Action and personal committement.

The students who talked developed and demonstrated public speaking and critical thinking skills, gaining confidence in presenting complex environmental topics to a wider audience and everyone was encouraged in future participation in civic or environmental activities.