SEW – Save the Etna World

Abstract

At more than 3,330 m high and ~40 km wide, Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, is the highestvolcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. Etna stands majesticwherever you look at it, showing a distinctive skyline from each side. More than 200,000people live around its mid-slopes, while another 300,000 are in the biggest city, Catania,located at its southern lower slope. The volcano is so imposing that there are manydifferent landscapes and habitats, often highly dissimilar. Ente Parco dell’Etna (EtnaPark) is the institution, started in 1987, covering the core of the volcano, protecting itsbiodiversity, ecosystems and landscapes, and lastly promoting the sustainabledevelopment of local populations. Within this framework, Etna has recently been addedto the list of the World Heritage sites of UNESCO, which described it as “an iconic siteencompassing 19,237 uninhabited hectares on the highest part”.Save the Etna World (SEW) is an Italian National project funded by “Fondazione CONIL SUD”, which through a multidisciplinary approach aims at implementing a commonstrategy for monitoring and protecting unique habitats and biodiversity at Etna. IstitutoNazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo (INGV-OE) is one of thepartners of the project. Our main duties are monitoring and assessing the impact of thevolcanic activity on the environmental elements. The territory surrounding Etna isfrequently affected by tephra fallout and volcanic gas dispersion, which may alter thechemical-physical features of the ecosystem but also provides excellent nutrients forsoils and vegetation. The data collected will advance our understanding of therelationships between the environment and volcanic activity and will help towardsdefining the best practices for a more efficient use of economic resources withimplications for the socio-economic activities in the Etna area.A broad-spectrum of outreach activities will promote the environmental, social,economic and cultural heritage of Etna and raise awareness towards the environmentamong the local population. INGV-OE will participate in the "information, education andgovernance" of SEW activities, providing modules dedicated to volcanology, organizingseminars and workshops, and developing teaching tools for schools. Furthermore, INGVOEwill play a scientific support role in the dissemination of the monitoring activityresults and collection of best practices in the field of environmental risk.